Okra, Buying Flowers, and International Tea

*Trumpets blasting, herald walks down a red carpet* The first okra of the season has arrived! Fresh from the garden, the perfect length, and oh so beautiful! Mind you, it's literally one single okra. The okra has been a bit of a puzzle the past few years. I used to grow okra that would get really tall (the plant itself, not the produce). Sometimes it would almost be 6 feet tall (1.8 meters). But the past few seasons the okra is downright short, maybe just a foot and a half tall (.46 meters). What's that about? Has this happened to anyone else?

Earth100, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Not my okra, just a picture from the internet. Isn't it beautiful?

Naturally, when I get enough okra in, I'll be eating fried okra, the indisputable king of all okra dishes. Recipe is here if you've never made it or heard of it before. Some ranch dressing, fried okra, baked chicken, and a glass of sweet tea. What more do you need in summertime?

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Now for a picture of the Mystery Sampler:

See that wing? It's much trickier than it looks, believe me. Glad I don't encounter any dragons in the garden, I prefer my dragons in my cross stitch :)

Moving on along to Paris Market:

I'm really close to the very bottom of the chart! You know, the more I stare at it, the more I realize that I have arrived at a flower stall. Pink and white flowers plus their green stems. This popped into my head when I thought flower stall:

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Mostly, I'm a coffee drinker. When I do drink tea, more often than not it's a nice cold glass of sweet tea, but I also really like a cuppa Earl Grey tea (look at me I'm Captain Picard!)

Saw this video the other day and I had to share it. I had never heard of a London Fog before. Canadians are very creative! And it looks so pretty too. Of course, a little known fact about me is that I'm addicted to Bubble Tea. Taiwan, you are incredible for inventing such an amazing beverage. Also, what the heck is an Arnold Palmer? Specifically the name, not the beverage itself. I've had that drink plenty of times, but where I'm from (American South) we've always called it swamp water.

How about you? What tea do you like?

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On a final note, it's Memorial Day here in these United States. Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.

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