April Showers Brings May Flowers...

PURPLR CONEFLOWER (echinecea) 

     .....The air was heavy with the scent of lilac as the sweet purple blossoms burst forth in all their glory.  Childhood memories rushed through my mind in a frenzy of stories and pictures remembered. Images of the various herb farms I had visited gifted me with sweet memories from more recent times.  Birds were chirping joyfully after the spring rain as lilac perfume wafted through my window.  Oh, the green garden memories, and the simple tea and cookies that made one long for gentler times. Many of the herb farms I frequented no longer exist.  A sad time indeed...  But one can create one's own gentle memory with tea and cookies, journals, herbs in decorative pots, and flowers all around.   Le Petit Jardin has been a blessed spot of sanctuary for me in these tough times.  Just a few days ago I spotted the first bumble bees I have seen in a very long time.  They were checking Le Petit Jardin to see what treasures might be there for them.  Eventually one of the bumbles discovered my lemon balm, and promptly buried itself in the fresh lemony leaves.  My first actual herb purchase this season was a basil plant.  When I was grocery shopping, I just couldn't resist getting one of the basils in the produce section.  I really needed that  fresh herby scent to revive my hungry gardener self. So far, the bumbles have had to settle for dandelion blossoms.  I am sure that lilacs will be a wonderful find for them. 

         Chives are about to blossom and lavender is greening in Le Petit Jardin.  I can hardly wait as I anticipate making chicken salad with my garden chives and their blossoms.  Piled on a buttery croissant with spicy basil leaves and fresh tomato slices and a daub of mayonnaise and mustard, a delightful garden lunch awaits me.  Having made ready several mason jars, I am about to gather ass many violet blossoms as possible with the hope of making Violet jelly and violet simple syrup.  In the back of my mind I am remembering the basil jelly debacle from several years ago.  The jelly turned out fine, but I somehow managed to slop the sweet sticky mess all over me and my kitchen.  Hopefully there won't be a repeat performance as I attempt to create violet jelly.

          Glorious sunshine blessed the day as Mother's Day arrived in Ohio.  Though the ground was still mildly wet from the copious rains of several days, the trees were in full blossom, and green grass helped to brighten the day.  I spent time at my mother ' gravesite doing the springtime tidying up of her marker and placed a bouquet of lilacs in her memory.  The perfume of lilacs helped me to travel back in time to thoughts of both my grandmother and Great Grandmother. Great Grandma had a giant lilac bush growing up the side of her home.  Grandma made sure that my cousins and I visited Great Grandma frequently even though she lived a hundred miles from us.  Whenever my cousins and I visited great Grandma on her birthday, we thought the whole country was celebrating with her.  It was Memorial Day with all the flags displayed on everyone's porches.  We cousins thought our great grandmother was that special.  With the heavy perfume of lilacs filling the air in spring, I return to those fond memories and to the connection of maternal generations...