We've been in our new home/headquarters for a few days now, and everything is falling (or being shoved) into place. The office was the very first thing we moved in order to retain some semblance of sanity, and for the first time, everything is in one place. It is hard to describe how much easier it is to be able to ship an order without looking all over the place for the items, the shipping materials... and where is a darned pen!?!
So here we are. No pictures yet, but let me tell you a little about it.
First, the space is more than double without counting the basement. The business is completely separated from the rest of the house. The first year of The Essential Herbal, everything could have fit into a sturdy box, but as time went on and we put out more issues and more books, it had infiltrated everything. Scale in the kitchen, herbs in the hall closet, boxes of books stacked in the bedroom, shrinkwrapper under the bed, mailing supplies in the CD rack.... typical home business. Now everything is together.
There is lots and lots of space to plant. Lots of space. Before we even started moving, the garden went in. Several different heirloom varieties of tomatoes and peppers are getting ready to ripen. The squash are flowering, 3 kinds of heirloom beans are putting out pods, and the 2 different eggplants are seriously considering budding. We were too late with the spring peas, so I'm saving them for seed next year. Honeydew melons are in containers on the deck, and a couple of watermelon plants are on the split-rail fence. The Jerusalem artichoke patch is filling up nicely. I've been warned that they'll spread, and I'm ready!
We also put in a row of lavender for future distillation, 4 different basils, and all the typical cooking herbs. A few helichrysum plants are growing for distillation experiments later as well, and we stuck an elderberry bush in, hoping it will spread. If not, I'll add to it.
The best part is the wild stuff growing all around. This past week I've been in lamb's quarters heaven, eating them just lightly steamed for dinner. The mimosa tree over the hill is in bloom, and those flowers will be tinctured. Wineberries are everywhere, and jewelweed is at the very optimum - not yet flowered but I probably only have a day or two to gather it before it does. I'm finding enormous dandelion roots and burdock, and, and, and.....
Well that's enough for now. Maybe I'll be able to post a few pictures next time. See ya!
