HerbnArts

HerbnArts: Le Petit Jardin des Herbes... :     ...I went to my happy place this morning. Le Petit Jardin des Herbes, my little herb garden.  The sunflowers were basking in the morning...

HerbnArts: October Sanctuary... :     ...It is October.  With having a drought summer in Ohio, one have expected the trees to have changed color by now, but that is not the c...

HerbnArts: Less Is More... :     ...Sometimes less is more.In case of November, that is very true.  After the last rain storm much of the intense leaf color was swept ou...

    ...Sometimes less is more.In case of November, that is very true.  After the last rain storm much of the intense leaf color was swept out of the trees.  Half-naked trees have become more prominent.  In areas where the trees are all stripped of their color, often there is at least one vibrant flame of color of a tree not yet denuded. Scarlet and gold carpeting can still give a final thrill of color before the whine of leaf-blowers whisk them away for collection.  The time change is our in vane attempt at trying to hang onto a bit more of sunlight as the days continue to grow shorter.  Grey clouds streak through the skies making us appreciate every ounce of sunlight and blue skies that we can see through them.       Slowly but surely the vibrant colors of October are dulling down to browns, umber, and maroon.  But to make up for the lessening of everything else as autumn winds itself down, we have the Supermoon, also known as the beaver moon, to look forward to. The appearance of th

HerbnArts: Summer Kiss... :   Feu...a kiss; a fire    Embrasser (ahn-bra-say)...to kiss, hug, enfold, take up    Embraser (ahn-bra-zay)...to set fire to, to catch fir...

HerbnArts: Summer's Perfume... :     ...The day began with delightful aromas that spoke to me of late summer.  Lemon verbena soap stirred memories from joyful summers spent ...

HerbnArts: Le Petit Jardin des Herbes... :     ...I went to my happy place this morning. Le Petit Jardin des Herbes, my little herb garden.  The sunflowers were basking in the morning...

HerbnArts: October Sanctuary... :     ...It is October.  With having a drought summer in Ohio, one have expected the trees to have changed color by now, but that is not the c...

    ...It is October.  With having a drought summer in Ohio, one have expected the trees to have changed color by now, but that is not the case so far.  Gratefully,     the temperatures are cooling down.  We have had sunny days of low 70's and chilly nights of 50's and 60's. Sweater weather, I love it! Finally, I can go walking.  The blistering heat of this year's summer robbed me of that joy.  Thank you, Fall, for returning some sanity to the natural scheme of things...        Cider has been wonderful this October.  That probably the only benefit of the drought. The apples have been much more intense in their flavor.  I love cider, hot or cold.  With flu season beginning already for some, it is a good thing to know that mulled cider helps to heal up the body from the nasty crud.  In case you don't know the recipe for mulling cider, here it is:                Mulling spices:  one 6-inch stick cinnamon, coarsely ground                                            

    ...I went to my happy place this morning. Le Petit Jardin des Herbes, my little herb garden.  The sunflowers were basking in the morning sunlight as the bees danced over the flower heads to seize the day's nectar.  September in all its glory with low humidity and mild temperatures!  It has been a tortuous summer that made it seem like forever until we in Ohio saw some relief from the horrific heat and humidity.  But thankfully September brought hat delicious relief and some much needed rain.  Lawns are looking green for the first time in months.  Grass no longer crunches under foot as one walks across the yard.  Crickets are chirping and gentle breezes stir the trees, shaking the maple seed twirlies to the ground reminding us that it isn't summer anymore.  This is the time of year that I especially spend as much time as I can outdoors.  If the Farmers Almanac is right, and they usually are, we will see plenty of snow and cold temperatures this winter.  I hated being trapped

    ...The day began with delightful aromas that spoke to me of late summer.  Lemon verbena soap stirred memories from joyful summers spent wandering around my favorite herb farm that is no longer in business.  As I washed my face I immersed myself in those delicious memories.  Sunlight sparkled on the leaves and blossoms of the anise hyssop standing tall in my tiny garden.  The pollinators should be happy with this crop of hyssop.  So far, the day was cool enough in the morning to plant the rest of the hyssop that I was too hot and uncomfortable to bother with.  They had been modestly growing in pots that were way too small for them.  Though the hyssop might not reach the same height as their taller fellow plants, they would still have enough time to produce blossoms before the frosts end the growing season.  I may try to use some of it to make my own cough medicine elixirs toward this winter and what may come.  Even though I had plenty of marjoram in pots, this morning I managed to t

HerbnArts: Summer Kiss... :   Feu...a kiss; a fire    Embrasser (ahn-bra-say)...to kiss, hug, enfold, take up    Embraser (ahn-bra-zay)...to set fire to, to catch fir...

  Feu...a kiss; a fire    Embrasser (ahn-bra-say)...to kiss, hug, enfold, take up    Embraser (ahn-bra-zay)...to set fire to, to catch fire     ...The French have the best words about the ways of love and passion.  Even something as seemingly as simple as a kiss can ignite the senses.  While driving home one evening I happened to be travelling through downtown Akron, which caused me to pass by the local art movie theatre.  As I zoomed by I spotted a couple standing in front of the theatre.  As I slowed down for the changing traffic light I watched the two as they positioned themselves in front of each other.  The fella was dressed in casual slacks and a short-sleeved dress shirt appropriate for a date on a very hot and humid evening.  Wearing a simple summer frock, the lady stepped closer as the man cautiously placed his hands at her waist.  In one fluid movement the lady wrapped her arms around the shy gentleman and planted one of the most passionate kisses on him I have ever witn

...Sitting in the car waiting on a friend, I wondered where all the dragonflies had been all summer.  In the past I had been graced with morning visits from a sleek bejeweled  beauty who I named Delilah.  Flitting from herbs in my garden to sitting on my teacup she stayed for a short visit every morning for a week. Those special visits usually began in late spring or early summer. As the season progressed my morning tea party was also visited by delightful bees and a parade of spectacular butterflies.  Not so this year. Murderous heat has me indoors and few winged visitors have stopped by.   But today as I waited in the car, a dragonfly the size of a corporate jet hovered in front of me.  Wow!!! Finally, a dragonfly sighting!  As it hovered in front of me it looked as if it was about to say, "Where have you been?  I've been looking all over for you!"  Since that day I have had several more dragonfly sightings...apparently the word as to my whereabouts has been on the wind

     ,,,Where did June go?  As I took a bit of a hiatus from blogging, suddenly it is July.  Once we h it the summer solstice on June 20th, the fourth of July slipped in there before we knew it.  Heat and humidity hit Ohio with a vengeance as temperatures hit the high 80's and the 90's. Now that it is July there is very little rain.  Browning lawns quietly recede as they give way to every weed known to mankind. After starting my second round of sunflower seedlings we are finally on our way, though slowly, to producing sunflowers. Thanks to my resident groundhog the sunflowers won't be worth much until fall, but that's okay.  Better late than never.  My solitary coneflower, a.k.a. Echinacea, is tall and blooming this year.  I started it from seed last year, but it never got big enough to produce blooms.  The good news is that it is blooming, the bad news is that something is eating the petals.  I am yet to spy the guilty party, but I suspect Japanese beetles are on the s

Lilacs Forget-me-nots tPink Passion tulip    ...Color, clarity,  cut, carat...wait, this wasn't diamonds I was looking at.   Three out of four,  not bad. Color, white not yellow, always a plus. Clarity,  definitely lightly wet and icy, perfect for packing. Cut, a perfect round hand-roll. Consistency, the substitute for carat weight. Each rounded missile was formed to perfection.  April's last snow produced the perfect snow for the Great Snowball fight. But wait, this was late April, for Pete's sake!  Somehow this is just wrong after having had such a  mild winter here in Ohio. ..                                                      Moving on to May, we are still on a rollercoaster ride as far as the  weather is concerned.   The trees are bursting with new leaves and delicate flowering blossoms.  Next door my neighbor's lilac bush is blooming.  How I love the old-fashioned fragrance of lilacs on the breeze.  Immediately I am transported to my great gran

Sage, Thyme, and Holy Basil      ....Spring 2016.  Easter has come and gone, and still we are riding on the rollercoaster of temperature changes here in Ohio.  Everything is greening up and the bold spring bulbs are sporting their glorious blooms in spite of the cold weather.  Easter day was wonderfully sunny and warm in the 70 degree range.  But as usual, Monday has turned a nasty wet, cold 45 degrees.  The color scheme of the day is battleship grey.  Enough already! We need some solar coaxing to leap into real spring mode.  When I worked for a local bookstore I remember a co-worker telling me that she had just visited a local greenhouse nursery for just the smell of moist earth after a long winter away from the fragrance of growing green things.  As soon as I was able, I, too, made the trip to a nursery to enjoy the humidity of a warm greenhouse and the smell of little green plants.  Best therapy in the world after a long and dry winter trapped indoors until the warm temperatu

      ...Shadows on the snow...Sunshine and snow...So far this is the offering  for our late February and early March here in Ohio. Winter has come lately to us.  Fortunately it has not been brutal compared to even a year ago. Oh well, if you aren't happy with today's weather, as the saying goes, just wait an hour for something different. We have experienced some pretty high winds, but compared to other parts of the country with their high tornado activity, we simply enjoy the gusting and dream of kites to fly as it warms up eventually.  I for one have always been exhilarated by windy weather, though I realize it can mean power outages.  March is nearly upon us and with it comes that windy weather.  Warm days and steady breezes are what I am looking for kite flying.  It will come.  Meanwhile, I will have plenty of time to make that all important kite design selection...         I have a question...What is it with all the  old furniture sitting on curbs everywhere?  Did

       ...Well, so much for little pots of green herbs for the time being!  It looks like Buckeye Chuck was right in his prediction.  We seem to be making up for the warm, snowless temperatures here in the Akron area.  Chinese New Year brought us snow and bitter cold temperatures.  This is the year of the red monkey.  Maybe Chuck isn't responsible for our snow and cold, maybe it's the monkey's fault.  So, the snow shoveling Olympics won't be cancelled after all.  A few weeks ago I noticed a sign indicating that Copley's winter festival was cancelled.  Sorry guys, lousy timing on that one!  On the other hand, the Medina Ice Festival got the needed cold weather just in time to keep their sculptures in tact.  At least things are brighter with all the reflected light from the snow.  It would seem I am not the only cold weather enthusiast around.  Attending the Ice Festival proved to be a busy and crowded time in Medina Square.  Lots of families trudged around the squ

HerbnArts: The Groundhog Wore Green... :   Herb vinegar steeping in sunlight.      ...Sunny days, blue skies, am I actually talking about February in Ohio?  It's hard to ...

  Herb vinegar steeping in sunlight.      ...Sunny days, blue skies, am I actually talking about February in Ohio?  It's hard to believe that it is supposedly the coldest month of the year and yet the temperatures have been as high as 65 degrees.  Today's high is supposed to be in the 40's.  Cold to some, paradise for us buckeyes.  Next week we should see some of that cold weather return briefly, but hey, it is still February.  If this temperature rollercoaster ride seems kind of schizophrenic , what do you expect when Punxatawny Phil doesn't see his shadow and Buckeye Chuck does see his shadow?  It's that time of year, though, when I start dreaming of little green herbs in pots.  Since we didn't really have any snow to play in this winter, I say bring on spring!  Every gardener has already been pouring over seed catalogues and planning this year's gardening adventures. I am probably already running behind at starting seedling of any kind, but what th

         ...The temperature was finally dropping enough for the conditions to turn snowy.  Heavy dark clouds crept across the dreary gray skies.  "Got to be loaded with snow," I thought as I eyed the clouds.  Everyone had been expressing relief at not having brutal cold and copious snow like the previous year.  Those same people complained that there was no snow for Christmas. I repeatedly told those same folks that January was coming and with it would come the snow.  I for one still get a thrill with every flake that dares to drop here in Ohio.  It is the first week in January and I am watching our first real snowfall of the season.  It was as though someone had shaken that great snow globe in the sky causing flurries so heavy that I could hardly see across the street.  Yeah!  Now that's what I'm talking about!          The holidays came and went with little impact this year.  I am convinced that was largely due to the lack of the friendly flakes. If anyone has sudd

        Was it really half way through December?  Couldn't prove it by me!  There are signs, but Christmas couldn't be that close with it being 70 degrees in Ohio.  People were walking around in shorts and sandals.  I am amused at seeing cut evergreen trees strapped to car roofs while going though fast food drive-thrus.  I am pretty sure sled sales were down this season.  And those ice skates will have to wait awhile, too. I have visions of Santa and his posse of reindeer skateboarding around to get the delivery job done this year. One by-product of all this warm weather is that of copious lighting displays.  Those who would not have gone to the trouble of settee up outdoor holiday lights because it was just too cold, have had a rethink on the subject.  Winter Solstice was December 22nd.  In recent years the snowflake has emerged as the symbol of the solstice.  I have a feeling that if even so much as one snowflake had shown, a resounding cheer of relief would be heard througho