Burn Burn Burn! Ouch! Now What?

So, I was making dinner and boiling some potatoes. I knew I had overfilled the pot with too much water so I went to the sink to pour off some of the water. I felt heat and thought to myself, "I didn't have the pot on the stove long enough to be feeling this kind of heat...why is it so hot?" That's when the heat became so unbearable I put the pot down just to see the paper towel I was holding the side handle with was on fire! I was stunned! My poor fingers were feeling the fire flames coming right off the paper towel! OUCH! I stomped out the fire and then knew I had to think fast to give my fingers the best possible outcome. I grabbed the Monarda (bee balm) honey and covered my fingers with it. Honey is thought to speed up healing and is a natural antimicrobial and bee balm is a great antimicrobial, as well. I could feel the pain intensifying with each passing second....but I knew I was doing the right thing putting honey on the burns. I was so scared I may have really hurt myself I found it hard to think. I remembered Aloe (relieves pain and decreases inflammation) and Plantain (soothes inflammation and has great healing properties)...so I put Aloe gel in the cup and the only Plantain I had was in tincture form so I put several dropperfuls in the gel along with Calendula tincture and vitamin E.
Ahhh! the cool gel felt wonderful but it still throbbed. I read I could place either a potato or onion on the burn for about 15 minutes to draw out the heat and pain. I thought that was odd, but I was willing to try it. Sure enough, after 10 minutes the pain subsided. Don't get me wrong, it still hurt - just not as bad.

After the onion, I continued soaking my fingers in the aloe gel mix for another 10 minutes then another round of honey. I kept on with dinner (it was delicious) and then bandaged up my three fingers in paper towels (all I had) that I had soaked with colodial silver, a wonderful natural antibiotic. I am just hoping the blistering won't be so bad. I'll know as the night goes on, but for now....I'm happy to be an herbalist. I don't know how this would have turned out if I didn't have my home remedies to lean on.

...I still can't believe I caught a paper towel on fire...I need a vacation!

Cooking Healthy Dinners at Home

Cooking simple and nutritious dinners at home can be fun, especially when you incorporate herbs! This simple dish is full of nutritive goodness and it's so easy to make.

When selecting salmon, it's best to purchase "wild caught" salmon, rather than farm raised. Many times, farm raised salmon has been artificially colored to give it the pink/reddish color many of us desire in salmon. However, wild caught salmon hasn't been artificially manipulated. Salmon is a great way to incorporate EFA's (essential fatty acids). The benefits of salmon help reduce inflammation and help maintain proper immune and circulatory systems when eaten twice a week. Salmon is also a good source of omega 3 oils as well as protein, niacin, riboflavin, B6, B12 & selenium. It does have cholesterol so you may want to look into this some more if this is an area of concern for you.

I love to bake my salmon over a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil. I chop organic lemons (peel and all) and place in the oil to cook along with the salmon. I always use parsley when baking salmon, along with salt, pepper and thyme. The lemons become soft and scrumptious and when you get ready to serve the salmon - simply spoon the baked lemons drenched in olive oil over the top of the salmon for a wonderful taste explosion. Lemons are also a great source of Vitamin C and can aid digestion as well as boost our immune system. When using the whole lemon, I only use organic lemons. I'm just not comfortable eating the peel of a non organic lemon.

Parsley contains a substance that may prevent the multiplication of tumor cells. It is said to help relieve gas, stimulate the digestive system, freshen breath and promotes bladder, kidney, liver, lung, and stomach function. It also contains high amounts of vitamin C.


I love to have fun in the kitchen, whether it's making lotions or making a simple dinner. Serving sweet potatoes sauteed with onion and fresh spring greens adds interest and flavor...and we all know the benefits of drinking red wine with our evening meals. I know it's what keeps me going!

...and for dessert...who needs refined sugar and refined flours? Not me! Get some more vitamins with your dessert by serving simple slices of juicy pears with fresh raspberries in a small pool of unrefined organic honey. This nectar of the earth hits the spot at the end of any meal.

Stachys: Texas Betony (Stachys coccinea)

This past spring, I purchased Betony (Stacyhys)from the semi-annual plant sale at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin. I purchased two plants to add to my herbaceous plant collection in hopes of handcrafting these plants into salves and creams. I have them growing in pots while they get adjusted to my micro-climate. I plan on transferring them permanently into the main garden next Spring. As you can see, this is the time of year they produce beautiful scarlet flowers. The scarlet blooms are very attractive to hummingbirds, so it's a wonderful addition to a garden. It seems most people use Betony as a landscape plant; however, this plant offers much more than just visual stimulation.

One can harvest the aerial parts of Betony and dry them to make tea infusions or tinctures. It is said, Betony can calm the central nervous system as well as strengthen it. People find it helpful to assist with nervousness, anxiety, and tension - as well as diarrhea and irritations of the mucous membranes. (I'm thinking this would be a good tea for a person who gets diarrhea when overly stressed and anxious).

I haven't harvested the leaves of this plant just yet....right now I'm simply admiring it's leaves and blooms. The leaves feel very soft and rather thick. There are soft hairs on the leaves. The leaves are a vibrant green and the thickness in the leaves is notable.


I took this picture to demonstrate how just about anyone who loves herbs can find joy growing them in pots. These are first year pots and as the plants mature they will be re-potted in larger pots or find permanent homes in the garden.

Today in the Herbal Kitchen: Making Sugar Scrub, Lip Balm and Lotion

I was a busy bee today. First, I explored lip balm territory. Since this was my first time, I was cautious with ingredients and made a very small batch. I used bee balm oil as my base and added an essential oil that made this balm tasty and sweet! Next time, I'll embellish it a bit more but must say I'm proud of this balm for my first time around.



Energized after the lip balm adventure, I made a new lotion. This is my seventh lotion creation so I'm dubbing this one "#7" until I find a suitable name for it. This lotion features chamomile, bee balm and calendula along with wondrous oils and vitamins for a recipe so tantalizing your skin will radiate with delight!


Here's a little bit about one of the featured ingredients: Chamomile (Matricaria recutita).
The flowers are so sweet smelling; it is as if honey dipped apples perfumed the air. Chamomile is often enjoyed in tea. People turn to this herb when they need help with digestive distress or when they need help calming the central nervous system so they can rest and sleep. The actions of chamomile are anti-spasmodic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antiseptic. The tea can be swished in the mouth to soothe inflammation and has been used to assist with gingivitis. It can be gargled as well. Externally, people have used this to speed wound healing and reduce inflammation and swelling. The Spaniards refer to it as "Manzanillia" which stands for little apple. Chamomile was once heavily relied upon to scent shampoos and was sought after to add a golden tint to hair.

I wrapped up the day by creating another sugar scrub. This one features the lavender flowers I harvested last month along with citrus peels I dehydrated and powdered. The smell is fresh and clean and leaves skin soft and moisturized. This scrub is used in place of facial wash. It cleans, exfoliates and moisturizes your skin all in one step.

Now, I'm off to wrap up the weekend and get ready for the week ahead. Remember to take time and smell the herbs! ttfn ~

Stay Well and Get Well Herbal Soup

Ever feel the slight tingle in your throat, like you just might be getting sick...followed up by a slight coldness in the nose and maybe a sneeze or two? Then you learn others around you are sick?! First you might think...I'm a gonner - I'm toast - I've been pushing myself too hard and now I'm gonna get sick (sigh). Then you think...wait, I can beat this - I'm stronger that them!

Guess what? You are! You can be stronger than them and you might just steer clear of the funky junky if you eat and think like an herbalist! Here's how: garlic, thyme, cilantro/coriander, bay leaf, rosemary, marjoram, shiitake mushrooms - swirling all of their goodness in a hot bowl of chicken (or vegetables for the vegans) soup.

Yesterday, I felt terrible - I thought I was catching the office gunk. When I came home I pulled out the tried and true reliable ingredients that have safe guarded me from getting sick for some time now. It's kept me healthy and happy for so long - it's like second nature to make this pot of soup anytime I feel illness rising up.

First, I get my big stock pot and fill with purified well water. I dice a large onion and add organic chicken (when I was a vegetarian I'd rely on cabbage and carrots). Next, I add a handful of thyme from the garden along with two bay leaves, marjoram, shiitake mushrooms, rosemary (tied in a bundle with the longest sprig for easy removal), a sliced jalapeno, and potatoes. I allow to simmer along with salt/pepper and other favorite spices. When it's about finished I add the chopped cilantro. When served in a bowl, I'll add fresh minced garlic right on top. Garlic is best when not overcooked...just allow the fresh minced garlic to steep in the hot soup and it will unleash its incredible powers! I use fresh garlic, never the minced garlic from a jar you buy at the store.

Here's why it works:

Garlic Allium sativum: actions are antiseptic and anti-viral which helps boost and defend the body against unwanted invaders. Garlic helps protect our bodies and strengthen it, especially when used consistently. Garlic is an immune stimulant and can be effective against infections almost anywhere in the body. It would be good to eat three cloves each day - perhaps one minced clove in each bowl of soup! Yum!

Thyme Thymus vulgaris: actions are anti-microbial, expectorant, and anti-spasmodic. This is such a great herb for infections that you can infuse this herb and use it as a gargle to fend off sore throats!

Marjoram Origanum vulare: also has thymol and acts as an antiseptic, expectorant and diaphoretic. The infusion in the soup helps aid a cold or flu.

Shiitake mushroom Lentinula edodes is really not an herb, but finds a home in the fungus family. The benefits of this mushroom can be traced back to the glucan polysaccharide compound, lentinan. Lentinan seems to work by boosting the body's immune system helping us fight infections and disease. Try it to build resistance against colds, virus and infections.

Coriander Coriandrum sativum (also know in Texas as Cilantro). Coriander seeds harness the most immune boosting benefits. This herb has been used to remove toxic elements from our bodies and is said to fight against bacterial infections.

Jalapeno and lemon wedges have loads of vitamin C, too. So now you can see how this soup just smacks of tastiness and healthfulness! Moms always told us of the benefits of chicken soup when we're sick - next time, toss out the noodles and bring on the herbs!! Stay healthy my friends :)

Lemon Balm: Melissa officinalis

Lemon Balm, or Melissa is in the mint (Lamiaceae) family. The mint family holds a treasure of plants, well beyond the typical mint sprig used to adorn your dessert or tea (although those mints hold great benefits, as well). Once you delve into the world of mints, you soon realize how different our culinary and preventative health world would be without them.

Melissa is one of my favorites. I love this plant; although, I must confess when I first purchased it years ago, I hardly knew how to use it! I just loved the fragrance and beauty of the plant. Now that I know more about Melissa, I get excited at the numerous ways I could use this plant in the kitchen as well as in my health and beauty treatments.

When I'm outside gardening and get bitten by a mosquito, I instantly reach for the leaves of Melissa. I gently bite them with my front teeth to release the oils and quickly rub the leaves on the bite. I've never had anything else work so fast at taking away the irritation and itch of a mosquito bite as I have had with this plant.

The leaves have essential oils containing citral, citronellal, geraniol, and linalol. Smelling the leaves has been an herbal remedy for anxiety. It has anti-depressive qualities. This plant is an anti-spasmodic; good for digestive issues such as flatulance and spasms.

In researching a cooking recipe, I stumbled upon this recipe for a cleansing milk for the face. This cleansing milk is specific for troubled skin and acne.

Cleansing Milk for Acne:
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt (yogurt has alpha hydroxy acids, which is good for the face)
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon dried Melissa (lemon balm calms inflammation)
1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers (lavender flowers also calm inflammation)
1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves (thyme helps fight bacteria and is an antimicrobial)

Mix all together in a jar and steep in the refrigerator overnight. Next day, strain our the herb and pour the "milk" into a new container. This keeps in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. To use, dampen your face with warm water and then apply the milk much as you would a toner. Use a couple times then rinse.

More about the fabulous ways we can use Melissa in another post. All for now though... must finish unpacking my bags from a trip we took to the coast. We visited great friends and made new ones. I did feel guilty about not updating my blog, though! Glad to be back in the hill country herb world researching new ways to use our plant friends.

References: The Herb Companion & David Hoffman's "The New Holistic Herbal".

Lavender

Today, I am removing the dried lavender flowers from the stems of lavender I harvested a couple weeks ago. I've had bundles of lavender hanging in my window sill drying naturally and now I'm excited about making good use of these dried flowers.
In the picture, you can see the dried lavender, the stems after the flowers have been gathered, and the collection of flowers in a container. The flowers I'm gathering can be used in cooking, teas, or in beauty products. One can sprinkle the flowers in sugar or salt scrubs for an added punch of color and fragrance. These flowers would lend themselves nicely to a steaming bath or facial.
Mixed with dried marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, basil, fennel seeds and oregano - these flowers add just the right touch to Herbes de Provence. Herbes de Provence can be rubbed all over a chicken just before baking for a sensational stir of the senses. The smell while cooking infuses the air and the flavor makes chicken irresistible. For a vegetarian twist, one of my friends uses this mixture in her potatoes au gratin recipe. I was amazed on how delicious the Herbes de Provence mix she was using smelled. It was as if you could eat it straight - it smelled so good! Since then, I'm determined to make my own Herbes de Provence so that is how I'll be using these flowers.

Today's Garden and Herbal Adventures: Agarita and Bee Balm flowers

Well, today I cut myself on a vintage platter that must have broken when I last put it away. I jabbed and sliced my lower palm while pulling it out- ouch!! It bled and bled...then I remembered the Agarita tincture! I ran to my herbal pantry and grabbed the tincture and dispensed drops all over the cut. Sure enough - just like magic - the cut stopped bleeding and it sealed itself.

Agarita or Berberis trifoliolata is native to central Texas and is often confused for a native holly. The leaves are very similar to holly and the spring yellow flowers turn into bright red berries that resemble holly. The berries are often made into wine or jam. The aerial woody parts of the plant can be made into tincture by grinding or rough chopping the stems, etc.and macerating them with vodka. This tincture has wonderful astringent properties - lending this plant to be a fantastic remedy for bleeding wounds. When you cut into the woody parts of the plant, the interior is very yellow. Berberine is the yellow part of the plant. Berberine is an alkaloid and has a history of being used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine and is prized for it's anti-inflammatory properties. Berberine may be useful for fungal, candida, yeast, parasites, and viral infections. It's been studied for it's antimicrobial activity.


I also made a beautiful bouquet of bee balm flowers - proving herbs are wonderful additions to our homes and our health. These flowers are so alive with joy - I just had to admire them before I prepared them into herbal concoctions. I'll prepare them tomorrow into tincture and herbal honey....but today - just visual beauty.

Edible Flowers Growing in the Garden

There are a lot of edible flowers growing in the gardens - some of which you may not even know are perfectly edible. Rose petals, are delicious, fresh, and a source of vitamin C. Think about using rose petals in a simple syrup. You can do this by boiling some water, removing from the heat, then add a handful of petals and sugar to taste - let steep like you would a tea. About an hour later you can strain the petals and whala! You've got rose petal simple syrup for your next cocktail party.
Phlox is a gorgeous bubbly flower blooming this time of year. It is a perennial and common in many cottage garden themes. They are very resistant to insects and pests, making them a winner in my book. Phlox flowers can be used to decorate cakes and cupcakes or used in fruit salads or to adorn a plate for a whimsical presentation. Basil loves eating phlox flowers. He gets excited to eat them just as he would with a cat snack out of a bag. He's a curious cat and tends to have good taste when it comes to edible flowers.
Calendula is a very happy yellow to orange flower. It is also known as pot marigold (not to be confused with the common marigold we often find in nurseries). Calendula has also been dubbed "the poor man's saffron" since it can lend similar coloring and flavoring as saffron in specialty dishes. The heads can be quite resinous and bitter so it's best to delicately remove the petals and really only use the petals in cooking. Calendula petals can be used in rice dishes, as well as soups, salad dressings, and desserts.

Bee balm flowers are also quite edible. As you've already seen, the flowers and leaves can be infused in honey to make a delightful medicinal honey traditionally used anytime there is a sign of sore throat or cold. The petals and flowers can be used to decorate desserts, salads or salad dressing. Since the smell and taste seem close to oregano, it can be used/substituted for oregano for a unique and whimsical twist.
Also growing in the garden is African Basil. The brilliant purple spike flowers radiate in the summer garden. Honey bees and butterflies simply love these flowers. They are irresistible to them! I love them, too! I often use the flowers to add zeal to tomato salad or pizzas. The flowers can be used in so many ways, such as garnishing fish with a splash of lemon. You can also make a tantalizing basil simple syrup for a complex martini! I hope this fun blog helps you see flowers in a different way and that you are encouraged to not only stop and smell the flowers, but to munch on them, too!

Juliette tomato

Take a look at all these tomatoes I harvested today! I knew my neighbors were out of town so I took full advantage of the dress I was wearing and used it to help me collect 60 tomatoes off the prolific plant! I'm thrilled - perfect for making a cheesy tomato pie, tomato sauce, or just about anything else you can think of.

Cooking the tomato brings out the most nutritional benefits...so I made cheesy tomato pies - one with parsley and one with basil (pictured). Delicious and satisfying since it came straight from the garden.

Lycopene, the cancer inhibiting element in tomatoes, is why the tomato is red. Cooking the tomato breaks down the cell walls releasing the good things we need in the tomato. Eating them with some fat, such as olive oil or avocados for example, can further help absorb lycopene.

Rose Petal Honey

Roses are not just for smelling and admiring from afar. We can eat them, too! Eating roses from the grocery store is not advised since they have too many additives to keep them preserved; however, home grown, pesticide free, organic heirloom roses are very much edible. I once had a rose arrangement proudly displayed on the coffee table (freshly cut from the garden) just to find Basil eating them! That's him caught in the act last fall - he was such a stinker! A smart stinker, though! That cat was getting his share of vitamin C.

Rose petals can be tossed on salads for a unique twist, sprinkled over ice creams or confections, mixed with butter then molded, chilled and served for a delightful brunch, or mixed into jelly and jam recipes.

Here, I've made a rose petal honey. This special honey can be added to teas, pancakes, or anything else you can think of to offer a boost of vitamin C. Petals are best when the flowers first open. This honey will be a wonderful addition to the bee balm honey I made combating a cold/flu. These honeys are immune boosters and delicious to boot!

Red Katydid Outbreak in Central Texas

There must be millions of these outside. They are feasting on all the live oak trees and have eaten all of my roses and some patio potted plants. I've killed about a hundred today, but to read this (below) on the internet - frightens me. I see about 5 of them on every 6-8 leaves on the oak trees outside.

"The Central Texas leaf-katydid is an arboreal or tree-dwelling species found mostly in oaks," Troxclair said. "Large populations of them can decimate oak tree canopies and swarm over property, though they're mostly considered a nuisance or annoyance."

Troxclair said he witnessed the previous explosion of Central Texas leaf-katydids in 2007 and remembered a large bottomland area near Pearsall where the rapacious insects had completely defoliated hundreds of live oaks. During that year, outbreaks were reported in Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Frio, Hays, Kendall, and Medina counties.

What I'm noting is they are eating the oak leaves, rose leaves, pomegranate leaves, bird of paradise leaves, some grape leaves - but they are leaving the herbs alone. The calendula, thyme, basil, chocolate mint, peppermint, bee balm, oregano, rosemary, lavender, self heal, skullcap are all untouched. They haven't moved to the raised garden bed area - I'm keeping a very close eye to ensure they keep out the the tomato and veggie garden!

Reference: http://www.hpj.com/archives/2010/jun10/jun14/0607TexasInsectNumbersIncre.cfm
High Plains Midwest Ag Journal

Revenge on the Leaf Eaters

This blog is for all of you who think I'm a wuss when it comes to the creepy crawlies. Well, not on this front. For about two months I've seen my rose garden get chewed into twigs. I've come to realize it is a gigantic grasshopper faced red bodied, noisy leaf eater! Their faces are so gross and their mouths are most of it. Well, as I've been listening to their non stop wing rubbing - day and night I thought I had to do something..but how? I don't use pesticides and there are way more of them than me. They are the size of my index finger and I must have counted about 125 of them just on the back wall yesterday.

I know they stare at me when I come and go and I know they don't fear me. They thought wrong this morning. As I looked out the window, I saw 14 of them chomping on the few leaves the climbing roses had left. They are relentless, I said!! That's it!!

With a broom in one hand and a tall stick in another - I started stabbing them, crushing them, stomping them...one by one. I didn't know who was louder as they went down - them or me as I squealed and screamed as I killed them. As more and more leaf eaters were notched on my belt I grew more confident in my victory...and I especially relished squashing two mating leaf eaters at the same time! Ahhh!! Relief!!!

Today in the Garden: June Harvest

Harvested out of the garden today: heirloom tomatoes, basil, and lavender. Shown here are Dr. W. Yellow and Juliette. I must come out of the garden looking like a greedy squirrel each day - I go in there expecting just to pick a few and before you know it...I'm overflowing with tomatoes that are rolling out of my arms and hands! I probably could have lifted my skirt today to make an impromptu basket, but it was kind of short and wasn't sure if the neighbors were home or not..so I took two trips. Dr. W. Yellow are the large pumpkin shaped tomatoes. I can't wait to slice them with sea salt sprinkled on them. YUM!

Also coming out of the June garden: basil and lavender. I plan on drying the lavender by hanging them then collecting the blossoms. The dried blossoms can be mixed with dried rosemary, thyme, savory and other culinary herbs and makes a nice herbal rub for chicken. Delicious!

Blanco Lavender Festival

I volunteered at Heron's Nest Herb Farm today, which is one of the local Blanco farms involved in supporting the annual Lavender Festival. At Heron's, they grow lavender and echinacea as well as make many many products made from lavender (salves, air fresheners, lotions, surface cleaner, etc.). It was great to see a variety of vendors there selling crafts and goods. There was also a well attended women's race. Many runners stopped off at the beverage booth I was manning to quench their thirst with lavender lemonade or hibiscus tea. Also offered were cookies with optional lavender icing. They were a hit. It was so good to see so many people connect with the lavender plants and take time to support this community.

I was so happy to see Wildflower School of Botanical Medicine founder/owner Nicole Telkes there with fellow herbalist Cecile. They were educating passer-bye's on the school's various workshops and products.

I took a picture of honey bees enjoying the lavender and a child running freely through the lavender field.

When I came home, I was so energized I infused new batches of oils and now have them soaking in the sun on the kitchen window sill. I infused Calendula flowers, Chamomile flowers, Cleavers, and Alkanet Root. I plan on making a large batch of lip balm next month.

Today in the Garden

Today was a sunny, hot and steamy day. I came home from work and went straight to the garden with a glass of Dry Comal Creek Cabernet (I know it's a faux pas but I had a little ice in it to cool off). The Meyer lemon is doing great and is filled with about 30+lemon babies. These lemons are juicy and smooth with no seeds. We look forward to these lemons each year. I saute them in olive oil and salt - peel and all. The saute is great over fish. The barrel it's in was purchased at Becker Vineyard in Fredericksburg, TX and is a recycled Cabernet wine barrel....perfect for the Meyer lemon tree.

The grape/tomato/potato/onion garden bed is doing well too. This is the first year for these grapes so the fruit was very vulnerable and most of it was lost to insects in early spring; however, the leaves are being infused in olive oil for lotion making. Grape leaves are very high in minerals and vitamins. The onions have a long way to go, but the tomato plants (next picture) are doing quiet well.

Also growing in the garden is catnip (Nepeta cataria). Catnip is in the mint family and the flowers and leaves can be collected from June - September. Catnip has been used as a cold/flu remedy. It's actions are anti-spasmodic, diaphoretic, sedative and astringent. As an anti-spasmodic it has been used to ease upset stomachs, flatulence and colic. It has been used to ease diarrhea in children and helps ease and relax the nerves. As a tea, one to two teaspoons of the dried herb can be infused in a cup of boiling water according to David Hoffman's, "The New Holistic Herbal".

Reference: David Hoffman's, "The New Holistic Herbal" 1983 and 1990.

Harvesting Raspberries and Tomatoes After the Rains

In the garden, I'm growing 8 varieties of heirloom tomatoes. The tomatoes that are ready by the handful each day is the Juliette variety. They are prolific and delicious with fresh sea salt tossed with minced garlic, olive oil, and lemon. For an added twist, I added basil flowers to the mix and the result was amazing - just enough pow to brighten the tomatoes.

Years ago, we planted a raspberry plant. It would produce three or four berries. Now this plant has spread (almost wildly) all over the floor of one of the gardens. Since handfuls of berries comes as a result, the rambling raspberry is very much tolerated.

Also ready to harvest: lavender flowers! They are gorgeous. Speaking of lavender flowers, the annual lavender festival at Heron's Nest Herb Farm in Blanco, Tx is this coming weekend. Many herbalists and other plant lovers will be there. Included in the event line up is a 10k women's run, culinary artists, music, herb products for your body and home, and lots and lots of lavender and echinacea to buy. For more information you can view their website at: www.heronsnestherbfarm.com

New Braunfels Flooding

At 2:30am I woke up hearing one boom after another followed by lightning and horizontal rains. There was no sleeping through the booming thunder last night. At 6:30am we received a call from a neighbor up the way who was away on a trip. He had received a call from the security alarm company indicating a signal had read an indoor fire at his place. Alarmed, my husband went to go check on the house and the dog who was there. Fortunately, there wasn't a fire but unfortunately there were several other fires in New Braunfels the fire department needed to attend to. The lightning was hitting hard last night.

The electricity would turn on and off but what was more concerning was the 11 inches of rain we were getting in just 4 hours. News reports of a mobile home floating down the river with people still inside haunts me. I still don't know how they are doing, but I hope they are all okay. A local tubing outfitter, Rockin' R, flooded and all their tubes and rafts floated away and their outbuilding where they were stored collapsed.

Meanwhile, at my house - I was closely watching the water rise higher and higher on the land. As the creek swelled, the driveway became indistinguishable from the rest of the rushing water. On any other given day, you would be able to see the driveway in all of these pictures.

When the rain eased around 8:30 this morning, the water receded and eventually the creek sounded like a trickling stream - peaceful and beautiful. The water is so powerful. School buses used to transport tubers at Rockin' R were strewn about like toys bent around trees, yet there was an quiet calm after the torrential rains. Amazing how powerful the rushing water can be.

Later, after checking on a fix'r upper river house we purchased in downtown New Braunfels - 40 feet over the Guadalupe river - a pair of hot pink underwear was found hooked and dangling 20 feet from one of the sycamore trees in the back of the lot. Flooding or not - gotta love this town.