Hello from Willowbrook ~

We are having a celebration all week long!

Turning 60 ~

Thanks for opening this email and sharing in my my 60th birthday! I have a special birthday ask to all my readers. If you have china teacups, take a bit of time and brew yourself a pot of tea. Sip it alone or with a friend. If you don’t have a china teacup, then pour two mugs of tea and share visit time with someone special. The picture above was taken when my friend MaryLou had a surprise tea party to celebrate my birthday week.

For those of you who are new to The Willowbrook Word, I’m Terry, owner and caretaker of Willowbrook Manor English Teahouse and Farm Stay. My mother, author Liz Adair, lives here as well. Mom has her own corner of this newsletter. We always have a giveaway, so make sure to read to the end.

Putting the Shovel Down ~

I spend almost every day, all day, working the farm and growing my small business. I LOVE what I do, so the long hours invested are very rewarding.

BUT…for the week of my birthday, I blocked off my calendar and am filling it with camping, hiking, biking, paddle-boarding and lots of walking. To celebrate turning 60, I am doing my favorite things that I seem to let work get in the way of.

Before I head out for my next adventure, I wanted to connect with you, and share the highlights of this last month.

Fourth of July ~

The Willowbrook Manor float was in the 4th of July parade again, complete with bubbles and bikes. This year we added Red Falcon Road to our entry, and mom and I cruised through the parade in my red ’63 Falcon Futura to promote our YouTube Channel Red Falcon Road. (Click HERE to view.)

We will host another fun-filled Red Falcon Road launch party in September to unveil the next three episodes that feature great places to shop, eat, and sleep in Mount Vernon, LaConner and Anacortes. Watch your email for tickets to this free event.

Remembering My Dad ~

A year ago my father passed away. It was just a few weeks after he officiated at his granddaughter’s wedding when all of the family was gathered. (Click HERE to read.)

We decided to wait until the anniversary of his passing to gather again and celebrate his life. July 19th Mom and I hosted his memorial. It was filled with good food, great memories and folksongs. Singalongs have long been a family tradition.

Mom was quite clever and gave each kid and grandkid a special keepsake from grandpa. You see, in his later years, my dad had two knee replacements, a hip replacement and ankle surgery. So when Mom went to pick up Dad’s ashes, she was also was given a plastic bag with several pounds of titanium orthopedic parts in it. Did you know that if you cut and drill hip and knee replacement parts, and polish them in a rock tumbler, they become attractive pieces of jewelry and/or key chains? That is what Mom gave as a jazzy keepsake.

Mom wears hers every day.

My brother, Clay attached his to the Benchmade knife Dad gave him 20 years ago. I’m making a hemp choker to wear my piece around my neck. Thanks Mom for such a unique remembrance of our daddy.

Kundalini Yoga and Tea ~

My cousin Fateh Prem Kaur traveled to Willowbrook to lead Kundalini Yoga and Tea. It was a beautiful morning of meditation and movement on the east lawn followed by high tea inside the manor. We are planning to make this an annual event. Click Here to place your name on the contact list for the next Kundalini Yoga and Tea.

Chamomile Harvest and Tea ~

July is when the chamomile is in bloom. Our Chamomile Harvest and Tea was a wonderful event. It hardly takes any time to pick a basket of the small daisy-like flowers, and the flavor of this fresh-picked herb is amazing. Hope you can come next year and stock up on chamomile tea.

Taran Ki’hele performs at Willowbrook ~

Willowbrook Manor was graced with beautiful island music during August’s Summer Garden Tea. Taran Ki’hele and his lovely wife performed in the Wishing Well Garden. I felt transported to a tropical paradise through the music and dance of this talented and gracious couple. You can find them on social media @kihele_music. The video I took of a breathtaking performance can be seen here.

Team-building Bike Ride ~

Willowbrook puts the “tea” in “team building.” I’m on the board of the Skagit Tourism Bureau, and we all enjoyed some recreation time after the July board meeting hosted by Willowbrook Manor.

After taking care of some business over tea and scones, we hopped on Willowbrook’s E-bikes and cruised down the Cascade Trail to the Lyman Tavern for some of their homemade chips and drinks. It was a time to set work aside and visit with one another.

We still have a couple of months of good weather. If your business or family would like to make a memorable experience having tea and biking down the Cascade Trail, click HERE to request more information.

Pumpkin Patch Update ~

The pumpkins in the goose pen are growing! The plan is to have pumpkins that you can pick during Harvest Tea. You can take a pumpkin home with you in trade for a donation that supports our local homeless shelter for women and children. Make sure to make your reservation for Harvest Tea early as we typically sell out. Click HERE to reserve your table for Harvest Tea.

Getting Eggs ~

Remember the story of mom and I getting chicks and the adventure of the little red chicken coop (click HERE to read)? Well, our 13 hens and one rooster are doing well, and July 5th we got our first egg! Now we average 10 eggs a day. Our November Winter Workshop will feature a class on pie making, and everyone will go home with a custard pie with eggs from Willowbrook chickens. To request more information about the Winter Workshop click HERE.

A Lopez Island Bike Adventure ~

I sent a query as to who might want to participate in an all-inclusive day trip to Lopez Island on E-bikes. The response was positive, so I have set the date for September 27th. There is room for eight more participants. The cost is $250/person and includes an early tea breakfast at Willowbrook Manor, transportation to and passage for the Anacortes ferry, a BBQ lunch at Spencer Spit, island history, ice cream at the Lopez Village, return ferry ride, and dinner at Willowbrook Manor. Guests can add one or two nights’ stay at Willowbrook Manor for $250/night. Click HERE to request a spot on our Lopez Island Bike Tour on September 27th.

Saying Goodbye ~

Tom was an amazing cat who showed up on our back porch six years ago asking to be fed. He was very much a “tomcat,” and I told him if he was going to stay with us we would need to “snip-snip.” Well…he left. When he returned a month later he was so beat up—leg swollen, ears torn, bites taken from his fur. I took him to the vet, got him fixed, and he has been with us ever since. I referred to him as our butler because he would welcome guests and walk them to the front door. Many of you will remember him.

Tom passed away recently. We miss him greatly. Not only was he personable, he was also a mighty hunter, which is needful on a farm. I’m including the link where Tom was highlighted in the King 5 Evening Magazine feature of Willowbrook Manor (click HERE to view).

Time for Liz ~

This is where I turn the pen over to my mom, author Liz Adair.

Liz Sez:

Time is an interesting thing. Years ago, I wrote a poem about it, but all I can remember is the first line: “Time: the grid by which we measure…”

I never was much of a poet, and I’m not sure what profound thoughts I had at that moment. I think the poem was in response to the proposal that time is an earthly element and that in the preexistence as well as the afterlife, we are not bound by that principle or law.

Heavy stuff. It makes my brain tired to contemplate it, which may be why I’ve forgotten the rest of what I had written. I think, though, it was a poem of thanksgiving for an earthly tool that causes us to pause, reflect, and remember.

Birthdays do that. Terry is sixty this year, and I wonder, how can that be so? Just yesterday she was seven, riding down the street, a hand truck tied to the back of her bicycle with newly-adopted sister, Debbie riding on it because Debbie hadn’t yet learned to ride a bike. Or, at age eleven, peeking into my bedroom at five a.m. whispering, “Mom, can I come in and use the sewing machine?”

I notice the gray strands in Terry’s hair and the laugh lines around her eyes and mouth. Calendars are not the only way to measure the passage of time. We grow up. We grow gray. We grow old. We grow frail. It’s all part of living.

And if we grow wise, we’ll take advantage of those temporal cues—the recurring anniversaries, new wrinkles, or the gray in our hair—to pause and reflect on past joys, on experiences that stretched us, or on times of great learning.

Maybe I’ll write a poem about that. “Stop and Smell the Roses” has already been done, but this is more like “Stop and Remember When you Stopped and Smelled the Roses.” Yes, I’ll go with that catchy title.
~ Liz

Now back to Terry

This Month’s Giveaway Winners ~

Last month my mom wrote about her critique group called Writeminded and offered three books written by members of the group as our giveaway.

• Nancy C from Birdsview WA won the book The Reckoning by Tanya Parker Mills
• Denise Marie S from Colorado Springs CO won the book The Miracle Maker by Ann Acton
• Julia J from Sedro Woolley WA won the book Catch as Ketchikan by Terri Deighton

If you didn’t win and would like to read any or all of these books, you can look them up on Amazon.

It’s a Birthday Giveaway ~

Since it is my birthday today I wanted the giveaway to go to everyone. I’m giving you the recipe for my all-time favorite chocolate cake! I found the recipe when my kids were young, and I was trying to figure out a use for leftover breakfast oatmeal. (Once, I tried putting cold oatmeal in an ice-cream cone and excitedly presented ‘oatmeal cones’ to my after school, hungry kids. It didn’t go over well.) But this oatmeal chocolate cake hits all the markers for a delicious cake. If you make it, email me a picture.

Terry’s Oatmeal Chocolate Cake Recipe

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup shortening
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 1 ½ cups cooked oatmeal
• 2 cups flour
• 5 tablespoons cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda dissolved in 2 tablespoons warm water
• 1 cup chocolate chips (for topping)

Instructions

1. Mix ingredients and pour into a greased cake pan (9×11 or bundt cake pan).
2. Bake at 325° F for an hour then check to see if it is done by inserting a butter knife. If it comes out wet, keep baking. If it comes out with some moist cake on it but no liquid, then it is done.
3. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then sprinkle with chocolate chips and spread when melted.
4. This cake freezes well. I cut the cake into individual pieces, wrap in saran and freeze in a large ziplock bag for quick snacks.

That’s All For This Month ~

Thank you to reading to the end. Sending lots of birthday joy. (My mom and dear friend Lindsey with me at Hal’s drive in.)
-t

P.S. There have been requests to reserve for Holiday Tea so I have it available now. Click HERE if you would like to book Holiday Tea.