Back Out On the Farm

Things are rolling once again on the farm. All of the hyacinths bloomed and have been picked and are stewing in coconut oil for next season's extract. The calendula is really popping and throwing off flower buds for delicious skin-loving potions. We've been planting seeds to grow some seriously witchy herbs, like rue (which are starting off their germination in the refrigerator), elfwort, mugwort, sweet william, black-seeded poppy, black hollyhock (which I'm SUPER excited about), and various other medicinal and magical herbs. We also planted seeds for a seriously well-rounded vegetable garden -- dill, basil (two types), tomatoes, rainbow carrots, several types of cucumber, beets, peppers, cabbage, lettuces, mustard -- you name it. Later this week and into the coming weeks we'll be planting more and more as seeds and plants we've ordered come pouring in. We also planted lavender in the Four Points Garden. When we first broke ground in the spot that we call the Four Points Garden, it was nothing more than a flat expanse of freshly plowed earth. I think if you come out to visit on the 26th of March for the grand opening, you'll be surprised with what's been done there. Prior to the plowing, there was a travel trailer, two large car canopies, and a mound of chipped mulch where the FPG now resides. It's an amazing transformation. Plus the gardens themselves have been transformed. We have a row of table grapes and Oregon grape and blueberries and boysenberry and in between each large plant is a creeping strawberry plant -- this was fallow ground two months ago, and all the plants dormant, but now they're just bursting! Even our wee hops plant has shown signs of life just as we were wondering if it had gone to green heaven. It's all coming together.

Yesterday my kids surprised me with a trip to Murphys, CA. I haven't been there in over five years and I really missed the place. We did a little wine tasting, got a little tipsy, bought a few bottles of wine, ate a great dinner at the Fire Wood restaurant, and then brought our tired bums home. It was a nice, easy, relaxed mini-vacation that really lifted my spirits.

I've begun burning frankincense again for the purpose of mental health. I found that I had gotten away from my daily doses and was feeling the difference in a big way. I was becoming easily stressed out, snappy with the grandbabies, slightly depressed and completely off-balance. I've been burning for three days now and I'm back to my old self. Who needs valium when there's frankincense to burn? Well, some people do, but not me.