Q is for Quice tea, Quimper, Quiche, Quilt, Quarry, and Quackers

is for

Quince tea

served in vintage Quimper,

with a delicious quiche

while snuggled under a favorite quilt

reading Q is for Quarry,

one of Sue Grafton's alphabet murder mysteries.

Oh, and the quackers . . .

they are outside enjoying the beautiful day.

Thanks for joining me today 
in my quest for a quiet retreat.

Jungfrauenbecher or Maiden's Cup

Dating from the 16th century, the Jungfrauenbecher or maiden's cup, was traditionally part of German wedding ceremonies during the 16th and 17th centuries. The cup, usually of German silver, is in the form of a young maiden holding a basket above her head.

The maiden's bell shaped skirt, when inverted, serves as a goblet. The small basket above the figure's head pivots so that it can remain upright when the figure is turned upside down.

According to tradition, both the skirt and the basket are filled with wine. The groom makes a toast, then drinks from the skirt, and then is to turn the figure right side up without spilling any of the wine in the smaller cup from which the bride then drinks.

Since posting this, Johanna of Silber-Rosen wrote to share the following information on the jungfrauenbecher:

"Oh Sarah, you have always very intresting items and so nice stories to tell. I appreciate this Jungfrauenbecher so much because it is a speciality of the Hanau Antique Silver Manufacturers. I was told the story, that once a young silversmith wanted to marry a nice girl. Her father told him, he would only allow the marriage when the young man would be able to create a goblet, that allows to drink both on the same time. So this Jungfrauenbecher is the result and the couple got married."

Our Jungfrauenbecher was given to us by my mother-in-law at our rehearsal dinner. She changed up the challenge a bit. We both had to drink the wine from the cups at the same time, and the first to finish their cup was said to be the one who would be the "boss" of the household. Obviously, I drank the few sips in my cup before my husband could finish his large cup of wine. You can see from this photo of our rehearsal dinner that we were amused with this challenge.

Both my own mother and my mother-in-law are dear to my heart. We lost my mother-in-law to throat cancer in the 80s. My mom, 95, is still with us. As today is Mother's Day, I'd like to raise a toast to these two incredible women who have had a lasting influence upon my own life.

Happy Mother's Day, Dear Ones!

Here is one more shot capturing the "blue hour" on the eve of Mother's Day 2010. If you missed Susan's post about "blue hour" photography, you can read it here.

Happy Mother's Day to all!

It may be Mother's Day but it is also the 2nd Sunday of the month and that means Beth @ The Gypsy Fish Journal is hosting Silver Sunday. Click here to see the beautiful and usual silver fish that Beth is spotlighting today and for a list of more silver to be shared.

P is for Pink Pigs' Party

Did your hear? 

 The pink pigs, Piglet, Pippo, and Porky Pig are

having a dinner party and you're invited!

Many famous personalities will be in attendance . . . 

the 3 Little Pigs, of real estate fame,

Miss Petunia, Porky's gal and 
the diva of Looney Tunes,

Babe, the courageous little pig who
wanted to be a sheep dog,

Wilbur, the runt of the litter who was saved 

by the genius of his sweet friend, Charlotte A. Cavatica,

Ralph, the swimming pig of Aquarena Springs, 
known for his "swine dive",

(To see this amazing attraction just click here)

Old McDonald and his pigs,

the first little piggy who went to market,

and of course Miss Piggy, the grand dame of all! 

 Looks like she has also been to shop the market. 

Could it be that she is helping with dinner?

Toot and Puddle have brought along soap 

just in case any of you piggies need to wash up for dinner.

It must have been a good day at the market. 

 Look at all these fresh veggies in tow.

Bill, the largest pig in history 
has come with flowers. 
 Pink of course!

Gerberas and lisianthus with a touch of hypericum berries.

These little rectangular plates

 are the perfect size for a piglet meal.

Hand painted by local artists;

what could be more perfect for a Pink Pig Party? 

Each plate is layered atop pewter chargers and colorful plates

and linens to compliment the bright colors of the market theme.

Dinner Time!

Doesn't look as if we'll be having roast beef.

These little piggies 
are definitely health conscious.

Cold, crispy lettuces, orange and yellow peppers, 

red onions, and perfect radishes . . . 

just the thing this little diet conscious piggy needs.

Add a small steamed salmon steak . . .

and you'll be eating a tasty but light summer delight.

Help yourself to a glass of 
Chateau St. Michelle Chardonnay.

We'll be dining under the stars so

a little candle light is in order.

Oh, look! It's that magical blue hour that Susan told us about on Monday. If you missed her post and you want to capture your own blue hour moment with your camera, click here for information.

Thank you for dining with us this evening.

I wanted to send you home with a 
few little licorice piglets for dessert . . .

but it looks like some little piggy 
ate every last one!

And that's the end 
of the tale.

Goodnight All!

O is for Oenothera Speciosa

is for

Oenothera Speciosa

Today I'm taking you along to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center to see some of my favorite Texas wildflowers.

Oenothera speciosa is the scientific name for evening primrose.

This plant is sometimes known as showy primrose because the flowers often open in the morning rather than evening.

You might know this little wildflower as a buttercup. It gets that name from the cup shape petals and its butter colored pollen. As a child, this is one of the first wildflowers I knew. It was great fun to pick one of these and push it onto someone's face to give them a "butter nose".

The delicate flowers are about 3 inches wide with four petals. They can range from a dark pink to a pale pink.

Here in Texas we can plant them from seed in the fall, though they are common along the highways and in open woodlands. They generally bloom from the middle of March well into July.

Lady Bird Johnson, a former First Lady of the United States, delighted in this sweet, pink flower. In her book, WILDFLOWERS ACROSS AMERICA, Mrs. Johnson said, ". . . evening primrose — to me one of the most exquisite and feminine of all wildflowers." At one time the pink evening primrose was chosen for an early logo for her National Wildflower Center at Austin.

This hardy drought tolerant wildflower is one of the few evening primroses that blooms during the daytime.

Some of these little "buttercups" also come in a sunny yellow variety.

The square-bud primrose has a more distinctly square shape to the petals, and the flowers are a bit smaller than the pink evening primrose.

Mixed in among the pink and yellow evening primroses in the planting I photographed are these striking winecups that are a deep burgundy color.

The cupped petals of the winecup are deeper than the primrose. This deep burgundy color is a common variety to Central Texas.

There is also a white variety.

The winecups are in the Mallow Family.

The National Wildflower Center was established in 1982 to protect and preserve the native plants and natural landscapes of North America. The Center is one of the leading research institutions for native plants.

Spectacular displays of color blanket both garden plots and open areas at the center.

Lady Bird Johnson was a strong advocate for preserving the natural flora of North America.

Across from the National Wildflower Center is another nature preserve for those who like to bike.

The Veloway Park is exclusively for bicycles or rollerblading. It's a three mile paved loop that winds through Slaughter Creek Metropolitan Park.

The roadside is sprinkled with blankets of beautiful wildflowers.

To read more about the National Wildflower Center click here.

This post was written for Mrs. Matlock's class assignment for the letter O. Click here to join Mrs. Matlock for more Letter O topics for Alphabe-Thursday.

I've also linked this post to the following upcoming weekly blog parties. Click on each below to visit others participating in that day's party.

Saturday ~ Beverly's Pink Saturday

Saturday ~ Laurie's A Few of My Favorite Things

Tuesday ~ Tam's Three or More Tuesday

Wednesday ~ Susan's Outdoor Wednesday