Taking It Easy / Illness

 

Song:  Kashmir

Group:  Led Zeppelin

A couple of days ago...

since there was a light rain in the evening hours...

it had set my deck project back another few days.

However...

as I love listening to the rain and feeling the cool fresh breeze as I lay in bed...

I had fallen asleep with only a light covering...

and with the window and the blinds open.

While I usually leave the windows open at night...

as I love sleeping cool...

I close the blinds so I don't receive a direct breeze all night long.

I felt so good with the cool mountain breeze blowing across my face

while I was in bed...

I had fallen asleep without first closing the blinds...

so as to divert any airflow to the sides and down from the windows.

As a result...

as the temperature continued to drop...

after only a few hours of sleep...

I had awakened at about 3:30 AM...

curled up into a ball underneath only one thin comforter.

Since that night...

I have been having increasing body aches...

and other symptoms of a cold or flu.

Last night...

I couldn't fall asleep until the sun rose in the morning.

As I have been very tired...

I have been taking it easy.

I am glad I had cooked all that beef.

I had made myself roast beef sandwiches...

and for the past two days...

I had either beef udon...

or beef ramen.

The hot soupy mixture felt good.

My peppermint tea arrived today.

I made a special tea shelf for it.

Although I am still awaiting the arrival of my electric tea steeper...

I couldn't wait to try my favorite tea.

As I hadn't a steeper...

or even a tea strainer...

I just put in one tablespoon of the tea into hot water in a cup...

and let it steep for a couple of minutes...

I then placed a paper towel over my drinking cup and poured it in...

and it worked out fine.

The tea is the same as I had in the tea house earlier in the week...

but theirs was stronger.

I will try adding more tea...

and letting it steep for longer next time.

However...

even though it was weaker...

I can still feel the coolness it generates in my mouth as I breathe.

It was so good to sip on the tea as I sat in my recliner...

planning out the wrapping of my spear.

I put on the fireplace as I felt a little chilly.

I had to move the chair back from the fireplace some...

as it throws off so much heat.

But...

it kept my tea warm.

I cut a length of para-cord and melted the ends.

As I sat in the recliner...

and began wrapping the spear...

I felt my energy dropping quickly.

It was the combination of my illness...

and the warm comfort from the fireplace and the recliner...

as well as from the delicious hot peppermint tea...

that had made me so drowsy.

I decided to just put away the spear...

enjoy the fire a little more as I finished up my tea...

 type up this article quickly...

and then head off to bed

(I will first close the blinds).

I will also take some cold medicine so I may get deeper rest tonight.

-------------

Tomorrow...

so long as I feel up to it...

I will go to the hardware store for plastic sheeting

to winterize my Japanese Maple.

I had tried winterizing it earlier today...

but the plastic I had was too thin...

far thinner than is kitchen plastic wrap.

--------

I still have one serving of beef left.

I am looking forward to having beef udon in the morning.

I will keep this short...

as I am headed off to bed now.

Roast Beef For Several Meals

 

Endless Love

YouTube Channel:  April Yang

The other day...

on my way back from Yellow Mountain Tea House...

I stopped in at Safeway to do some food shopping.

I had picked up these roasts on sale...

and so...

today...

I made roast beef.

I bought about 6.5 lbs of beef...

almost 3 kilos.

My roasting pan.

I cover it in foil...

not to make the cleanup a breeze...

but so I can just throw away all of the oil and fats into the trash can...

instead of it going down the sink drain

(which should never be done).

All I use is olive oil, salt, and black pepper.

I first coat the meat with the olive oil.

I then cover them in salt...

...and black pepper.

They are all ready for the oven.

I heat the oven to 380 degrees...

and roast the meat uncovered for approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes.

I first quartered the meat...

...and I then trimmed off the fat.

I then cut one section of the roast into thin slices...

...so I could make roast beef sandwiches.  

I had a couple of cheesecake danishes for dessert.

I then put away the rest of the meat for later meals.

I will make beef quesadillas...

and beef udon with the rest of the meat.

When I cook...

I usually cook enough for many subsequent meals.

------------

The next few days are supposed to be sunny.

I let the deck fully dry out today.

I hope to start covering the second deck tomorrow.

Today...

I ordered enough post covers to finish up the rest of the decks as well.

I also ordered special waterproof friction stair covers...

as well as raised friction mats to put on top of the waterproof stair covers.

Besides the waterproof cover protecting the wood...

the raised surface open weave friction mats will allow the water to drain...

and then should ice form...

I will still have good footing on top of the raised portion.

Not too long ago...

after a night of light rain...

and then with the temperature dropping below freezing...

the 5 stairs leading from the second deck to the upper driveway

were covered in ice.

I hadn't thought much of it until I slid down those steps on my side...

after having my feet slip out from underneath me.

-----------

I plan to winterize the first Japanese Maple tomorrow.

I must also soon start preparing for the second tree planting by digging the tree hole...

and mixing in the soil...

as the second tree is supposed to arrive within the next two weeks.

I will be sure to take photos of tomorrow's Japanese Maple's winterization...

and of my progress with the second deck.

------------

Addendum:  

As it is very early on the following morning...

even though starting today it is supposed to be sunny for the next four or five days...

it had rained last night...

and so...

I now must wait another two days before I may even consider 

covering the decks.

I must ensure that the wood is fully dried.

However...

I received my para-cord yesterday...

and so...

I can at least wrap my spear...

and I should be able to winterize my young Japanese Maple.

----------

The sun has yet to rise this morning...

and so...

I am thinking of slicing some of the roast beef...

and making a large hot bowl of delicious beef udon.

Yellow Mountain Tea House - Another Hidden Gem

 

Song:  Colors / Dance

Artist:  George Winston

This morning...

we had our first snow of the season.

Although it was just a dusting of snow at home...

and soon melted a few hours later when the sun came back out...

whenever we have snow at home...

Pikes Peak has a lot more of it.

As the skies cleared up...

I decided I wanted to try a Chinese Tea House.

Pikes Peak on my way to Yellow Mountain Tea House...

in Colorado Springs.

I am in Woodland Park here.

The Yellow Mountain Tea House is in one of my favorite sections 

of Colorado Springs.

It is in old town...

and it is just on the other side of Manitou Springs.

It is on a street that has many unique shops.

I love the atmosphere there.

It reminds me of Santa Cruz, CA...

as it has that new age vibe.

I loved the decor of this tea house.

They had a combination of Japanese style sunken floors underneath the tables...

and where you sit on cushions on the floor...

and they also had regular tables.

They have menus at the kitchen counter where you order your Dim Sum...

and you are then directed to their tea jars.

You just pick out your favored tea...

the whole jar...

and take it to your table.

This was my choice for my tea.

This was my table.

A Chinese tea ceremony is then performed right at your table.

The young lady who performed this was very nice...

and she explained what she was doing, and why.

She then picked up my tea jar...

and began scooping the tea by the large spoonful.

She must have put in 5 or 6 heaping spoonfuls.

She explained that since the steep time was short...

and of how the tea needed to be full flavored...

that this was the reason for the large amount of tea used.

After allowing but a minute for the tea to steep...

she then poured the tea into my serving container...

of which had a temporarily emplaced strainer.

My tea was ready.

The bowl of leaves contained these sweet dried leaves.

Instead of sugar...

you just place a leaf or two into your tea.

She had given me a leaf to put on my tongue.

It was sweet!

You can eat the leaf as well

(which I did...however...

my tea was just so perfect without sweetener...

I omitted putting those sweet leaves in my tea).

I readied my setting for the shortly to arrive Dim Sum.

You can see the large amount of tea in the steeper.

My first order of Dim Sum arrived.

I had forgotten to take pictures of my second order...

but they were very good.

Although the dumplings were slightly on the expensive side...

the restaurant delivered on taste...

customer service...

and overall vibe.

But the real star of the show was the delicious tea.

Although I am not a big tea drinker...

next time I go to this place...

I am going to buy a large amount of that Peppermint tea.

There was zero bitterness...

a slight hint of sweetness...

and the peppermint left a fresh and cool feeling in my mouth...

and down my throat.

As I sit at home typing this article...

many hours later...

I still feel the coolness every time I breathe.

It was...

by far...

the best tea I have ever had.

The young lady in the background was my tea ceremony performer.

She looked half Asian...

and by her demeanor...

it seems she was raised in a typical Asian household.

She had a kind way about her.

She knew that the customer was also paying for the ambiance...

and she had an old school Asian way about her.

She had a pleasant voice...

a nice smile...

beautiful half Asian eyes...

and while remaining professional...

she was also friendly.

I just loved my whole experience there.

And...

the tea ceremony with the tea of your choice...

was just $5.00.

They also sell bulk tea there.

I will be sure to get the peppermint tea next time.

They are also open from 10 AM to 9 PM everyday.

That is customer service.

The owner has a great business plan...

and their execution of it made for such a pleasant experience.

The staff had some good training.

There are so many restaurants I must try...

throughout Colorado Springs.

I was going toward home here...

after just leaving the restaurant.

That is part of Pikes Peak...

covered in clouds.

I was on my way to grocery shop in Woodland Park...

at Safeway...

on my way home.

I had such a great time at that tea house.

--------

But...

tomorrow is another restaurant exploration day.

As it will be Tuesday...

I will be going back to Maggie's to try another menu item.

I am thinking...

a big juicy steak.

Yes...

even after having already eaten...

I am already thinking of food.

As a man...

I can attest...

unless we are full...

our minds frequently drift to thinking about delicious meals

we are going to have in the future.  :)

Yes...

life is so good.

-----------------------

Addendum:

I just found out that

you may also order tea online directly from 

Yellow Mountain Tea House.

I just did.

I highly recommend trying the Peppermint Tea.

Still...

days later...

my whole mouth and throat feels so fresh and cool when I breathe.

It is just the most remarkable feeling.

I ordered a very large amount of Peppermint tea...

as I will be drinking it very frequently.

I love it so much.

My electric tea steeper will arrive in less than two weeks as well

(from Amazon).

I will be a frequent tea drinker for life now.

https://www.yellow-mountain-organic-tea.com/

Just click the above link.

I am, in no way...

compensated for this link.

I just found this peppermint tea to be the most extraordinary 

thing I have ever drunk.