Lemony Nirvana...

     Lemon balm...ah, my favorite!  I was thrilled to see how huge my lemon balm plant was getting with all the rain we have had.  One treat I have not had in a long time is that of lemon balm tea.  With that thought I immediately stepped outside and snipped off a large handful of lemon balm to begin brewing up some tea.  Such an easy tea to make, too.  Just fill a teapot with the fragrant leaves and cover with cold water.  I did the microwave thing, but if I was doing this the right way I would have boiled water in a kettle then poured the water over the leaves, allowing it to steep for about 15 minutes.  Guilty as charged, I am part of the hurry-up-microwave generation.  But the tea steeped just fine in spite of my impatience.  Add a bit of honey and voila, lemon balm tea.  Yes, it was all I had remembered.  A bit of a vacation to one of my herbie heaven happy places.  Lemon balm was the first herb I remember encountering.  Once I experienced that light lemony scent, I was hooked.  And I wanted to experience even more herbs since that one was so wonderful.  My next experiences took me to herb fairs where I bought not only plants, but herb recipe books and delightful herbal sweet breads and cookies.  Those experiences have carried me through a lifetime of joy.  I can't imagine living life without herbs.  My great grand-mother was an herb lady, though it seems to have skipped my grand-mother and mother.  How I wish I had gotten to know Great Grandma's herb garden with her.  All I can remember was how she would go down a small lane to her garden that looked more like a weed patch.  When she returned from the garden she had handfuls of herbs that she made into medicines and cooked into various dishes of her food preparations.  Great Grandma even gathered dandelions to make dandelion wine.  Back then I hadn't realized that her homemade cough syrup was made from elderberries.  She had a lot of herb knowledge that I never got to know.  But I have spent a lifetime studying herbs on my own to gain the wisdom of a life with herbs.  I haven't made the wines Great Grandma created, but the thought does intrigue me. 
     The holly bushes are budding in their light pink blossoms and the ferns are so big they are dipping into the bird bath.  I have a lot of serious weeding to do.  Not sure I'm ready to be so soggy as I pull out seemingly prehistoric sized plants that are taking over all of my garden.  But it is a chore that can no longer be neglected.  Hopefully there will be no pterydactil eggs getting ready to hatch in my Jurassic Park garden.
     So, as we approach the Memorial Day weekend I am twice reminded of my great grandmother.  Her birthday was on Memorial Day or Decoration Day as it was called back then.  My grandmother always made sure that we grandkids made the trip to Great Grandma's house to celebrate her birthday.  Everyone had American flags proudly displayed for the holiday weekend.  We grandkids thought everyone was helping to celebrate Great Grandma's birthday by displaying their flags.  She was a very special person to us, and we just thought everyone else knew that too!    How funny kids minds work!  So to your memory, Great Grandma Annie, happy birthday, and thanks for the herbal memories, too!  I can't think of a better way to observe the Memorial holiday...