Sweet Violet....

...It was hidden in a forgotten spot between houses.  A shy violet with two tender flowers smiled up at me as I walked along the deck.  Being too cold and too rainy, that area had not been inspected for my spring gardening clean-up routine.  I did not realize that there were any violets growing in that secret area.  At the moment it was mostly weeds growing in the hidden zone.  Soon there would be wild trillium plants blooming there.  How they got there I have no idea.  I do wish I had more violets growing there.  So much can be done with violets.  Years ago when I had a larger house and a much larger property, and I had a large garden area, I had enough violets blooming in the spring to use for several herbal purposes.  I candied the flowers, made violet syrup, and created violet sugar.  Violet candies were next on my list to try, but alas, that never happened.  Of course, I had plenty of           wonderful little bouquets of both white and purple violets.  Violets were once used to help coughs  and bronchitis, to soothe nerves, for headaches and insomnia.  Fresh leaves in a poulice can be used for healing bruises. An infusion or syrup can be used as a mild laxative.  Violet leaves can be added to a facial steam.  A decoction of the flowers can be used as an eye wash or as mouth wash.  I was   hoping to make my own violet perfume and floral water, but never managed to get that far down my list of things to make from violets.  As life changes, so do the lists in my life.  Goodbye sweet violet list.  I did what I could while I could...                                                                                               

lavender harvest

      And so today I went to my happy place, Le Petit Jardin.  The herbs in my containers were        exploding with copious branches of herbal delights just begging to be harvested.  Having so much rain does have its benefits.  The herbs have loved it and are expressing that with such bountiful      growth.  While I harvested lemon balm, lemon verbena, lavender, marjoram, and thyme I was        pleasantly reminded of why I enjoy herb gardening.  The heady aromas of freshly cut herbs made my day and the cares of the world melted away, at least for a little while.  Bringing the fragrant bundles into my apartment I hung them on a wall to dry.  About a week ago I had cut some of the herbs for water rooting.  Basil, mint, marjoram, pineapple mint, and lemon balm are keeping my kitchen    looking bright and cheery as they begin rooting in sparkling bottles water.  Another happy place!  Lemon balm makes a wonderful and relaxing hot bath.  Later today I plan to make a pot of tea with freshly cut lemon balm and a touch of honey.  The herbalist Llewelyn professed that drinking lemon balm tea would help one live to be 100.  He lived to be 108.  So, a cup of lemon balm tea couldn't hurt...and a cookie...