Love, Laughter, and Life

Adventures With a Book Lover


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Haiku Moment: a pop-py

fuzzy fat pods hang

drooping from scrawny stems, then

a pop-py bursts forth

a pop-py

by Angie Quantrell

Yakima Valley


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Haiku Moment: flycatchers

Flycatcher parent waiting for me to not look while it feeds the nestlings. My car antenna is a convenient perch for such activity.

mournful calls echo

as watchful parents dash, dart

flycatchers nest here

flap, crack-winged warning

startles, drives out predator

hoping for a snack

poofed fledglings appear

flapping, dropping, flight attemps

offspring launch from home

Both parents cling tightly to the fence in the wind, wishing I would go away and they could catch bugs (yay) and feed the babies. It’s hard to capture them still! Wind does not help.

flycatchers by Angie Quantrell

The clearest shot of the female (I believe). The wind is pushing up her chest feathers.

Every year for the past 7-8, we’ve had a pair of flycatchers nesting in the parking shed. It’s fascinating to watch them. And they eat flies (and all sorts of flying insects). Win-win for us.


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Haiku Moment: crabby grass

the more I dig deep

frustration builds, anger grows

why it’s called crab grass

crabby grass by Angie Quantrell

Yakima Valley


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Haiku Moment: hidden

mere feet from busy,

yet vibrant abundant life

what else hides unseen?

hidden by Angie Quantrell

Wide Hollow Creek, Yakima Valley


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A Panda Tea Set Adventure

I so enjoy a cup of tea! I’ve even blogged a few times about tea experiences. My last tea post was about the time I read a picture book featuring Masala Chai and then made my own following the recipe in the back of the book.

All good fun. Imagine my surprise when I received an email from someone who enjoyed that post. I was skeptical. But this person represented Umi Tea Sets, which turned out to be a real tea company in China. That was the first thing I checked. Just to make sure.

I loved digging through the Umi Tea Sets website to see what types of teas, teacups, tea sets, and other tea items they offered. There is a wealth of tea information on their website too. They offered to send me something to test and share with you. How nice is that?!

Umi Tea Sets sent the cutest little panda travel tea set! It comes in a molded travel case. The complete set has a tiny teapot (the panda body) with room for 3 cups of water. Not our measurement of 1 cup, but the adorable teacup=1 cup of tea (the panda head is a teacup, 2 total panda head teacups). The other tiny pot (the second panda body) is for tea leaf storage, which easily holds enough tea for several outings. So. Much. Fun.

Umi Tea Sets even included three packets of tea leaves to try. The photos show Da Hung Pao, which is an oolong tea. Mmm.

My granddaughter is smitten with the panda tea set, so we can have our own tea parties and sip away. She likes books too, so maybe we can sit, sip, and read together. We can go anywhere, since this is a travel tea set!

Heads up to plenty of tea adventures when these pandas go along! You can learn more about Umi Tea Sets travel sets here. Or search for any other tea needs. Thank you, Umi Tea Sets!


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Haiku Moment: disturbed

enjoying nibbles

but earthbound human disturbs

spring morning delight

disturbed by Angie Quantrell


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Haiku Moment: no typing allowed

work beckons fingers

but magnetic eyes lock on,

no typing allowed

no typing allowed by Angie Quantrell

Lily, the office assistant


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Haiku Moment: spring fashion

cotton candy fluff

buzzy busy bees adorn

pink tree spring fashion

spring fashion by Angie Quantrell

Lateral A, Yakima Valley

I was inspired to write this haiku after I read this poem by Danna Smith.


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Haiku Moment: gone

just last week I saw

beauty stretching from chaos

today empty holes

free blooms for taking

but leaving crushed leaves and trash

my eyes in despair

gone by Angie Quantrell

Yakima Valley

See the former beauty here.


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Haiku Moment: sings sweetly

unexpected joy

sings sweetly amidst carnage

that fails to dampen

sings sweetly by Angie Quantrell

Yakima Valley