A Spring Bouquet for His Return!

We were into the 20's last night!  Yikes!  After the weather we have had, but it is still March!  It's just a wake up call.  Well, I'm going to take a few days off.  The Herbal Husband gets home tomorrow and I need to get a few things done.  Thought I would bring some daffs in for his return.  Fortunately the ones I left outside look OK as well.  I did OK by myself, but it's a lot of work.  Like it better when he is around.  Will be back shortly.  Don't worry still have a lot to talk about.  Talk to you later in the week.

More than a coincidence...or... I'm the only Bozo on this bus

This day needs to be memorialized so that if ever I start feeling like things are going wrong, I can look here and remember what that really means.
It started early. Time to run charges before shipping orders. No problem, right? Wrong. The internet program needed to be updated. It's the only thing the Ipod Touch is used for, so it took a few (panic-filled) moments to think of doing a reboot. Okay, onward.
Got a notice for State Sales Tax the other day, so that's a 10 minute job to do right quick before printing mail labels. Hop on the big computer, and it turns out the virus protection is expired.
No problem, there's an auto-renewal. But for some reason I couldn't access the file. After over 1/2 hour of searching for a contact # and nearly beating my head on the desk several times, my first question is about the extra $20 they charged me. The guy on the phone and I both laughed heartily when he told me that was the charge for the renewal notices they've been sending me! Hahahaha - cancel that, give me a refund, I can remind myself.
The next hour was spent getting the program loaded onto the computers. Quick and easy sure means something different to me than it does to the virus protection company, but in the meantime there's time to print out those mailing labels.
Oh-oh, the USPS site is down. Dang!
Okay, okay... I'll just pay those Sales Taxes and maybe it will come back up. Where the heck did that file with ALL the sales for 2011 go? Search, search, search... oh look, somehow that was deleted last week!
Fortunately, my website held all the info so that I could recreate the file... because, you know... I've got nuthin' but time.
Finally success - taxes paid.
Now let's get back to those labels. Oh look! The Post Office is closed now, so it's too late for today - but the site is up, and I ripped through those labels and hit "print". And waited for the wireless printer to start spitting them out. And waited... nothing.
Ah hahahaha! The update to the virus protection must have taken the printer offline. hahahahaha.... look at all my hair on the floor! hahahaha. There's another half hour of fumbling around. And then they print.
So now it is 6:04 in the evening, and I've eaten my first meal of the day while typing this out.
In a minute, I'll head down to make a couple batches of soap (that should go well...) and finish the last details of the magazine to send to the printer tomorrow.
Self-employment is fun!

Here for the Wrong Holiday!

The turkeys were here for Easter and not Thanksgiving!  They paid a visit to my neighbor's the other day.  I looked out the kitchen window and saw these enormous blobs on the driveway!  Sparrows on steroids!  I thought can't have them ingesting the sage now!  Wait until later!  OK, enough silliness for one post.  Going to hear Miss C play in Honors Band today.  A brief but lively concert!  Hope you are having a great day.  It has cooled down here.  Maybe frost tonight!  Yikes!  Talk to you later.

Going Around the World at Phipps!

The World as a Topiary at the Phipps Entrance

The United Nations of Flags

The Welcoming Image in the Palm Court

French Polynesian flare in the Serpentine Room

The Ferns were thriving in the heat

And So were the orchids!

The Crotons were even in bloom!

Homage to Holland and the Fragrance Was Amazing!

The Tropical Rain Forest Highlights India

Lots of Interactive Displays for Learning

Of course I had to find an herbal arrangement of rosemary, celery and lemon thyme!

The Tranquil Japanese Garden

Chihuly in the Desert Room

Lots more to see at the Spring Flower Show at Phipps through April 15, 2012.  The flowers were being changed out in the entrance exhibits because of all of the warm weather we've been having!  We also went over to another treasure that I have talked about before, The Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation.  They have an exhibit called Pennsylvania Native, A Wildflower Walk through June 29, 2012 in cooperation with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.  It is a very interesting display of both wildflower drawings and the process of making an herbarium.  Need to go see the Herbarium at the Carnegie some day.  Well, the rain has arrived.  It is a bit cooler, but it will cool down even more tomorrow.  Hope you are having a great day.  I have a few things to "clean up" before The Herbal Husband gets home.  Talk to you later.

Don't Want You to Miss What's Going on in the Neighborhood!

I took my walk in two parts today, half of it was early and then the other half around lunchtime.  I wanted to take photos of the trees blooming in the neighborhood that The Herbal Husband might not see when he gets back on Wednesday.  The magnolias and weeping cherries are just fabulous this year.  The last photo is of a electrical transformer that a woodpecker is using to (I think) try and drum up a mate!  An original.  Got so much work out in the garden that I thought I would come in and blog for you!  Rain overnight and through the weekend and cooler temperatures.  Sorry don't like 70's and 80's in March.  This is unpredictable like March can be but I like my cool weather until it's time for warm and hot!  I'll see you again.  You know where I'm going.  Out to the garden.  Talk to you later.

Attention Seattleites! Two class opportunities in April

This April I will be teaching two different courses at Dandelion Botanical Company in Seattle, WA. I hope to see some of you there!

Holistic Perspectives on the Immune System

Friday, April 20th from 6:30 - 8:30

Do you have frequent colds or the flu? Seasonal allergies? Autoimmunity concerns? In this class we’ll begin by learning basic anatomy and physiology of the immune system and then move on to learning how to address particular pathologies. We’ll cover a wide range of herbal materia medica and other holistic approaches. Class tuition includes extensive digital handouts. 

This class costs $30. You must register in advance by visiting this link. 

Professional Herbalist Certificate Course
April 21st and 22nd


I am honored and thrilled to announce that I will be teaching for Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa's school, the Integrative Education Institute in Seattle, WA. 


This is a multi-year program for those wanting to become clinical herbalists. The first year is divided into three modules and you can take each module in whatever order that is convenient for you. 


April 21st will start the beginning of module three and enrollment is open to everyone (even if you have not taken the earlier modules). 


You can learn more about the program here. 




If you are in the Seattle area and would like to be notified of future classes, please sign up on the newsletter form below. 


This list will only receive occasional emails about future classes. 

Holy Cow or I Mean Holy . . .!

A Wild Turkey!

His Family!

TURKEYS!  I was waiting for my ride today and looked across the street in my neighbor's front yard!  We have a lot of wildlife but I think this is the first time we have had turkeys!  It is a beautiful day in the 'Burgh and I'll share my adventures at Phipps tomorrow.  Hope you are having a great day.  Talk to you later.

Something for Everyone in the Catalog Category!

The Herbarium from Massachusetts and Horizon Herbs in Oregon

Botanical Interests Seed Catalog

The Antique Rose Emporium-Don't Forget Roses are the Herb of the Year 2012

Goodwin Creek Gardens in Oregon

White Flower Farm in Connecticut

The seed catalogs have started to wind down.  That means the the plant catalogs have started up.  The top photo are catalogs from The Herbarium in western Massachusetts and Horizon Herbs in far away Oregon.  Both very good medicinal herb sources.  Probably one of my last seed catalogs of the season from Botanical Interests  in Colorado.  A very good source of roses, 2012 herb of the year, for you southern folks from the Antique Rose Emporium out of Texas.  Goodwin Creek Gardens from Oregon has a great herb plant and seed selection and other plant choices as well.  And last but not least, I got White Flower Farm from Connecticut.  I ordered The Works (100 daffodil bulbs) many years ago and they are still producing beautiful flowers.   The weather continues to be summer like, but we are supposed to cool down over the weekend!  Thank goodness.  I would have had to take the cover off the ac if it hadn't!  Continue to work in the garden.  Tried to make a dent in cutting down the front!  I need a machete!  Hopefully I will be able to get that done by next week when you know who gets back from Peru!  I'm going to the Phipps flower show and the Hunt Institute tomorrow.  Will share some photos.  Hope you have had a great day.  Talk to you later.

Some Views of Spring Before Spring Comes!

'Tete a tete' daffodils

Part of "The Works" from White Flower Farm

A White Rugosa Rose leafing out!

A 'Dublin Bay' Rose leafing out!

A Primula of Some Kind!

Pieris japonica in full bloom

Daffodils Coming in Bloom This Morning!

Some views of the garden before the 80 degree days come.  That really will take a toll on the daffodils.  Getting very green after the nice and warm St. Patrick's Day we had!  It is just silly and ridiculous and I hope this doesn't lead to an overly hot or cool summer!  Well, I'll enjoy it while it is here.  Thanks for all of the thoughts on the cat issue.  Hope you are having a great day.  Talk to you later.

Just for the record...early spring

I took a moment out from work on the May/June issue of The Essential Herbal magazine yesterday, specifically to record what is going on outside.
Mid-March looks suspiciously like late April. Above, you'll see that our Rosemary didn't just survive this year, it is preparing to bloom. Echinacea is coming up. We are way past worrying about a frost - if it happens, there's nothing we can do to save the peaches, apples, blueberries, and cherries that are starting to bloom already. Gooseberries had tiny buds on Saturday that burst into leaves yesterday. Many years, we are still under snow at this point, however we've already had a month of warm weather. Elderberry is busting out all over. The furnace hasn't run in weeks, and the windows have been open daily. Comfrey is starting to grow through the debris from last autumn.
The "lawn" is full of speedwell, purple dead nettle, and shepherd's purse. It will need a good mow, which usually happens for the first time each year in late April or early May.
The easiest way for me to put a time-table on this is to remember that as a child looking for blossoms for May Day bouquets, there might be a few violets, perhaps some dogwood, and dandelions. This year, I can only imagine what will be blooming by May. We have a full week of 70's forecasted ahead. Could it possibly be that our last frost was in February?