The Rosemary House

Yesterday was a bit... "different". The windows here were being replaced (or so I thought), and so plans were made to vacate the premises. As it turns out, this will actually occur on Monday, so living with all the furniture in the center of the rooms will be an extended adventure. In the morning, I went to Maryanne's house and fondled her exquisite lampwork beads for a while. I still can't quite get over how gorgeous her stuff is. I'm allergic to metal, so jewelry has always been iffy for me - silver is okay sometimes, but the rest... So now I'm lusting after some of the stuff she's playing with that involves materials other than metal to string them upon. In any case, the gardens are overflowing and everything smells so good! Walking past the stargazer lilies was scentsational! These babies are taller than me, and there is a whole grove of them. It is intoxicating.

Around noon we headed out to talk to Nancy Reppert at Sweet Remembrances Tea Room in Mechanicsburg (www.SweetRemembrancesTeaRoom.com) about a project we've been working on, and her sister Susanna at The Rosemary House (www.TheRosemaryHouse.com) next door. I love the feel of Sweet Remembrances. The decor is so artfully done. I've attended functions there, and Nancy is a fabulous cook, as well. After talking, we toured the gardens out back. They are so amazing that the sweltering heat barely bothered me! Fairly small in size, the gardens include so many species and elements. There is a tiny pond, an arch formed by dwarf apple trees that leads to the children's play area (as this garden is the backyard for Susanna's three little weeds), pathways, arbors, and small spaces to sit and rest amongst the herbs.

We couldn't leave without doing a little shopping. Above, Maryanne and Susanna catch up on the news. The shop has the best scone mixes in the world and some gardening gloves (Mud Gloves) that I've become addicted to. Of course there are the teas, dip mixes, books, oils, herbs, etc., etc that make this a fun place to shop. We just don't get there often enough!