Ode to my Garden

Prayer in a Garden

Today the world seemed cruel, but evening hours

Were filled with perfume from forgotten flowers.

I saw again familiar filigree

Of moonlight through my lacy Lilac tree;

I heard the robins stirring in their nest;

And saw the path that fairy feet had pressed;

Reflected stars were in my garden pool;

On my warm face the breeze was kind and cool.

The silence seemed to speak, my head was bowed,

Then ramblers that had grown into a cloud

Lifted my eyes that, tear-washed, now could see

The beauty that today was lost to me.

Dear god, who is so near to flowers, and birds,

Be nearer still, as I shall search for words

To thank Thee for the blessings night revealed,

Which through the day discouragement concealed.

-Eva Sparks Taylor

I find it sad that I am so ridiculously excited about watching the very natural, very common process of growing vegetables. There is a gaping void between the average person and their food and if I am going to be completely candid I will admit that I wasn't positive that those little seeds I put in the ground would ever be more then what they appeared. Now I have sunflowers that are taller then me, baby cucumber, watermelon scattered across my yard, tons of green tomatoes, and zucchini that are ready to pick and eat. I'm so excited that my black thumb has been overcome and I now get to enjoy the literal fruits of my labor.

Dedicated to Kimberly. I now understand your gardening joy :D

Might I suggest... Lavender?

I know this is sad but I must admit that this post is yet another to be inspired by Gods little crawling creatures. In case you missed my previous bug post here is the link. Please annihilate responsibly.

Any way back to the post at hand. After moving into my beautiful new home I began to discover a rather large assortment of bug killers that had been left behind in a few of the cabinets. I then hurriedly referred to my bug blog for guidance and my eye instantly fell on the lavender section. I had recently been gifted a box of essential oils which contained lavender oil and I had already reaped the benefits of this remarkable little plant in other areas (wounds, bug bites, and stress relief). After a little research I became sold on the idea of creating a all purpose cleaner to drench my house in. Lavender is also a natural, non toxic antiseptic which is perfect for a home with a highly active little girl who plays "tea party" with any cup like object she can find.

After a little research I hit the kitchen and this is what I came up with. The measurement are not exact so feel free to tweak where you see fit.

1/4 cup baking soda

2 cups boiling water

1 1/2 cup vinegar

10-15 drops of Lavender oil

In a bowl combine the baking soda and hot water. Stir or whisk until the baking soda is dissolved. The baking soda should dissolve but if there is any left undissolved in the bottom its okay. Then very carefully and very slowly add the vinegar. If you remember, in your grade school science experiment, baking soda and vinegar when combined create a fascinating affect often used to simulate volcanic activity. So please be patient and and combine with care. When the mixture is cooled pour it into a large spray bottle and then add the lavender oil. Be sure to add the oil only after you have poured the mixture in the spray bottle. That way no precious oil is left behind in the mixing bowl. This can also all be done by combine everything in the spray bottle its self but I've found that it is sometimes hard to get all the baking soda dissolved this way.

And that's it! I seem to think this cleaner works very well but I admit I am not an authority on house hold cleaners. So please ladies give this a try and let me know your results. I suppose if nothing else your house will smell absolutely lovely and your family will be wonderfully calm. ;D

P.S. I found a very inexpensive lavender oil at Meijer and right now its on sale!

P.P.S Oh and by the way I have had zero bug problems. Whether it is due to my nifty spray or simply my initial overreaction I have yet to discover.:D