Paper Hina-ningyo for Hinamatsuri

Upcoming tea practice falls on Hinamatsuri and since we don't have proper Hina ningyo to display, so I found this online to celebrate Hinamatsuri in proper fashion:

http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/entertainment/papercraft/seasons/03/index.html

You can download the pdf, then print and cut out the tiny paper figures, then glue it up to make a three-tier display. I don't recommend this unless you have sharp scissors or xacto blade, magnifying glasses and an obsessive-compulsive personality. However, the figures are beautifully drawn and it's darling without being exceptionally cutesy. Also on the same website are paper crafts for other Japanese holidays, which promise to be equally challenging.

Silver lining

Maybe letter-writing actually does help!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <senator@boxer.senate.gov>
Date: Fri, Feb 27, 2009 at 11:14 AM
Subject: Responding to your message
To: holly@amberpost.com

Dear Mrs. Harvey:

Thank you for writing to express your support for the inclusion of funding for the arts in H.R.1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. I appreciate hearing your views on this critical bill, which has passed Congress and was signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009.

H.R.1 will inject $787 billion into our economy through tax cuts and spending on projects to save and create jobs. It will make significant investments in vital infrastructure projects, give much-needed aid to our states, and help to create and save millions of American jobs.

The final legislation includes $50 million appropriated to the National Endowment for the Arts. In turn, the NEA will fund arts projects and activities in order to preserve jobs in the non-profit arts sector currently being threatened by a decline in philanthropic and other support during the economic downturn.

Again, thank you for writing to me on this important issue. Be assured that I will keep doing all I can to help get America's economy back on track. I will continue working with the Obama Administration and my Senate colleagues to enact legislation to stimulate growth, create jobs, and make American businesses more competitive in the global economy.

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

Please visit my website at http://boxer.senate.gov

Tea and Tea People

Shuai Chen's latest installment of Tea Tales: About types of tea and 'tea people'

I can hardly imagine the tea collection she describes -- it sounds fabulous!

Tea practice, Feb. 24

Tea practice on Tuesday was ryakubondate. Laura was teishu for Kristin (shokyaku), Harvey (jikyaku) and Holly (makyaku). I was impressed with how much more naturally Laura made tea this week than last week, with smoother motions and less hesitation.

We used the "temari ball" chawan and orange natsume with flower designs. Flowering quince is blooming. It's one of my favorite flowers for chabana.

Live forward

Each year a theme is chosen for the Imperial Japanese poetry competition in Japan. This year's theme is "Sei," meaning "to live forward."

Sweetpersimmon blog has a delightful description of the competition. Read about it at http://sweetpersimmon1.blogspot.com/2009/01/living-forward-for-year.html

Please also take a minute to visit the sweetpersimmon blog's sister website, http://www.issoantea.com/

Nifty Tea Ceremony Website

Laura found this website. It looks very comprehensive, with lots and lots of info to sift through.

http://www.japanese-tea-ceremony.net/

One more reason to spend time online.

Make tea on your birthday

Pussywillow, Tuesday's chabana on Laura's birthday. After her feet recovered from making tea (ryakubondate) we sipped nigori sake and midnight snax in the kitchen.


Here's the mizuya after chashitsu cleaning a couple weeks ago: