They don’t make webs, but instead hunt for insects on the ground or on flowers – though usually on white or yellow flowers.

There are a lot of spit bugs in the lavender this year, which may have been it’s disguise in this case. The day after we found the spider, we were reading that bees were among the bugs they especially attack (if only they ate spit bugs), so Steve went out to see if it was still there (the lavender patch is a huge bee magnet).

To our amazement (and maybe a bit of chagrin), he found it sucking the life out of a bumblebee! Poor little bumble. Definitely interesting to witness though.

(Any of the photos can be clicked to view larger.)

The first foxgloves of the season are starting to bloom. They are deadly poison if ingested,  but one of the prettiest wildflowers I can think of. I saved tons of seed last year but then missed my window to sow them in time for blooms this year. They are pretty proficient at reseeding on their own though, and we have some hardy stands of them that seem to get a little bigger each year. Foxglove stands out as such a symbol of summer to me.

There is a whole lot of lounging and ruminating happening around here these days. The bucks seem wily and restless, and the does are very restful. Babies should be born any day now!

Planting and smelling as many flowers as we can. Sewing for the arrival of a new little one in my family. Working hard, playing too. Soaking up these long, sunny days.

This time of year my hands are especially prone to becoming rough and dry – constantly in the dirt planting, weeding and digging. I rub them daily with lotion, to restore lost moisture and smooth any roughness (this and this have been my all time favorites for years).

Last week I finally decided to try my hand at making my own lotion with herbs we grow here in our gardens… Let’s just say, it is a little bit ridiculous how excited I am at the outcome. I don’t know why, but I didn’t think I would achieve such an amazing final product. It’s pretty much everything I could hope for in a nourishing cream – save for a super minor tweak here and there. I’m psyched. Totally!

I did some research to get a sense of the process. I started with, “A Complete Book of Herbs – A practical guide to growing and using herbs,” by Lesley Bremness. I also found a few online resources. I knew I wanted to use lavender – possibly my favorite floral herb,  and we have an abundance of the notoriously skin-supportive calendula blooming right now. I have also been learning about the healing properties of elder flowers, which are blooming right now, so they felt like a natural addition as well.

With a general feel for the ratio differences between salves and lotions, a sense for what I wanted as my outcome, the help of this site for the process and quantities,  and then with what I had on hand, my recipe ended up something like this:

Approximately 1/2 cup of a mixture of calendula flower petals, elderflower and dried lavender

then fill to 3/4 cup with olive oil

.4 ounce beeswax

1/2 ounce witch hazel

3 1/2 ounces calendula infused water

15 drops lavender essential oil

(ounces are by weight)

A little bit about the herbs I chose:

Calendula – Reduces inflammation and soothes the skin. It is a wonderful herb for the general care of skin irritations of all kinds. “Calendula has been used for centuries to heal wounds and skin irritations. Calendula has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, astringent, antifungal, antiviral, and immunostimulant properties making it useful for disinfecting and treating minor wounds, conjunctivitis, cuts, scrapes, chapped or chafed  skin, bruises, burns, athlete’s foot, acne, yeast infections, bee stings, diaper rashes, and other minor irritations and infections of the skin.” (mountain rose herbs – http://mountainroseblog.com/healing-calendula/).

Elderflower – Soothes dry skin and has anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. It is a supportive tonic for all skin types, particularly mature skin. Reputed to soften skin and smooth wrinkles, fade freckles and soothe sunburn.

Lavender – Has antiseptic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, soothing and stimulating. A healing and gentle cleanser and tonic for all skin types. Aroma-therapeutic as well, acting as an uplifting nerve tonic.

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I measured a generous 1/2 cup of calendula petals, dried lavender flowers and elder flowers (separated from the stems), and then covered this combination with organic olive oil until I had a total quantity of about 3/4 cup.

I poured the mixture into a double boiler, covered it, and slowly warmed it, letting it set at a very low heat for about 3 hours.

I weighed out nearly 1/2 ounce of beeswax

and made an infusion of calendula petals and purified water.

When the oil and herbs were steeped to my satisfaction, I strained them into a jar,

squeezing any excess oil out with clean hands.

The oil infusion was then placed back in a warm pot of water and gently heated with the beeswax, until the beeswax was fully incorporated.

Once incorporated, I set the jar on the counter to cool to room temperature, blending periodically with an immersion blender. Then I measured out my witch hazel, calendula infusion and essential oil.

All the ingredients were gradually blended until I reached my desired consistency.

The final step of blending was the most exciting, as the whole mixture gradually transformed into something beautiful and creamy.

The cream is smooth and silky, and not too heavy or oily – particularly when applied to freshly washed skin. Steven is appreciating it as well, for dry elbows and knees, and areas that have been exposed to a lot of sun recently.

Next time I will try different, more deliberately chosen oils, and will explore some other herbs with properties specific to my skin and it’s particular needs at the time. My skin is loving this combination though, and my hands haven’t felt so soft in quite some time!

Red elder trees are blooming everywhere right now. They are all along the roadsides out here near the lakes on the edge of the woods, and there are a couple growing right in our yard. Until recently, when I was reinspired by a photo of elderflowers intended for cordial, by a fellow instagrammer halley roberts, I had pretty much ruled them out as a useful plant, knowing that the leaves and fruit contain toxic “cyanoglycoside sambunigrin” (with further research, the fruit turns out to actually be edible if prepared correctly (cooked, de-seeded), and is used by some to make jam). I did some further research and learned that the flowers of red elder are safe and gentle for internal and external use, and can make a beautiful, healing addition to the medicine cabinet. The flowers of the elder tree – both red and black – are the most mellow part of the plant.

Please do your research, and always double triple quadruple check when identifying a plant that is new to you, if you plan to consume it or apply it to your skin.

I harvested a few elderflowers from each tree in our yard, and a few from a few different trees off a roadside nearby. It’s getting late for collection and I think I just made it. Many flower clusters are now transitioning toward the fruiting stage.

I made a tincture with some of the flowers, and used the rest for another project I will share soon. For the tincture, I separated the flowers from the stems, loosely chopped them, and filled a jelly jar (about 7 ounces) with them. I covered the herb with 3 parts Everclear to 1 part water. I labeled my jar, and tucked it into a dark cabinet and will shake it each day. It should be ready for use in 4-6 weeks.

[I would have been more selective in my alcohol choice, but Everclear is what we had on hand. As a little aside, Everclear makes an excellent disinfectant. We fill small spritz bottles with it, and take it with us when we are out and about to keep our hands clean.]

Elderflower has diaphoretic, diuretic, anti-inflammatory and expectorant properties. The flowers have long been used to treat many kinds of inflammatory and congestive conditions of the respiratory tract, and has been traditionally used to treat flu, colds, mucus, sinusitis, feverish illnesses and other upper respiratory tract problems, as well as hay fever.  Externally, elderflower soothes irritable, itchy skin.

I will try to report back in a month or so, when it’s time to strain and bottle our tincture.

Do you make your own medicinals? If so, what are some of your most used medicinal herbs?

[a few references:

Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis A. Balch

http://www.sacredearth.com/ethnobotany/plantprofiles/elder.php

http://www.ageless.co.za/herb-elder-flower.htm ]

Sometimes you enter my view unexpectedly, and I catch myself saying aloud, “he is so damn cute.”

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tiny letters, to my love ♥

This week we brought home 10 asparagus crowns, purchased on an impulse at our local nursery. You can read about our whirlwind project over at Tend today. We are feeling happy to have this bed made and planted. It feels like we just made a big, exciting investment, though it cost almost nothing and will provide food for many years. If our plants are healthy and happy, the asparagus patch could be a longer term resident of our home than we are!

Hi there. I have been a bit absent here! I think I could blog everyday with a little something about the garden, but I am trying not to completely flood the blog with garden talk :) Life has become relative to being outside these days, and anything that isn’t outside seems to get a wee bit neglected. This spring has been pretty incredible. It’s been gentle and soft and just plain lovely, and I am feeling so grateful for it, spending as much time in it as possible.

I have been carving out time to work on a collection of new works for the shop as well. It’s been super fun, though relatively slow, with lots of stops and starts. I’ve been trying to just have fun with it, without pushing too much; going at it a little differently than I might have in the past. I’ve been a little bit discouraged lately with all the sameness out there. It can seem like a thousand reproductions of the same few bags are coming out of the woodwork, and it’s getting a little bit strange and a little bit frustrating – particularly when you see some of your own work, and the work of your cohorts, in some of those reproductions. That’s a topic for another time though, and that aside, I guess I’m glad for the nudge toward making some changes. One of my favorite things about working for myself, is the freedom to explore.

This week we’ve been watching the swallows come and go from the boxes we put out for them last year. So far it seems like we have more of them this year. They are great for keeping the bugs down and it’s impressive to see their acrobatic, aerial maneuvers as they snatch bugs from the air. A very pregnant doe laid in the yard for a few hours last week. She looked so relaxed and restful, with another deer close by to keep an eye out. It’s getting close to the time where there will be baby deer bouncing around again. Ah! and right this minute I see an osprey flying over, with a big branch in it’s grasp. They are building their nest across the cove, in the same tree they do every year.  So much activity right now!

How’s your spring looking? What gets you excited during this time of year?

It’s been quite a time with this little critter. It has broken into our house more than once (once through a tiny hole related to the ducting coming into the house (which has since been sealed) and once right through the front door), chewed the insulation under the hood of the car up, has been burying what appears to be bird seed in every potted plant it can find, and is sneaking into the garage every chance it gets. This is just to name a few of it’s shenanigans!

Steven found some organic cotton and wool stuffing samples we’ve had laying around, and thought that maybe if he put it out for the squirrel to find, it would lay off a little. A crow took one tuft, another disappeared while we weren’t looking, and this one sat in that planter pot for at least a week, untouched. We had an incredible rainbow appear recently, and I hopped on downstairs to grab the camera, and who should I see right outside the glass… What timing!

That wad of stuffing was at least the size of a baseball. I watched in awe as it stuffed and stuffed (with it’s little partner in crime nearby). The material somehow disappeared into the squirrel and finally, with a big bit of fluff hanging out of it’s mouth, as you see, it trotted off. Amazingly enough, we haven’t seen much of it since, so maybe it finally acquired enough for that nest it’s been building! Now we just can’t help but wonder where that nest might be…

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You can find me at tend today, sharing what I’ve learned about deer resistant gardening. And any of you with deer and gardens – I’d love your 2 cents!

I hope your week’s off to a great start. xo