Can't Believe It! Another Herbal Timeout!

Not the typical "Out Weeding" sign this time.  I have left you with a plate of delicious arugula pesto from Jekka's Herb Cookbook to sustain you.  It was delicious and easy to do.  Here is the arugula recipe.  I can't believe we are going away again.  Celebrating 25th anniversary a little early (like a whole year early).  So don't get the band playing yet.  We have to get through this trip and then we can celebrate 24!  I haven't even finished telling you about Vancouver!  Will have a lot to talk about once we are back.  So have a bite and talk amongst yourselves!  Talk to you later.

Second leg - on to the Horseradish and Herb Festival

We left the HSA conference on Friday evening, and headed towards Somerset. The four of us (Susanna and Angelica Reppert-Brill from The Rosemary House and my sister and I) would be staying with the organizer and her husband - Barbara and Fred Will of Sugar Grove Herbs. Coming from near Gettysburg were Barbara and Roger Steele of Alloway Creek Herbs. It would be a full house!
The roadsides on the way to Somerset were covered with all kinds of wild medicines and edible herbs. St. John's wort, mullein, and chamomile were in full bloom. Entire drifts of chicory turned hillsides sky blue while daylilies and butter and eggs winked from the ditches. Sumac and teasel were not yet blooming, but were still beautiful. Yellow jewelweed, blackeyed Susans, and butterfly weed shone in different shades of yellows and gold. Lots of yellows. There were entire fields of elderflowers. I've never seen so much. It was everywhere! I thought that it looked like a good idea to harvest a good amount for the coming winter.
After we got through all the tunnels that terrorize my sister, we relaxed and rolled into town. We quickly noticed it was a biker weekend in town. I have a sprained ankle, so my cane with the flames coming up from the bottom fit right in.
Saturday morning we all got up and headed over to the festival to set up after a quick cup of coffee and some cereal. Lots of great herb booths and talks. I gave a talk on wild edibles that was well received and a lot of fun for me. We were outside, and it was cold for this time of year! It helped to sit close together. There was also a recipe contest for dishes using horseradish. The brownies won. Barb Will made some horseradish sweet pickles that were delicious, but she didn't enter them because she found the recipe on-line. Still great, though!

That evening we went out to dinner together and followed up with a few bottles of Bicentennial Blush from a winery up the road (sorry... it escapes me at the moment). We had so much fun talking about our businesses and our lives. There is something about getting together casually with other herbies and sharing ideas. My favorite thing.
And now, on to Farm at Coventry tonight to listen to Phyllis Light.

A Edible Flowers Potpourri, A Recipe and an OMG Moment Too!

Borage (Borago officinalis) has a wonderful blue flower and is great to make ice cubes for summer drinks.  Has a slight cucumber flavor.  If you need a plant that takes up space in your garden, borage may be the ticket.  Here is a slightly closer photo of the flowers.  You always want to eat organic, non-sprayed flowers, remove those reproductive parts in the center.  It would be the black tips of the borage or eat the petals only.

They are just so pretty in the garden, but they do reseed and can be an issue if you aren't looking for a plant to take up space, this may NOT be the one for you.

Calendulas are the poor man's saffron (Calendula officinalis).  They were used in the early times as color in lots of different dishes.  It does not give the taste of saffron.  You should just be eating the petals of this flower.  We use them in our salads and cookies (a recipe is in the link below).  Way back in 2008 when I started this journey I did a pretty complete post on calendula.  Here it is again, Herb of the Year-Calendula.

Daylilies are one of my favorite edible flowers.  Oh, no, wait, I like nasturtiums more.  Oh, no, well, you get the idea.  That's why I'm giving you a potpourri of flowers.  Daylilies (Hemerocallis spp.) are one of those edible flowers that the whole species are edible.  They make fantastic cups.  You need to take those reproductive parts out of the center and then you can fill them with your favorite salad.  They are also good in a champagne flute filled with ice cream or sorbet and chocolate or fruit sauce.  The lighter colored ones are better.  The red ones tend to bleed their color.  This one in the photo above is called Frans Hals after the artist of the same name from I think the 1950's.  I have the orange one that is along roadsides called (Hemerocallis fulva).  Don't be eating this one from the roadside, because they do spray with pesticides along the roads.  Also it is a very good erosion control for some people, but it has made the invasive species list in some parts of the United States.

My bee balm (Monarda didyma) was blooming the other day when Jekka was in the garden!  I just love this flower.  The hummingbirds love it and it blooms for awhile.  I bet a month or so.  It has blocked off one of the entrances to the back garden and we have let it.  I'm hopefully going to be able to make some bee balm couscous salad before they complete fade away.  It is from Jekka's latest Herb Cookbook.  Again, just use the petals in salads, both greens and fruit.  If you use them in a different way in cooking, please let me know.

The lemon balm is FULL BLOOM!  What you should never let your lemon balm do!  I'm going to be removing lemon balm everywhere next season.  My perennial problem.  Worse than garlic chives.  But my garlic chives are catching up to the lemon balm.  Well, up in the upper corner of my blog, I have posted a new connection for my latest post for The Herb Companion.  Hope you enjoy it.  Muggy and rainy out.  Hope you have a great day wherever you may be.  Talk to you later.

Lady Catherine Visits The National Herb Society Conference

Lady Catherine came for a visit from Lovain in the year 1429 to Pittsburgh in the 2lst century.  I was one of the ladies in waiting looking for light to see.  It was dark in the Medieval Age, but in the 21st century there needed to be light!  She instructed the audience in the duties of a medieval lady.  She mostly had a shy audience, but there was one brave soul in the back of the tent that raised her hand to be mentored.  It was fun Kathleen as always.  Very educational.  Finally, toward the end of the program, the hotel staff brought a floor lamp into the tent to give a touch of light.  It's a little muggy in the herb garden, but the bee balm is in bloom.  A small alphabet of edible flowers!  A favorite time of year for me.  Will show you in tomorrow's post.  Hope you are having a great day wherever you may be.  Talk to you later.

HSA conference in Pittsburgh

Vending at a conference is a little different than attending a conference. Okay... a lot. But I really enjoy it. There is usually a good bit of down time while the attendees are in workshops or lectures, and that's a relaxed time to get to know the people around you.
The Essential Herbal did very well with our books and magazine, and Torchsong Studio nearly sold out of her Wishing Vessels. Looks like Maryanne will be busy on the torch melting glass this week, and I have quite a few orders sitting here waiting to go out. It was now or never for the blog though, since more excitement awaits!

Josh Young and Jim Long from Long Creek Herbs were on one side of us. Jim was pretty busy with scheduled talks, etc., but I was happy to see Josh was our neighbor. We've vended in close proximity in the past, and he always makes it a humorous and enjoyable time. It was also great to meet his lovely mother Barbara, and it quickly became clear where Josh's sensibilities come from. Jim joined us for a good bit of Friday afternoon. Jim seems to have a thing for hats, so he wandered over to Carolee's area and tried one on. Personally, I think it really looked good, but he put it back.
On the other side of us was graphic designer and illustrator Karen Sandorf. She has a lovely selection of cards, calendars and hang-able art. She does the art, the printing, the scoring, folding, wrapping - and I can completely relate to that! On the back of the notecards (which are blank inside for writing), there are recipes that include the herbs on the front. I am hoping to carry them on the website soon.

One of my favorite acquisitions from the weekend is this mug, held here by the artist, Sandy Manteuffel. It is absolutely gorgeous! The outside of the mug is porcelain, and the mug is sort of bas relief so that you can feel the leaves and bugs and fairies carved into the clay. She does various kinds of pressed clay work, but I just fell in love with this piece. Her business is From the Earth to You, and there is no website, but the email is EarthPottery@aol.com.

On Friday morning I took advantage of the on-site massage therapist, Alison Matesa from Munhall Chiropractic (412-638-5807) in Homestead PA. She was offering chair massage, but I asked her to work on my poor swollen foot. It did help a lot for the day, although gravity wasn't on my side :-( If you're in the area, Alison did a great job!

There were a lot of great vendors in the marketplace. Lisa Head of Perry County gave a workshop on making beeskeps, and also had her handmade, amazing skeps on display for sale.
And of course we shared our travels with the Reppert-Brill girls, Susanna and Angelica of The Rosemary House. There is no picture that can express how much fun it was to hang out with the two of them. They are wonderful companions.
We also got to have dinner with a friend we got to know during the Somerset weed walk a couple of years ago - Deborah Stiffler - and enjoyed elderflower "martinis" while playing Bananagram at the table.
Oh, and then there was Ben from The Saturday Light Brigade which "has celebrated our neighborhood's people, places and ideas. These engaging features, heard live on the radio Saturday mornings, can now be easily streamed and downloaded at neighborhoodvoices.org" who interviewed Jim Long, Susanna Reppert, and me. He was an engaging young man with really good follow-up questions. An excellent interviewer, he was. I'm not sure what will happen to those interviews, but it was fun and interesting to do. Thanks to Jim for the shove, btw.

Luscious lemon balm - a plant for what ails ya

Lemon balm

Melissa officinalis 

Plant Family: Lamiaceae (mint)

Plant energetics: Cooling and drying, aromatic

Parts used: Aerial leaves, just before flowering

Plant Properties: relaxing nervine, anti-viral, relaxing diaphoretic, aromatic digestant, antispasmodic

What’s in a name? 

Well, when it comes to Lemon balm, Melissa officinalis, quite a lot! 

It gets its common name from the fresh lemony scent that emanates from its freshly bruised leaves. Sometimes it’s only referred to as balm, which is defined as something that is soothing, healing or comforting. 

The genus name of Melissa comes to us from Greek, meaning ‘honey bee’ or simply ‘honey’. In Greek mythology Melissa was a nymph who shared the wisdom and honey of the bees. Lemon balm is a favorite plant of the bees. Not only does it produce lots of nectar, it has also been used by bee keepers to keep bees from swarming. 

The species name, officinalis, let’s us know this plant was once a part of the official US Pharmacopeia. 

Just by understanding more about lemon balm’s many names we already know a lot about this plant. But, of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. 

One of the best things about lemon balm is its crowd-pleasing scent and taste. Most people will drink of this herbal medicine gladly. Sometimes we think that effective medicine needs to make our nose scrunch in disgust, but lemon balm packs a tasty powerful punch. 

Lemon balm originally comes to us from the Mediterranean. It’s been used for medicine for thousands of years. Pliny, Hippocrates, Galen, Culpepper and even Shakespeare all spoke of its attributes. There are also records of Thomas Jefferson growing lemon balm at Monticello. 

Maude Grieve writes the following in her classic two-volume set A Modern Herbal:

The London Dispensary (1696) says: 

'An essence of Balm, given in Canary wine, every morning will renew youth, strengthen the brain, relieve languishing nature and prevent baldness.' John Evelyn wrote: 'Balm is sovereign for the brain, strengthening the memory and powerfully chasing away melancholy.

12th century herbalist Saint Hildegarde von Bingen said “Lemon balm contains within it the virtues of a dozen other plants.” 

As we’ll see, it does have many varied uses. 

When I think of lemon balm the first thing that comes to my mind is of its calming and relaxing properties. Officially we call this a relaxing nervine, an herb that relaxes, soothes and supports the nervous system. It can be used for anxiety, hysteria, frayed nerves, stress, insomnia, seasonal affective disorder, nervous tension and general feelings of “I’m on my last straw!”. 

Older sources list it as being helpful for heart palpitations as well. In more modern times Kiva Rose says, “I personally use it for panic attacks with heart palpitations where the panic is very buzzy feeling.” 

Heart palpitations, nervous tension, insomnia, hyperactivity are all classic indications for lemon balm and these combined described what some people experience when their thyroid becomes overactive such as the case in Grave’s disease. In fact, lemon balm, bugleweed (Lycopus spp.) and motherwort (Leonorus cardiacus) is a classic western formula for a hyperactive thyroid. 

In a conversation with Kiva Rose she explains that she likes to use lemon balm when it is specifically indicated: 

I especially like it for those wound-up pitta people who are addicted to overworking themselves, or even just addicted to being addicted to various foods, drugs, activities. It seems to somehow help them pull back from the compulsion that has them frantically attached to self-destructive activities. These people tend to have clear heat signs, complete with an often flushed face and their enthusiasm/interest may come off as a bit on the feverish side.

Lemon balm is a member of the mint family and, like other mints, it has complicated energetics. Thermally it has been classified as both warming and cooling. This is explained partly by understanding different perspectives within the major living herbal traditions today. 

Lemon balm has a sour taste. In Ayurveda sour is classified as hot and wet while in Traditional Chinese Medicine sour is thought to be cooling and moistening. In western herbalism sour is generally thought to be cooling. 

Matthew Wood explains: 

Lemon balm has a sour taste, as its name indicates – it is one of the few sour mints. Like most sour plants, it is cooling and sedative. It combines this property with the typical nerve-calming powers of the mint family to make a strong, but safe and simple sedative. These powers are much more marked when the plant is tinctured fresh. A tincture of fresh melissa should be on the shelf in every household as a general sedative.

In recent years lemon balm has been researched extensively for its anti-viral properties, especially in relation to herpes simplex 1 and 2. This is the virus that causes cold sores and genital sores. Lemon balm can both lessen the severity and speed the healing of an acute attack and, when taken regularly, can prevent future outbreaks. That’s a pretty powerful plant! For a thorough listing of scientific studies for this plant go to http://www.greenmedinfo.com and type in Melissa officinalis as your keyword search. 

Herbalist Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa recommends lemon balm applied externally to chicken pox eruptions, a virus closely related to herpes simplex. 

As a mild spasmodic it can help relieve tension headaches, back pain and other mild pain due to tension. As an aromatic and carminative herb it can relieve stagnant digestion, easing abdominal cramping, and promote the digestive process in general. 

It’s been used as a mild emmenagogue to promote late menstruation as well as relieve menstrual cramping. 

Lemon balm has even been used for children who are teething to soothe and calm this sometimes painful process. 

A couple of years ago I was out hiking in an old growth forest with a group of people in the Pacific Northwest. We were following an overgrown trail covered with giant ferns and other undergrowth. While enjoying the giant trees towering above us, someone inadvertently stepped on a wasp nest. We were quickly surrounded by these powerful stinging beasts and I escaped with a handful of nasty stings. Looking around for plantain I soon found lemon balm instead. I chewed this up, applied it on the wounds and watched in amazement as the pain and swelling was greatly reduced. 


Just recently I was with a four year old who was stung on his upper ear by a wasp. Again I searched for plantain, couldn't find it, but found plenty of lemon balm. Within a minute of applying a spit-poultice of lemon balm leaves the child had stopped crying and hours later there was no indication he was even stung. Later that week his parents (who are NOT herbalists) bought a lemon balm plant. 

According to Maude Grieve lemon balm has a long history of use for wounds and even for venomous stings

The juice of Balm glueth together greene wounds,' and gives the opinion of Pliny and Dioscorides that 'Balm, being leaves steeped in wine, and the wine drunk, and the leaves applied externally, were considered to be a certain cure for the bites of venomous beasts and the stings of scorpions.

Botanically speaking...

As mentioned, lemon balm is in the mint family and has many attributes or identifying features common to this family. 

It has square stems and leaves are in an opposite branching pattern. 

Lemon balm flowers are white and have the classic “lipped” look of the mint family. It typically flowers from June to September. 

Photo by Leo Michels 

This is a perennial plant that is easy to grow. Watch out! It will spread readily in your garden. 

If you crush a leaf in your fingers you’ll be introduced to that wonderful lemon scent of lemon balm. In the past it was considered a “strewing herb,” which is an herb hung in the rafters or strewed on the ground to emanate a pleasant scent. 

Using lemon balm

When using this plant many people find fresh lemon balm to be the best choice. Freshly dried lemon balm certainly retains many of its virtues, but you’ll most likely find that the older it gets the more it loses its pizazz. 

You can prepare this plant in a lot of different ways. One of the simplest ways is to enjoy it as a delicious tea. It can also be tinctured in alcohol, extracted with vinegar, blended with honey and even infused in oil. That oil can then be made into a salve or lip balm for general use or for herpes sores. 

An astringent toner can be made by infusing the fresh plant in witch hazel. 

Teething youngsters may like to gnaw on a wash cloth that has been soaked in lemon balm tea. Children young and adults will love lemon balm popsicles! 

Don’t forget to use lemon balm in the kitchen! It goes well with meats, fish, vegetables, in sauces, sprinkled in salads, fruit salads, herb butters or simply crushed and added to water. Very refreshing for those hot summer months!

You can even use this plant as potpourri. 

Lemon balm is considered safe for most people, but of course you should really get to know this plant if you have any special conditions. 

It is often said that Lemon balm is contraindicated for people with hypothyroidism. Prior to writing this I asked around the herbal community and several herbalists reported using lemon balm with people who had under-active thyroids and it did not change their thyroid blood tests. If you have an under-active thyroid you probably don’t want to consume this plant in excess. 


Lemon balm is simply delightful to work with. Easily grown in the garden, it tastes wonderful and can be used in so many powerful ways. What's your lemon balm story? Have a favorite recipe to share? 

The National Herb Society Conference-Friday, June 24, 2011

The Big Day Finally Arrived!

Jekka Showing Us a Display Garden

She Has a Thyme Named After Her-Jekka's Thyme

She Was So Happy to be Finished and Look At Those Ribbons!

Because the Western Pennsylvania Unit Was Host, They Presented Their History

Some of the Western PA Unit with Jekka Overlooking Pittsburgh

Well, Jekka is on a plane back to her beloved herb farm in Bristol, England.  She gave a splendid talk on Friday afternoon.  I think everyone was left wanting more.  Yes, we were in a tent so it was dark.  National picked the tent! The Western Pennsylvania Unit pulled out all of the stops otherwise.  Ladies, you did a fabulous job.  It was all Jekka could talk about.  How impressed she was with everything you did for and with her.  She has a great deal of respect for all of you.  She told me to make sure that I thank all of you from the bottom of her heart.  She was so gracious with everyone.  She loved meeting everyone from all across the country.  There were about 300 people here.  It was quite the busy week.  There was a Catholic conference, the Furries were in town at the Convention Center (people who dress up like animals) and then the Boston Red Sox fans came to town last night.  BTW, they lost the first game!  Who knew the Pirates would beat the Boston Red Sox!  Well, I degress.  It was just crazy at the hotel.  I guess it was OK we were outside under a couple of tents at times!  I entered the Herb Garden Calendar contest and I forgot to vote for me!  We'll see if I'm even selected.  It was just such a delight to spend time with Jekka today.  I will share those experiences for The Herb Companion this week.  Stay tuned.  Hope you had a great day.  I certainly did!  Talk to you later!

Well, They're Both Green!

Here a cute swallowtail caterpillar on the fennel out in the front garden.  This was a bronze fennel just like the one in the back, but it has reverted to green.  Who cares if it attracts these darlings!  We got some heavy rain today and it disappeared for a time and now is hanging upside down again munching away!  Glad we could give it some food.  Did I mention Jekka's in town?  Oh, you know I did.  The Herbal Husband is always glad when we have company coming, semi-clean house!  I'm bringing Jekka by to see the garden before she goes home on Saturday.  I left her to her devices today.  I think there were enough people she didn't miss me.  Have a full day of fun tomorrow and Jekka's speech and book signing and then my herbal friend, Kathleen Gips is in town as well.  Going to help her with her presentation as Lady Catherine.  Plus, I just heard Susanna Reppert from The Rosemary House is coming west.  Jim Long is here.  I'm sure I'll be telling you more tomorrow!  We have an herbal dinner at the wonderful Grand Concourse.  It should be a great day.  Will have photos tomorrow.

Jekka asked me last night if I had tried the arugula pesto recipe in her new cookbook.  Well, no, oh yes, we have and it is delish!  We sort of made it our own.  We filled a food processor container with arugula leaves, a couple of cups maybe. I have an original Cuisinart food processor.  Put a couple of glugs of olive oil in, a couple tablespoons of lemon juice, some lemon zest, about 1/4 cup of nuts (the recipe calls for pine nuts, we used pecans), the recipe calls for 2 cloves of garlic (we used one), about 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese and we added about 1/4 cup of feta cheese and then whiz it all around until smooth and taste and adjust if necessary.  We didn't need any extra salt because of the salty feta cheese.  It was really good!

Well, She is Here in the 'Burgh!

I did make Jekka a welcoming tussie mussie that got a little wilted in the heat.  She didn't want to take a photo with it because she had had a long day!

I also gave her a bag with the two articles from the local papers and a small jar of horseradish jelly.  She was quite pleased with the publicity.  Hopefully, some more local people will come and join us for her talk on Friday.  It is entitled "Herbs are More than a Garnish" at 1:15 PM at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown Hotel.  The public is invited to attend for only $15 available at the door.  She will also be signing her books afterwards.  So sleep tight tonight Jekka.  Pittsburgh and the Western Pennsylvania Unit are happy to have you.

Just Keep Getting Gifts!

Now you can see this arrangement has several different sides in a terracotta watering can.  Lots of beautiful fragrant flowers.  I will show it to you when I can.  My friend, Paula, gave it to me for picking up Jekka at the airport!  I'm thinking of starting an herbal car service!  Well, maybe not.  Weather still warm and sticky.  Front may be through the area just in time for Jekka's arrival later on.  Hope you are all having a wonderful day.  Talk to you later.

A Great Way to Kick Off A Conference!

There were Printed Invitations!

It Was Quite The Menu Based on Jekka's Herb Cookbook!

The Buffet Table

My Dinner Plate

A Massive Purple Sage or Maybe More than One!

Wooly Thyme Between the Stepping Stones

The Quilt That Will be Raffled Off At the Conference!

I feel fortunate that I was invited to tonight's dinner.  Most of these ladies that were there have been working very hard for awhile now to get ready for the next several days and the national conference that will showcase Pittsburgh and the surrounding area.  Like some of them said it will be gone in a flash!  It was a very well conceived and executed supper!  It was delicious.  They used recipes from Jekka's Herb Cookbook.  I will definitely be making some of the recipes.  The last two photos are of my friend, Paula's garden or should I say herb plants that make me envious!  That purple sage is a real specimen plant or maybe plants.  I'm jealous for sure.  The wooly thyme between the stepping stones is a perfect use.  I would love a path through my garden like that. The very last photo is of the quilt that was worked on my members of the Western Pennsylvania Unit and will be raffled off at the Conference!  A beautiful job.  The members used the Elizabethan Garden which is one of the Units pet projects as their template and printed the fabric using herbs.  May have to buy some tickets for that beauty!    It was a great evening, Paula!  Thanks for including me in the celebration.  Now the countdown starts until Jekka arrives tomorrow night.  I'll fill you in tomorrow.

It All Started With This Photo!

I sent this photo into the photo contest for Renee's Garden Seeds.  They are a favorite seed company of mine.  This wasn't quite the photo they wanted, but I thought I would give them a laugh for the day!  Lookie what I got in the mail over the weekend.  I'm not sure that I won, but free seeds at any point makes it feel like I won!

The June e-newsletter will have the winners!  Since my photo wasn't of your kitty eating their cat treat seeds, I sorta think I got a consolation prize, but it was free!  I was correct.  Kitty was only hoping for Cat Treat seeds and thinking about them while sitting in the bush!  Very muggy outside!  It finally rained overnight and some people got flooded!  Can't win!  Hope you are having a great day.  Talk to you later!

An Homage to Jekka!

Did I mention Jekka's coming this week to Pittsburgh?  Oh, yes, I think I did!  Patricia Lowry did a wonderful article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Thursday about Jekka.  I think she will be pleased.  Here is a link to the article called Jekka's Herb Cookbook.  I cooked the two recipes for dinner this evening.  They were both hits with The Herbal Husband and me.

The Herbal Husband Found the Biggest Purslane in His Garden!

Purslane and Spinach Salad

Oregano and Lemon Pan-Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes

It is a long article about Jekka and the recipes are included.  We added some arugula to the salad for some kick because we didn't have a whole lot of purslane.  What we did have, we enjoyed.  I think you will enjoy both recipes of them.  Jekka's Herb Cookbook is available at all of the big bookstores and at Amazon.com with beautiful photos by Hannah McVicar, her daughter.  I have a busy week with the Herb Society in town.  I'll try to blog about my adventures.  Hot and humid here.  No Rain!  We need it badly!  Hope you had a great day wherever you may be.  Talk to you later.

Sometimes It's About Friends-Our Trip to Vancouver!

The Lengths Some People Go to Keep Squirrels Off the Feeder!

Pete's Herb Garden

A Bay Tree in the Neighborhood

Loved the Name of This Company--Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap!

Really, an Elephant in the Front Yard!

The Skyline of Vancouver

Granville Island

Walked Miles for This Lunch, Pasta Carbonara!

Tiramisu!  Had to Help the Herbal Husband!

Pete Playing Some Jazz for Us!

  

We didn't spend all of our time with the nephew and his family on this trip.  The Herbal Husband had a Peruvian high school friend who he hadn't seen in 50 years.  So we met him at his apartment and then walked to lunch!  It was Victoria Day so it was a national holiday for many people and businesses.  Unfortunately the Peruvian restaurant where he wanted to go was closed because of Victoria Day.  So we ended up at an Italian restaurant very close by.  Fortunately it was open and it had very good food. Very nice day outside.  Getting those sticks and strings back out.  The Chinese Chestnut is blooming and the smell drove me inside to do this post!  Hope you had a great day wherever in the world you may be.  Talk to you later.