a violet waiting to bloom. violet flowers are edible and nutritious, and the fresh leaves can be made into an infusion for colds and sore throats.
we're all moved in, and getting into a routine with our sweet (and often ornery) little puppy franny. we've got netflix 'watch instantly' hooked up to our big tv for relaxing after work, and the local utilities have flagged our yard so we know which parts of the garden will need to be path. the seedlings are straining out of their pots toward the sun, just waiting to be planted, and there's a long, low pile of native stone just waiting to be shaped into garden bed borders.
beautiful blooming dandelion. also edible. the leaves and root can be tinctured for all sorts of things.
while all that's been going on, i've visited ____ farms, cleaned up our leasehold, gotten our land deposit back, spent quality time with friends, started training at a new job, written up a spring newsletter to mail out to snail-mail friends, and gotten free prints through snapfish, which i'll use to fancy up aforementioned newsletter. i've also made half a dozen new books, and will soon be making books with covers that feature prints of my photographs, which i'm really excited about. i think they'll make great garden journals.
sweet franny-pup. she's a snuggler, but unfortunately emits the most offensive farts i have ever smelled.
i've been taking baby steps toward sustainability, getting back on track using my flannel wipes more often (i had gotten lazy during the move and went for about two weeks on normal toilet paper) and exploring new shampoo options. i have been shampooing with dr. bronner's for about two years or more, but my hair was often flaky and for some reason was especially fluffy the day after washing, which i think looks pretty silly when it's this short. so, after reading up time and again over at one green generation, i decided to try the baking soda route. you're supposed to rinse with vinegar, but i was apprehensive about that because of the smell, and thought i'd wait until i had some herbs to harvest when i could make an herb-infused vinegar for the rinse.
violet and dandelion, spring-flowering medicinal and wild herbs that have made friends in my yard
well, the baking soda wash worked well and left my hair less flaky right away. i used that a handful of times in the past several weeks, and just two days ago i caved and used normal white vinegar (you're supposed to use organic white or apple cider) as the rinse, and Oh My Gosh... it felt so good! my hair never felt so silky without using nasty and mysterious chemicals. it was wonderful. and there's no flakiness to speak of, And no second-day-fluffiness. i am thrilled, and totally sold on the concept. you should give it a try! it's pretty fun, to boot.
beautiful orange and yellow tulips blossoming in our front yard
anyway, enough talk. here are some luscious photos for you to enjoy, of our first two weeks in the new house. more to come of my trip to missouri (though it was less colorful there when i went, so don't expect much!).
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