"It'll be fun!"

 " Have a tea party! I'll help! It will be fun!"  Darling Daughter made this enthusiastic announcement way back in January when we were discussing this year's clue hunt.  Each year, I serve some sort of meal to each team to be eaten while I discuss rules and regulations, give a few hints on how to solve the mystery and generally welcome my guests. Since this year's hunt revolves around an eccentric old lady (me!), Elizabeth burst forth with her idea of the tea party.  I reiterate here..."I'll help!"  Hmmm.  Now that it is time for the first team to come to the Little Bayou House, Darling Daughter is half way around the world on a vacation.  Was that perfect timing or what?  "It'll be fun!"  Hmm....yeah.  It might be fun if I knew what I was doing throwing a tea party!  Let me make a pot of red beans and rice, let me stir up a vat of gumbo, let me fry a few fish and make hushpuppies...don't ask me to host a tea party!  

 Seriously, though, I do not mind.  It will be fun...I hope.  And...with any tea party, you have to have teacups and teapots.  This was the easy part. I have a lot of odd teacups and saucers so setting the table was fine. Those teapots, though, just about overwhelmed me. I did not realize that I owned so many of those things.  I literally have a collection of teapots! Why do I have this fine collection?  I have no clue. I think perhaps I do not own the collection.  More like, it owns me.  It seems that teapots, like a lot of other items in the house, come to visit and forget to leave.  Their visits linger on and on until they become permanent fixtures.  I have more teapots than Carter has liver pills.  There are teapots from neighbors, teapots from mom, teapots from grandmother, teapots from great-grandmother and even one from a great-aunt's sister.  (I never met her but I have her teapot!)  So, what better time to use these odd teapots than tomorrow evening at the first run of the clue hunt!  The tea party is on and a bunch of little old ladies of the past are going to be present....at least their teapots will be!......."It will be fun!", she said.

 

 

"I'm a little teapot"

  Mom taught me that little song oh, so many years ago.  The little ditty with its cute little hand motions was a hit with me when I was a tyke. Being a teapot had a certain appeal back then.  Now, I am quite sure it would be offensive as teapots are indeed "short and stout".  I might resemble that part of the song but would never...ever...want to be reminded of the fact!  Still, while I was out roaming the hillside after a particularly hard rain, the song started jingling around in the brain almost causing me to burst out in jubilant melody.  Why?  Well, all because of a bird or several birds, in fact.  You see, a group of Eastern Towhees is called a Teapot of Towhees.  Why?  Well, I have no idea but it just is.

  The towhees were being quite jubilant themselves this afternoon. Several male birds were "singing in the rain" as I slipped along silently on the wet ground.  As I eased up to one fine bird behind the canebrake, I realized the cause of his joy.  His brood of tiny baby birds was taking advantage of the break in the rain.  It was their time to leave the nest.  I stopped short as I did not want to scare the little ones nor did I want to cause undue stress on the parent birds.  Since towhees nest on or near the ground, the little ones were already in the thickets and could hardly be spotted.  Mama Towhee could be heard chiding her little ones to stay far from the open areas but it was that joyful Daddy that caught my attention!  He sat about five feet from me singing his happy song,  The males are such striking birds and with all the racket he was making, it is a wonder that something had not already caught him.  I suppose towhees are just smart birds.

  I backed out of the little family's territory and headed around the marsh edge toward the Bayou.  There, I found yet another male Eastern Towhee high in a treetop.  This was unusual as these are more often found closer to the ground.  This guy was sitting high up in a dead hickory tree.  His call was loud and clear but was more yearning and not happy-go-lucky.  Again and again, he notified all to "Drink your tea!" which is what the experts say the bird's song resembles.  Yep...I could hear that!  I suppose that one call is what lead to their unusual group moniker..."Drink your tea!", said the Teapot of Towhees!  I figured that was a good idea so I picked a handful of persimmon leaves and headed to the kitchen to brew me a mug of persimmon leaf tea flavored with fresh ginger root and a bit of honey.  Thanks for the advice, Mr. Towhee!

Country Clunky

  Years ago, Mom used to scrounge around in church bazaars, garage sales and flea markets when given the opportunity.  She was always on the hunt for what she called "Country Clunky" pieces.  These are the thick, heavy pottery pieces that are finished with a brown glaze.  She loved this stuff!  She never purchased any new pieces and was always careful to never buy anything that cost more than a quarter.  This was her "frivolous" pastime.  She would spend a few pennies to add to her collection and cherished each purchase.  

  We knew when autumn had come to the farm when Mom would start putting her Country Clunky pieces out on display.  A favorite teapot might hold a bouquet of marigolds while cheese crocks with bail lids lined the mantel.  While she collected and displayed her numerous pieces, I never remember using any of them for food.  Teapots, bean crocks, coffee mugs and bowls seemed to be only for decoration.  The teapot shown was one of her favorites!

  I inherited this  100 piece (plus) collection merely because I am a bit "Country Clunky" as well.  I suppose Mom felt that it was only fitting to pass this stuff along to me.  Sad to say, I am just as bad as she was when it comes to this stuff.  Not that I seek out pieces but rather that I do not use the stuff.  I should.  The soup tureens and bean pots might be nice use while serving a fall supper of stew or beans.  I could keep them warm on the old woodstove and use a small individual pot for each guest.  The coffee mugs would be guaranteed to keep tea, coffee or cocoa piping hot for after the meal and dessert of custard could be served in the brown ramekins.  Yep, I really should use this stuff. Hmmm...fall supper, warm woodstoves, coffee and pumpkin pudding....it all sounds delightful!