HerbnArts

     ...The little kid in me still picks up stuff I find on the ground wherever I go.  This summer I have discovered pennies and nickels, lots of interesting rocks and stones, bits of wood, feathers, and scraps of fabric.  Occasionally I find bits of pieces of jewelry and worn pieces of glass.  Sometimes rusted nuts and bolts find their way into my collection of discarded memorabilia.  Placing all these things together creates an interesting tapestry of how I spent my summer.  As a child I put my special treasures together in a memory box to help me to relive my summer exploits.  In the middle of the snowy winters I would pull out my summer treasure box and spend time with my memories of when I found each item.  Autumn is another season that provides copious treasures that find their way into my pockets.  Bounties of acorn caps testify that squirrels have been busy storing food for the coming cold months.  Even winter has its rewards.  Feathers and dried leaves give bits of interest

       By the end of June the roadsides were becoming loaded with bright blue blossoms.  My grandmother always said that the blue flowers bloomed in July.  Chicory seems to be blooming early this year due to the hot, dry conditions here in Ohio.  Usually I have bee balm blooming in time for the Fourth of July, but not this year.  Their red flowers always look like a fireworks burst of color to me.  I should have planted daisies so that I could have a red, white and blue display in the garden.  Maybe next year!  But I certainly do have and abundance of blue with the excess of chicory everywhere.  Gardeners who plant in a clock fashion use chicory as it dependably blooms in the morning and closes its flowers later in the day.  Some of the old-fashioned uses for chicory is that of decorating salad, as it is edible.  The root has traditionally been used for a coffee substitute.  The leaves can be used to produce a blue dye for those using natural dyes with their spun y