So, one thing I love in these quiet calm little moments before all you know what breaks lose and suddenly everything is happening and needs to happen all at once because time is running out, is to drink a cup of tea.

I made this today, I am experimenting with a few different things in case I have a few things left over after I have made everything that I have planned for the Bazaar. If I get so lucky as to have a little left over I will turn it into herbal tea which will also wind up at the fair!

So here is the recipe,

• 1 teaspoon of chamomile flowers (dried)
• 1/2 tea spoon food grade rose petals, (dried)
• 1/4 tea spoon hibiscus flowers (dried)
• Garnish with a cinnamon stick (You might only want to leave it in to steep for a couple of minutes to keep a great flavor that isn’t over ridden with too much cinnamon)

Give it a try and let me know if you like it. This recipe is good for 1 serving. It may also work if added to a small tea pot used to serve in which case it may make several servings.

Enjoy your calm moments. There are just not enough of them. Crazy seems to be every day these days and every hour, so in our crazy world take a few moments of calm and have a cup of this delicious tea.

Old Scale Purchased on Etsy From Colors For Life

I love old things…. They have so many stories to tell. They have so many experiences through their “lifetime”. The craftmanship is beautiful, and continuing to use old things keeps production of new things for the trash barges down. I bought this little scale from Colors For Life on Etsy, because it was adorable and old and I needed a scale for my kitchen. They gave me wonderful and accurate information on this lovely scale and it lived up to every word they said about it’s functionality.

The Beautiful Old Face of a Beautiful Old Object

I have been meaning to write about this old scale for a while now. We love the countriness of it. And we look forward to bringing you more antique fun soon. Old things give Cafe Primrose some flavor and ambiance. We love to talk about and share the beauty and craftmanship of days gone by every so often…. And quite recently I was at a fair where I picked up a few interesting pieces so stick with us and every now and again I will share some lovely flea market find or some beautiful object that was either sent as a sample or that we purchased because we saw it on Etsy and fell in love with it.

Old Kitchen Scale

There are many beautiful things to be found at fairs and Flea markets, and the sellers on Etsy and elsewhere on the internet, the ones who save beautiful old pieces from the dump and rehab them are an amazing bunch. So are the incredible artisans that also make their home on Etsy. We look forward to a future of the odd post of this sort, to make everyone aware of some of these incredible little collectors, dealers and creators.

Wisteria

Spring is here! That evil groundhog lied to all of us and I vote we have him indited for fraud! Spring came unbelievably late this year. Jumped nearly right into early summer skipping over spring completely giving us blizzards instead. My first spring home and it is already almost gone but seems to have barely even begun as it was so late in coming. I have not seen spring time in Boston in almost 8 years.

Wisteria plant, that climbs our back porch.

We have the most beautiful wisteria plant climbing the house. We did not know if it would take… It took, then it thrived, then it went crazy. My mother planted it for me about five years ago while I was living abroad outside the country. Wisteria, is a finnicky little plant. It is not easy to transplant. My mum, seems to have managed. For years though she had doubts it would take. Then suddenly it got very big and started climbing the porch. Now it is starting to lick at the second floor back porch it has grown so large, and…. The first flowers are starting to appear! We are just waiting for full bloom. I love wisteria, I can not wait to smell the fragrance every time I sit outside in the dark while we watch the night sky through the telescope. Such a beautiful way to spend an evening.

First Flowers!

Sima For Vapu, drunk along side Munkki to celebrate May Day in Finnish Scandinavia.

Sima, was once made with honey but today, is typically made with various varieties of sugar, and is flavored with lemon and lemon rind and even raisins as a finisher. It is then consumed raisins and all. In a similar vein as the winter drink Glogi, which typically contains both raisins and almonds. Finns, seem to enjoy edible garnishes in their traditional drinks.

The initial flavoring done in a big metal bowl. Sliced lemons are added rind and all.

The Next Phase Raisins Are Added.

 

Raisins Rising Towards The Top.

 

“Tankards” of Sima Fermenting.

Usually Sima is drunk on the eve of May first, and a great deal of sugary treats are eaten. It contains only trace amounts of alcohol so it is safe even for children. Usually it is consumed on the eve. Often, the left overs are then taken on the day of May First, to the picnics that happen all over Finland as is their custom for heralding in the beginning of summer time. Yes, they eat more munkki also at these picnics. Munkki though traditional for May first (Vappu) is also eaten all year round. And this beautiful beverage though traditional for Vappu, would be just as pleasant on any summer or spring picnic. I was surprised by just how softly flavorful it was. Absolutely delicious!

Setting For Two! Very Similar Than The Setting For Four when my parents dropped by to celebrate Vappu with us.

It was very nice to share this tradition from the frozen north with my family who came over to try it all out. These Finnish traditions are not second nature to me but they are not wholly unknown either. For my family, they are completely new and very exciting and we love to share with them the good times. It was a pleasure to visit with them and to enjoy Vappu in Finnish style.

A Delicious Time Was Had By All.

Stony Brook Grist Mill in Brewster Cape Cod

All that time away, I missed the horrific screaming of these horrible birds. Sometimes I even cried at night because I missed them so much.

The Birds A Horror Movie For The Herring!

This is a fabulous place for families to go. I spent my childhood having countless adventures in the mill ponds and streams, watching out for snapping turtles, freaking out at the sight of snakes, catching frogs and turtles studying them and returning them then to the water learning about nature and life beyond that of human beings. There is even an old wishing well there. Today, it is covered, but we have been going for generations to the “old mill” as we call it. And it was only a generation ago that my uncle climbed down into it and stole 7 cents and then was forced to split half of it with one of his younger brothers who called halfs. A strenuous trip down and a difficult climb up all for 3 and a half cents. As a family, we have spent so many good times at this mill it is is so very special and magical to go again when the herring are once again swimming, to remember all the fun we had together back in our younger days.

We are deeply saddened and we are following the story between visits to the old mill pond and running the dogs on the sand flats. We are aware of all developments. I saw the uncle of these violent children who bombed the marathon on tv. My heart, just bled for him. I feel for the entire family. I can not imagine their pain. They too are victims of this tragedy. I want them to know, their humbleness and sorrow for the victims is touching. I wish I could hug them and tell them, the shame belongs to all of us. Not a one of us saw this coming. Not a one of us took the time or expended the energy to make these impressionable children part of our lives and our city. We own the shame. It is owned by all. Where emptiness lives all kinds of yuchy things creep in….. I find myself unable to have anything but compassion for this poor family and I hope Boston, will find a way to feel compassion rather than rage as well. Lets bring this kid in and lets bring him in safe. He is just a baby…. A baby that has thrown his life away, because either way he has thrown his life away….. 19….. Just a baby….

There has to be a better way for humanity to relate than this. There just has to be. I would like to see the violence end here, a new page can be written in the story of humanity now, here today. Lets write a page about peace and compassion rather than rage and violence. Because if we don’t we will be creating another legacy of shame to go with the one we already wrote that bombed the marathon only a fe days ago and left an 8 year old dead… No amount of blood shed and rage can bring any of the dead back. All it can do is continue a cycle of violence that we need to end so badly. Lets end it. Lets hold each other tight and reach out and be more present for all members of our community. The tragedy is all encompassing and if this child, no matter what he is responsible for dies, the tragedy will be even deeper. I am hoping Boston can find compassion, because it is the choices we make in our darkest hour that dictate who we are.

We stand with the amazing people down the street in Boston proper. We feel their pain and we are horrified that anyone would come into our little city and do something so dispicable and violent. I want that SOB to know you can not run and you can not hide. When we find you we will toss your butt into prison and you will never again have the privilege of seeing the open sky. This tragedy has touched us all. But here, a ways away from Boston Proper, we continue on with our lives. We smile, and we enjoy the sunshine living our day just the same as we would with or without this tragedy. So who ever you are, person who just killed several people and maimed several more, you lose. You have not terrorized us and we continue with our lives like you never were. And we do this, for those injured who are not strong enough quite yet to do it. We will not let violence win.

We thank the amazing heros of Boston, our police and other first responders for making us proud and saving lives.

For those still in Boston, be safe stay out of crowds and watch your tv for other tips. Be safe!

Five Flowers
Bath Salts
By Cafe Primrose

You can all see, my Flower Collection is coming along beautifully. Here are the bath salts to go with the fragrances I made not so long ago. Coming soon, will be the soap made in our own very special base made up of healthy things for the skin.

We love to go with french, because lets just face it all…. It is incredibly classy. We have developed a basic collection and it can be expanded upon as we get special requests for special flower fragrances that as of now we have not yet managed to add to this beautiful collection. So anything that is not here can be added, pretty much the sky is the limit! So everyone, tell me what it is you are dreaming of…. Because that is my job, not just to create my dreams but to create yours too.

Sea Rose
Bath Salt
by Cafe Primrose

While I am talking about dreams…. Sea Rose fragrance has been a dream of mine for the last nearly five years. I lived for a long time in Vienna Austria, which was a real challenge for me. I am a coastal girl. I discovered many wonders in Vienna, but at night when I was sleeping I dreamed of smelling the roses by the fence of my grandparent’s cape cod home that over looks the ocean. I dreamed of a mixture of salty ocean air and roses. So now I have made it just in case I should ever be called away again. This fragrance is as spectacular as my Flower Collection and my Literature Collection.

Well now, I guess it is all up to you…. I can’t make your dreams without knowing what they are, and it would be the honor of my lifetime to create them for you, just as I am creating my own.

Once known as Lady Nameless…. Now and forever to be known as Lady Orla.

I wanted to thank all you amazing Facebook folks for all your help in picking a name for my harp. I found something though that is much more fitting. It was suggested by family.

Lady Orla, is a 32 string lever Celtic folk harp. So when family suggested an old Irish name, it fit too perfectly, and as much as I loved your suggestions and I thank you for them, they helped me a lot. I opted to go with the recomendation of family that fit so well and I fell completely in love with it. So I introduce you all to my new friend, the Lady Orla.

Lady Orla

Where the boys go

I know I know, I have let you all down this week! Sorry! I am taking like four college level courses three in music and 1 in math in addition, I have a weekly driving lesson. Also, we are looking around for a new place to live not that I see a move any time too soon, but hopefully, it will happen sooner than I think it will. In addition, I have an old house to manage for my tenants, and a husband to wrangle, and hobbies such as this one, that take up my time. On top of that I work. I have several orders I need to get out…. So I apologize for not keeping up. We have a few things we may post today since we have time. But I thought it would be fun, to show youa ll Jupiter. I know I know, not the best shot, well we are not dealing with optimal conditions, and the best shot or not, it is still incredibly cool!