Quotes by novelist Nelson DeMille 

Everyone looked pensive, which is good cover-up for clueless.    Somehow our devils are never quite what we expect when we meet them face to face.   

In America, "chai" has become known as a flavor of tea with predominantly cinnamon or cardamom notes.  But in India, chai is not a flavor of tea; it is tea—chai literally translates to "tea" in Hindi, so when you are saying "chai tea," you are basically saying, "tea tea."  Chai culture in India developed out of British colonization.  During this time, the British East India Company was thriving, with tea from Assam, India being one of its biggest commodities.  Tea consumption in India grew, and eventually, Indians took the British preparation of tea—black with milk and sugar—and put their own spin on it, with the addition of spices such as ginger, cinnamon and cloves.  Nowadays, India is not only one of the largest producers of tea in the world, but also one of the biggest consumers of it.  In most big cities, you'll find chaiwallas (vendors who specifically sell chai) on every corner, with their enormous steel pots or kettles full of simmering chai.  Chai almost always includes milk, and that milk is usually whole.  Chai can include a number of different spices.  Cardamom is the most common ingredient, followed by some mixture of cinnamon, ginger, star anise and cloves.  Pepper, coriander, nutmeg and fennel are also used, but they are slightly less common. https://www.foodandwine.com/tea/chai-tea/what-is-chai-how-to-make-chai   

On a recent trip to San Diego, I stumbled across a little garden tucked into a public state beach—a thoughtful space full of native plants, each labeled with its name, the child who planted it, their grade in school, and which wildlife species it supported.  Curious, I stopped to chat with the woman pulling weeds nearby.  That’s when I met Cassie, the force behind this humble yet powerful project.  Cassie lives near the garden in Palisades Park and is pursuing an MA in Wildlife Conservation Biology.  She’d been noticing how cultivated, non-native plants were taking over her community—draining precious water and offering nothing to the wildlife around them.  But her neighbors were skeptical about native plants.  They worried a native garden would look messy or uncared for.  Instead of arguing or trying to convince them with words, Cassie decided to show them. 

·         She called and emailed city and park officials, a lot.

·         She canvassed her neighborhood.

·         She recruited volunteers and teachers to get on board.

·         And then she dug in—literally—moving two tons of earth and weeds to bring the garden to life.   

What’s especially remarkable is that she did all of this on public land—a space tangled in red tape and approvals.  And that garden has done something the internet or a local Facebook group rarely manage:  it’s fostered conversation, not shouting.   

·         Kids now know the plants and wildlife they’ve nurtured.

·         Neighbors see firsthand that native plants can be beautiful, not messy.

·        And without a single “comment thread,” trust and connection have grown where skepticism once lived.    

In a time when the internet bombards us with endless information—some helpful, much not—and social media sows distrust between neighbors, this garden is proof of the power of quiet action.  It’s not a debate.  It’s not a post.  It’s just there—living, growing, and inspiring.  Cassie didn’t just restore a patch of land; she restored a sense of community.  What could you show your neighbors in your corner of the world?  Thank you Muse reader!   

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2910  February 21, 2025