Herb of the Week – Horehound.

Since I have taken such an interest in herbs, I thought I could share the information with my readers.

 

Horehound

Horehound is a perennial with wooly stems and it is wooly on the undersides of it’s leaves. It can be found in many parts of the country, and to me, does not seem to picky about soil. When made into a tea, it can aid in clearing up congestion. The taste of the leaves are extremely bitter, and was supposedly one of the bitter herbs that were used in Passover. In fact, if it has lost it’s bitter taste it is no good and useless. (Guess what I’m bringing to Passover next year!)

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The Day the Sun exploded.

I slump down in the big black chair at my in-law’s house. I pull the shade down to reduce the glare on the computer screen. My silk red bandana is in need of readjusting. I take it off and I see the reflection of my scowling Wagner face on the computer screen, as I think of something to type up.

Pole beans, bush beans, Great-Grandpa David’s onions, slicing cucumbers, and pickling cucumbers in the ground today. Along with a few flower seeds. Trailing soapwort, Columbine, Yarrow (also an herb), black-eyed Susan vine, Amaranthus.

Today is very hot and sticky. I believe it went almost up to 90 degrees today. Yick, note to self. I NEED more summer clothing. Breezy cotton skirts Ahhh. 🙂 Since Thursday is my sewing day I should probably use up the cotton calicos I got such a good deal on a few months ago.

Stay cool everyone.

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“He’s the Lily of the Valley…”

Today I went over to my parents house and dug up a wood fern, a sensative fern, lily of the valley, Solomon’s seal, a white bleeding heart, coral bells, and forget-me-nots. And I scored at a garage sale and bought some double knit polyester quilt squares and a goose figurine for my garden! 🙂

My Dad gave me a small handful of my Great-Grandpa David’s onions. I plan on putting them in my garden.

I have a few friends that have purchased new houses, and so I can make quilts for them with all of the double knit! And give them crocheted dish clothes. I’m so excited!

I have been brain storming all of the things I can do with our yard. Last night I asked Aaron where he does not want me to put things, it is so nice talking about our yard and our house!

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Another nice day.

I took a little walk to our garden today. My poor hail-beaten tomato and pepper plants are doing better. They are going to be a little stunted, but I think they’ll do okay. A few of the broccoli plants are perking up. I hope they all make it! It has been rainy and drizzly this past week. Ugh. I hope my pea seeds won’t get drowned! When it gets sunny again I am going to sow bush beans and pole beans. I was talking to Aaron about purchasing trellises for the beans to climb. Aaron told me not to bother with doing that, he said he could make me some. Could I be more blessed? It is great to have a husband that is so handy!

I have found another beautiful blog – aspiring-homemaker.blogspot.com. Mia’s photography is so pretty! I enjoyed reading posts on what they do and how they live. It was very relaxing to read.

Friends of mine, Amanda and Josh,  just moved from their one room house to a two bedroom house. Amanda is taking pictures of everything and posting them on Facebook. She asked if anyone had a dresser because their one-year-old Emilea needed a dresser badly. In our house we are three dressers one for each bedroom, and at my parents house I have a dresser that belongs to me, so Aaron and I are going to give one of our dressers to Amanda and Josh.

Ahh, it has been a lovely day so far!

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“Straight as a pin”

Blech, note to self, don’t do a load of towels and rags on Wednesday. Wednesday is bathroom day, and the cleaners I use dry out my hands. And I do not like folding towel with dry hands. Or handling flannel, which was something I was also doing today.

I came across a blog called “Time-warped Wife”. It is a Titus 2 blog, I love Titus 2 ministries and teaching. In one of her posts she was talking about her mother and how organized she is.

“Growing up in a little house with 17 brothers and sisters… being disorganized was not an option.”

She went on to explain that it isn’t like her mom is a neat freak or anything, she is just impeccably organized.

“…living can get messy at times.”

Instead of beating myself up over how I “can’t, can’t, can’t” I am going to make somewhat of a little game out of it.  I already have my trail cleaning schedule, which is working so far! Now I need to purge the clutter, and organize. A little yard sale has crossed my mind, but I don’t have enough…yet.

Before I end this post I have to share a story that came to my mind. When Aaron’s dad was little, there was a neighbor lady who would continuously sell stuff out of her garage. Kind of like a little shop. So Aaron’s dad thought that it was what a garage sale was, a shop set up in a garage!

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Peas today.

Aaron worked up the ground with a plow on Saturday. Today, I began to spade the sod so I could work with it (after I whined to Aaron on the phone that I wasn’t doing it right). Our garden is around 5×10 feet and is located behind the lilac bushes. I sowed one row of shell peas and about half of a row of snow peas. I’m so excited to FINALLY, after all of my patient (yeah, right) waiting I can garden!

I also sowed Broadleaf Sage into my kitchen herb garden outside my kitchen window.

As I was finishing up with my peas the sky was starting to get dark and I heard a few rumbles of thunder. I gathered up everything and headed inside. I planned on taking a shower since I was so very dirty. I looked out the bathroom window, then again a minute later and it had began to pour rain. God watered my seeds for me! How nice! 🙂 Thank you!

We also have quite a bit of wildlife (quiet a bit for a girl from the suburbs). Today I spotted a doe in the neighbor’s yard. There are two salamanders (I think???) living by the ramp and flower bed, we have some chipmunks living under our shed (Yay! Not…), and I found out that the cardinals are living in the pine tree by the shed! I love cardinals. I better fill our bird feeder so they have more to eat without straying too far from their nest.

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Spring Sprigs.

Mom Cook and I were trimming apple trees at Eagle’s (the owner of the orchards) today, when I stumbled upon an asparagus bed. Mr. Eagle is out of town, so Mom suggested that we pick it so it just won’t go to seed and be wasted. My apron was full with all of the spears I cut. I also picked rhubarb for Mom because she wanted to make a pie. I am looking forward to it! When we returned to the farm, I cut up the rhubarb and the asparagus then went harvesting in their asparagus bed.

Also- Aaron went over and rotatilled our garden! Yay! So excited!!!

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Mostly before Noon.

Today I,

• Switched the fitted sheet and pillowcases
• Made a work skirt
• Unscrewed rings and put up 5 1/2 pints of rhubarb jam I made yesterday
• Ironed
• Picked violets for jelly
• Steeping violets for the said jelly
• Harvested oregano and chives which are drying right now

God is so good to me. I keep getting mason jars that I plan to fill with food for Aaron and I from the yield from our garden. And I got two free fitted sheets for our bed (they were still in the package), for the past couple weeks I kept wondering when I would have to buy new ones, I could see worn spots!

Now I am going to see Aaron, who is helping build a barn out back, and then I am going to trim apple trees. My back is bothering me a little today, I hope it stays at “a little.”

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Simplify.

I find it hard to resist the need to keep things around that I don’t need. Since Aaron and I have gotten married we have people (select few) who keep wanting to give us stuff. Our house is tiny enough as it is without all of the extra. Yesterday I got rid of a few shirts that I don’t wear and I plan on ridding myself of more. This should be a cleansing experience. 🙂

My goal: More dresses and jumpers (which I will make) and is a good number of outfits? For church? For everyday? For dirty work?

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Jelly update.

The wild violet and anise seed jelly turned out well. But I don’t think that I will put as much anise seed in next time. Maybe I’ll use solely violets.

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