(Lucky) Tea on Tuesday

On this rainy, thundering Tuesday, I am looking over my cache of teas, trying to decide which to have.

My daughter just came back from spending her birthday with our cousin, and brought me several boxes of Twinings and Celestial Seasons teas! Woohoo!! Our cousin lives near a tea outlet - wouldn't I love that!!!

I was trying to think of an interesting theme for today's tea, so I thought LUCK might be it, since we just passed thru Friday the 13th, traditionally considered an unlucky day and number!

Altho I am not a particularly superstitious person, I don't consider my self lucky as far as getting a winning lottery ticket goes!!! Altho my husband always plays the same numbers - just in case!!LOL

I am lucky in my family, lucky to have the husband and kids that I do, and lucky to be relatively healthy.

       Since it was Friday the 13th when Katie was in NJ, I now consider that a lucky day!!!

              I won an apron that day, from Arrow Sewing Cabinets! I can't wait to receive that!!!

     Katie got me a new supply of tea (if the world ends anytime soon, I will NOT run out of tea!)                                                 


                                              AND, she saw a BEAR!!!

Actually, she saw a mama bear and her 3 cubs!! Altho we live in bear country in Va, the bears stay up in the forest. At my cousin's in NJ, they wander thru the back yard, on a regular basis!

 

She was viewing them from the screened in porch - and mama bear was taking her cubs safely in the opposite direction!

Keeping with the theme of luck, yesterday I was gathering my collection of vintage horseshoes together for a photo on my tumblr

I save most of the shoes from my own horses - great garden ornaments, barn wall decorations, etc. Some even end up in my Etsy shop! Horseshoes are supposed to bring luck .

When hung over a doorway, or on the wall, they should be hung open side up - to catch the luck! Whenever I find an old horseshoe in the thrift store, I buy it, and then save it til my farrier comes, so he can tell me the history.

You wouldn't think there could be a history behind a simple metal horseshoe - but there always is!

While in NJ, my daughter got some body art - some lucky horseshoes on her foot..............

                         It's very pretty, but I prefer the actual horseshoe, not inked on my body!!!

 

In case you're interested (if you're not, just skip over to the end!LOL) I'll tell you a little of what I know about these vintage shoes.

*Left row top to bottom are mule shoes. The very old rusty one in the middle left, is a working mule shoe- he was probably pulling heavy loads or a plow. Notice they are more elongated than a traditional horse shoe.

*Center row, starting from the top - vintage metal stirrups, one a child's.

Oxen shoe - a great find-in two pieces for their split hoof- saw one in a museum shortly after I found this in the thrift store!Until then, I wasn't sure what I had!

2nd from the bottom, center row, is a handmade Finnish shoe, sold as a good luck charm, and souvenir - never worn.

Center row, thin shoe on bottom, is a lightweight racehorse shoe.

*Row on right -very vintage  heavy top shoe, is hand hewn for a working horse, the silver one below it is from one of my horses, the two circular ones below that are corrective bar shoes, made to help support the heel. I found both of those in a field at different times, neither are old.

 I had a previous farrier bend the pieces on the back of the bottom bar shoe, so I can have a photo or a mirror put in it.

That ends today's "lesson" on luck and horseshoes!!!

Enjoy your tea, and be sure to drop in on Patty and Kimmie for a list of other tea lovers! Feel free to join us any time!!!