April 28, 2013 @ 7:02 AM
April 28 ~
My youngest daughter is getting married next Sunday. People think I am busy making herbal nosegays and centerpieces, deciding which herbs have special meanings for the bridal bouquet...well....you WOULD think an herbalist is doing all that...but would be wrong!! My daughter, who grew up with flower and herb gardens, is having NO FLOWERS or GREENERY AT ALL!!! She is more on the practical side and feels that "occasion" flowers are wasteful. I do see her point, but...a wedding with no flowers? An herbalist's daughter's wedding with no herbs???? Not to worry. Her herbal background is going to be represented quite well....in less obvious, but more practical ways.
The chosen color scheme .........
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April 22, 2013 @ 10:49 AM
April 22 ~
Yesterday was my first full day of garden work this growing season. So tired was I, that this blog entry had to wait until this morning. There is nothing as satisfying as the achiness after a good, productive day's work---it is wonderful on so many levels.
First, it makes me remember to be grateful that I am lucky enough to have this land to tend and the time to do it. I am reminded that choosing a days worth of tasks requires me to be mentally flexible and abide by what nature is giving me to work with. Each year, I get older and various garden jobs becomes a bit more difficult as they need a different sort of flexibility that diminishes with time--yet the work still needs doing.... More .........
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April 18, 2013 @ 9:00 AM
April 16 ~
Having been brought up by my Grandparents, I suppose my general outlook on life and sensibilities are more theirs than those of my parent's generation. Evidence of this shows up in my inclinations to make things rather than buy them and to be fairly self sufficient. I remember, as a child, being fascinated with my grandparents medicine cabinet and with First Aid kits. I know...sort of weird. But, my adult life has been spent in focusing on health related issues.
The contents of the family medicine cabinet were as follows: Band Aids, bandages, gauze and tape, Tincture of Mercurochrome (STILL love that word "tincture"!---used for cuts/abrasions/stings), bottle of Coke syrup.........
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April 12, 2013 @ 11:19 AM
April 12 ~
This time of year is full of grand, enthusiastic plans borne of a winter's rest period. Often, at least half of our plans are dashed due to a variety of reasons. How can we improve the odds of success? Proper FORMULATION.
I would much rather plan than actually do. Some are great doers, but poor planners. Either way, not a good mix. Herbalists spend a lot of time formulating recipes for elixers, teas, tinctures, medicinal foods....and it takes a lot of concentrated work and realistic assessment...which often leads to some waste, but patience eventually wins out.
This past week the "spring" weather has been abysmal for any sort of garden work, so I burrowed in and decided to make some new .........
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April 3, 2013 @ 1:36 PM
April 3 ~
Hope I am not too late....but if you still have an abundance of eggs you may have overbought for Passover or Easter...or your chickens are picking up their production....her are a few tips.
We made LOTS of egg salad to get through Passover and we like to dye eggs (and egg hunts). I have not been able to have chickens for several years, so I panic and buy too many eggs so I don't run out. Eating too many eggs is never a problem around here--we like 'em any way you can fix them. But, what about all those shells?
They can come in handy in several ways. Never really great compost additions as they take too long to decompose unless you spend too much time crushing them finely ( I have better things to do!),.........
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