The heat! The heat!

One thing about it, summer on the farm spells busy. So much for blogging every day in May, instead I’ve got cattle on pasture, fence to maintain, hay to cut and rake and bale, calves needing broke to tie and lead, baby poultry to attend every few hours, cows to milk (perhaps two farms, we’ll see), lawn, garden, and that’s just to maintain on top of the house and groceries and book reviews due. No wonder I’m exhausted. Not to mention the bug or whatever I picked up on our California trip that left me exhausted and …erm …very in love with my bathroom last week. By Saturday, after ten days on, five days in California, and another ten days on, J said I was delirious with exhaustion. I don’t remember, honestly. I couldn’t quite connect who he was or why I was at his house or what exactly my name happened to be. Could have been the nausea, could have been the dizzy spells, who knows. At least this week seems a little less daunting now that I don’t keel over into the counter every few minutes because my eyes are crossing.

Okay, enough whining about me. Gonna whine about herbs. Our luck getting plants to start this year has been nil. We have a few, but they look pretty spindly and weak. Maybe I should stick to writing and recipes. I found one last week that I never posted for lavender.

Lavender is among the prettiest and is the closest thing to flowers that I grow. The reason I don’t grow flowers? Two reasons actually. One, I can kill them with a dirty look, and two, unless they have some purpose, like soothing headaches or being tasty additions to Italian food, I don’t see much point in making the effort. Useful things, to me, are more beautiful than ornamental ones.

So lavender is a shrub. It grows better further south than zone 5, which is where we are, and needs tender care to survive here. It grows better along the Pacific Coast and in the South. Lavender prefers a “dry, light, limy, friable soil and full sunlight.” It can also be grown inside, but prefers the outdoors far better. For a tea to sooth exhaustion and tension, pour a cup of boiling water (always the boiling water) over a teaspoon of dried lavender flowers. Cover and steep fifteen minutes, strain, and sweeten. My herb book recommends it for use after work. I like a cold Sam Adams, but that’s just me. :)

Hope everyone is enjoying the warm weather (as I gag from heat stroke) and have a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend if I don’t get back around to posting before that. I plan on spending a goodly portion of it in the milking parlor and sleeping.