Mango Tea

One of my favorite things is tea, especially iced tea on a warm, sunny day

lately, with mango season coming in to full time...

I take a hefty bag on my morning walks with my dogs down the road...

and to the river where there is an old dam of long ago time...

where there are many mango trees growing from the old fruit plantation of years gone by...

 that still produce lots of mangoes for anyone who wants to pick them

children from up the mountain like to come down and shake the mangoes from the trees...

saving me the work of trying to reach the fruit from high branches

these old tall mango trees grow all along the river banks on both sides

I know of at least 5 varieties that have filled my bags each morning...

in the last couple of weeks

 usually, I pick them from off the ground as there are enough to give me more than...
well, enough

it isn't hard to find between 25 to 40 mangoes each day and truly...

they make a bag heavy that I have to carry back up the hill to bring home

I have had to make a second trip for all of them just so my arms don't leave their sockets...

with the weight of too many mangoes in a bag

and if you are wondering what I do with all these mangoes...

some I save for ourselves; the green ones I put aside to ripen for later;

and most go to the cows who really do love them

a few go to the chickens who run in a hurry to get to them before they are gone

and then, there is mango tea

I have seen mango flavored teas in the supermarket but...

it just isn't the same as making it oneself from the real thing

I peel and grate the mango fruit down to the seed

put a heaping teaspoon of black tea in a cup

and stir in hot water to steep for at least 15 minutes...

then, strain into a glass and let cool

when I'm ready to drink the tea...

plenty of ice cubes go into the glass and 2 teaspoons of raw honey to sweeten

truly, this is refreshing and awfully good

May your day or night find refreshment in the grace of the Lord.

Animal Chores

The farm animals may take a little work to do...

but, they sure can entertain while we give them their benevolent dues 

it's a little walk down to the pasture fields where we keep the cows and goats

sometimes, a good thing

sometimes, not so good

it just depends

most times, it is good

and most times, it is my husband who does this particular chore

once in a great big blue moon I go with him

first we visit Ms. Ruthie Moo

she gets first dibs on attention for being a mother

she gets treats from the hand

and because it's mango season, she gets lots of mangoes to snack on

and she thoroughly enjoys them

she knows how to eat them by swishing them around her mouth with her tongue...

then when all the fruit and skins are eaten, she spits the seeds back out

the mangoes are yummy enough to make anyone slobber through them

I look like this, too when eating mangoes

if we do not have her down close enough by the river...

she gets a whole bucket of water, more if she needs it

and when she is finished, she lets us know by kicking the bucket over

Ms. Moo Moo's little bull calf is always nearby...

not too tame, but not too shy

he is not too shy to come up when he spies my camera and wants to know...

"what is that?"

my husband bought a little ram who was not well kept and quite wild...

but, he is now doing well and while still timid...

likes to come near enough to watch with curiosity

we think he is quite a good looker for a ram

I don't understand why someone who had him wouldn't want to care for him

but, God put him into our hands and hopefully, in time, he will lose his fear of us

in the meantime, he has friends in our goats and plenty to eat

my husband gives Snowflake her rations while he milks her

she is pregnant but, we will continue to milk her until a couple of months before she kids

as you can see, we are quite simple in our milking of the milk animals

we don't worry much over how, as we keep the milk for ourselves at this time

we just make sure the udders are well cleaned

after the milking, I give Snowflake her reward of a whole papaya

Queenie also gets her ration of grain treat, but we don't milk her at all

because you see, she is too smart for that and when anyone tries to milk her...

she gives us a dirty look and sits right down on her back haunches...

and she will not stand back up until everyone else gives up

but, someday, Queenie, you may not have that choice...

'cause we are going to figure it out by the time you kid

hopefully, we are smarter than you

the pasture field where we keep our animals sits by a beautiful running river

and along this river, the grass that they love to eat grows quite well in spite of the dry season

my husband will cut and take some of that to the animals to fortify their drier hay

the goats don't drink as much water as the cows and the smaller buckets suffice...

in giving them what they need

the last one to get the attention is our nearly grown bull...

Ms. Ruthie Moo Moo's first calf

he gets to have some papayas from the trees in the field

and my husband likes to keep him tame by hand feeding some to him...

while his little brother looks on

hey little bull, it's time to leave you all

and little bull says "good bye" and runs back to momma Moo Moo

The beasts of the field brings to remembrance the promised covenant of the Lord...

to His people...

And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field,

and with the fowls of heaven,

and with the creeping things of the ground:

and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth,

and will make them to lie down safely.

And I will betroth thee unto me for ever;

yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment,

and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.

I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness:

and thou shalt know the Lord.

Hosea 2:18-20

May your day or night find grace in the Lord.

Saturday Island Homestead Postcard

Where Pilgrim's Farm Homestead sits as the sun is rising

(the cottage can be seen on the left in between the coconut palms)

May your day or night find grace in the Lord.

Sparkling Pomegranate Water and Other Things...

Our pomegranate tree by the kitchen garden has been putting out fruit...

for the last few months

I'm taking advantage of that and a friend's recommendation to...

make sun sparkled pomegranate water for drinking

what seeds I didn't pop into my mouth went into a jar filled with water...

and placed in between the forked trunks of a lychee tree where the sun was hitting it...

just enough to draw the flavor from the seeds for a wonderfully tasteful thirst quencher

these are my kind of sparkles

the potted Stevia plants have not only been sweetening my teas...

but also blooming and coming to seed and...

although it's said that letting them come to seed makes the leaves a bit bitter...

I haven't found it so, not much

I prefer letting my Stevia seed and sow themselves as they've been doing...

saving me the work of keeping this wonderfully natural sweetener going on it's own

besides, the flowers are awfully pretty, tiny as they are

the Mexican sunflower has been doing the same...

reseeding itself in the garden and I noticed that the butterflies sure do come around for them

and with the dry season still keeping it's presence here...

these flowers give the little creatures their due reward for looking so lovely

and although it is advisable to snip the blooms off basil plants to keep them flavorful...

the flowers help feed the hungry bees; my basil sows itself... 

and I have more basil to use in the kitchen

in the mornings, I need no alarm clock on the bedside table

this little flycatcher gets up very early in the morning to chime "wake up!"

and he never fails to sweetly chirp his song close to the cottage every 5 am

this flycatcher not only gets up early enough to catch the worm...

but he manages to find himself a small lizard for extra fortitude...

or perhaps for little ones somewhere in a nest

our doves have been busy with nesting and we have quite a few precious wee doves...

peeping down on us from over the top of their nests in the tree tops

and because my daily chores are calling...

I leave you with my crinkled, pink double-petaled hibiscus...

with a thank you for coming by and visiting

May your day or night be filled with the loveliness of the Lord's grace.

Restoring The Worship of God - Don Fortner

Pastor Don Fortner cuts to the quick on the modern worship of God.

If only more preachers were as forthright on the subject as he is.

May the Lord in His mercy give you grace.