Snow - Lavender Loves It, Diane Hates It.

My sister-in-law, Diane, had just emailed me that she is sick and tired of the miserable snow & cold in Michigan. Now I hear that a huge snowstorm is heading her way. ISo I'm sure she is grinding their teeth to hear me say ithat I'm happy to see it snowing here right now. I love it.  Easy for me to say because we only get a little bit.  Most people picture Colorado winters full of snow and cold.  True, except for some places on the Western Slope like Grand Junction.  We have a desert-like climate and terrain which means little moisture, although we do get cold.  So when it rains or snows here, there isn't much complaining to be heard.  GJ isits in a valley so it seems to get even less moisture than the towns around it.  Because of the dry climate, the lavender, particularly those planted in the fall, need some moisture.  It's recommended that we water once every 4 to 6 weeks if there is no rain or snow. On Saturday it was 50 ish degrees and sunny so Con and I watered the plants around our yard. 


The reason I'm glad to see some snow today is that it will save me a trip to Angie's yard (where 35 lavender plants live). Since her hose is unhooked for the winter, I would have to water by way of the old-fashioned bucket method.  (Let's hear it ... aaaaawwwww). The snow will save me the trip, yaaaaa!  Oops, just looked out the window and the snowing has stopped. Well, that was short and sweet.  Hopefully it will start again.  I think GJ is a training center for apprentice weather forecasters because their accuracy rate is about 20%.  Those that get good, go on to some major city.  The others stay here for a long, long time. 

I am sorry that Diane and the family are getting such awful weather, but they are welcome to come and visit me anytime they want -- the extra bedroom is always ready. 

L.A.W.C. Meeting was Fun and Informative.



Con Litz     Curtis Swift



       It was great to have a full house at the general membership meeting on Saturday morning. Several people were there for the first time, some from as far away as Crawford.  I was very happy to see a new friend, Doris, whom I met at my December Lavender Salon at Yvonne's house in Delta. She was interested in growing lavender so I invited her to a LAWC meeting. She brought her neighbor, Linda,  who is already growing crops other than lavender. It's nice that they'll be able to work together. I recommended a book to Doris,  "Wildwater Walking Club" by Claire Cook. It's a fun story of 3 neighbors (one grows and sells lavender) who started daily walks and talks --as women tend to do.  

          One of the best things about newcomers is their questions and comments. We all learn something new in the discussions.  There is a variety of growers in the group -- from small residential growers (like me) to growers with a couple of thousand lavender plants as well as vineyards and others crops.  So we have a great deal of knowledge to share.

Curt Swift, CSU area extension agent, is matching people who want to grow lavender with people who would like to see their vacant land put to good use. We are so fortunate to have him here because he is so willing to help growers by sharing his vast knowledge and expertise. You can't help but learn something every time he speaks. (Check out  
swiftsgardeningblog.blogspot.com/  )
      We were informed of USDA grants but the guidelines are pretty restrictive.  Request have been made to adjust the guidelines to allow more people access to the funds.  There was a great "show and tell" by Howdy Martsoff who brought his newly created lavender distiller. He explained how he made it and how it works -- very impressive. He is selling them for $2999 and is refining a separation apparatus that he'll price once it's ready for market.
       Of course, we are excited about the upcoming July festival in Palisade and seeking sponsors at all levels and seeking vendors. More info at  http://www.coloradolavender.org/.                                  1/24/11
 

PaulaBockman, VP    Kathy Kimbraugh, President

You in the red shirt- pay attention!



Paula Milsapps and Judy Millsap-LAWCSecretary

    End of meeting photos                             

The Gnome in the Printer

He's back!  That nasty little guy that lives in my computer snuck over to my printer 2 days ago and has had a great time driving me nuts.   It's happened before. But each time I have a problem with the printer it's a different issue.  In fact I don't think the printer knows what's going on because it will give me several different error message in the course of a day. 

You'd think I'd know by now, but I couldn't help myself --- I click on "help."  Silly girl.  I have never, never, never,never,never got any help from "help."  Why do I think it would be different now.  The definition of insane, according to some who know, is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.  That would be me!

Between Con and I we spent 2 days trying everything we could think of to appease the printer gods.  New ink cartridge, old ink cartridge, align, realign, test, unplug, replug, internet help, printer off, printer on, computer off, computer on, swear, curse, eat a bag of cookies, threaten to buy a new one, and on and on.

Well, guess what.  This morning I turned on the computer and the printer started, grrr!  That's the good news. The bad news is that during the 2 days of screwing around trying to fix it, we had tried to print at least 20 times, none of which worked.  Forgetting to clear the print queue, I now have 20 copies, "high quality print" no less, of wastepaper.  I was so surprised that it started printing that I sat staring at it for while. I dismissed the idea of trying to cancel the print jobs because I didn't dare wake up the nasty gnome who obviously is now done with my printer and has moved elsewhere in my computer.  It's only a matter of time before he shows up again.  In the meantime, I've got some printing to do, quickly.

But first, I'm taking 5 minutes with my lavender eye pillow. Lavender aroma summons relaxation and a sense of well-being, which I really need right now.  I've probably described it before, but olfactory nerves are activated by the aroma which gives me a physical reaction of pleasure and muscle relaxation. Just inhaling the fragrance provides a moment of pleasure anytime, anywhere. It may be hard to control air and noise pollution (and the gnome in the computer), but with my handy lavender sachet nearby, I can control the aroma that surrounds me.                                                                                 1/19/11

The Clock is Ticking ...

Rosemary, Diana, Sam, Barb, Paula

It is getting so exciting as each day draws us closer to the 1st Annual Colorado Lavender Festival --- July 16 and 17, 2011. 

As you can see the Vendor Committee members have had their morning coffees and are ready to finalize the vendor application form.                      It is now posted on the LAWC website.   So anyone who is interested in having a food or craft booth on Saturday the 16th must have the application to the committee by March 15th.   http://www.coloradolavender.org/.

The farm tours will take place the next day, Sunday, the 17th. A special treat for the vendors is that they can  change their "vendor" hat for their "festival-goer" hat and join the bus tour of the beautiful lavender farms in the area.  Vendors usually can't enjoy the festival in full because they are busy selling their wares and then closing up on the final day.  But this time they'll be able to actually enjoy the second day of the Festival if they like. I am really looking forward to the Sunday farm tour. Not only will I see that most beautiful of sights -- lavender growing in the fields -- but also will have time to leisurely chat with other vendors.  That will be nice. 

The Vendor Committee is only one of many committees that are doing their part to make this Festival a memorable event.  It takes so many committed individuals (no wait - that happens after the event) ... dedicated people to put on a superb event of this size and scope.  I'm so happy to be a part of the Lavender Association because I am working along side some extremely talented and experienced people including those at the CSU Extension Office. 

Be sure to put the dates on your calender.  And visit the website at http://www.coloradolavender.org/. Don't forget to check out Curt Swift's blog at  http://swiftsgardeningblog.blogspot.com/ because it is full of useful articles about the wonderful world of gardening.  It's just about this time of year  -- when the temps are freezing, the snow is piling up and the trees are bare  -- that you can life your spirits by taking a few minutes to think about your gardening plans for the upcoming spring.                                                                1/16/11



Icicles and Panna Cotta

It's been cold here.  This icicle has been here for a week.  The day after I took this photo, it disappeared. I suspect the mailman didn't want to be impaled so took matters into his own hands. 
It's been below zero at night and I just hope the lavender plants are all snug in their beds.  Won't know until spring/summer so no point worrying about it now. At least they do get lots of sunshine even though it's cold.  One thing I love about this kind of cold is that it means fewer bugs next summer.  I know, I know ... some bugs are "good" bugs .... but those of you who know me know that the only good bug is a DEAD bug. 

I must confess I tried to make lavender panna cotta and it was .... awful!  I knew when I was making it that it wasn't going to turn out, but I still believe that miracles sometimes happen in the kitchen, so I kept at it.  Several clues that I should have heeded: 1.  Had no cream in the house - only skim milk - and it was too cold to run down to the store just for cream (whiny).  2.  I used some evap milk thinking it would be thicker than skim milk and maybe work.  When it came out of the can in clumps, I should have paid attention rather than just whisk them away. Later I looked at the date on the can and it was Nov 2009 - duh!  3.  Despite the fact that every cook who uses culinary lavender cautions to "use sparingly,"  I couldn't help but put in the measured amount of 1 tsp and then just a dash or two more.  The dash was overwhelming.

After pouring into ramekins and chilling for 4 hours, I had created a thin, milky, lumpy, bitter, geletanous mass.  Even Con wouldn't eat it and he loves just about everything I fix. So I'll have to try again.
As the old proverb goes ... no miracles for the lazy.  (Actually I just made that up).    1/10/11

Do Freezing Temperatures hurt Lavender?

Brrrr! Here in Grand Junction, we've had some unusually cold weather this week.  Below freezing for days at a time doesn't happen too often.  Fortunately, we've had some snow on the ground before the temp dropped to 9 below so the plants have some insulation keeping the roots as warm as possible. I didn't add more mulch this fall because last year I added some rock and sand as mulch.  But last winter we didn't have the cold.  The older plants should do fine.  But it will be interesting to see how the newer ones fare.  Remember I planted 16 Royal Velvet's in the fall and although they grew nicely and look secure in their setting, I'm anxious to see if they make it through this cold.  The plants at Angie's house should be ok because I added a couple of bags of gravel to the planters in October or November.  The snow cover will melt and provide moisture this month, so I won't need to water them until next month depending upon the snowfall - if any.

My plants are all in the ground and in permanent planters -- not in pots.  Anyone who grows in pots should have had them covered or in the garage last month. 

I was going to call my friend, Ellen, in Longmont today and wish her a HNY but remember that the last time I talked with her she reminded me that she is still waiting for the lavender panne cotta recipe that I promised.  So I'm postponing the call and will make the dessert tomorrow so I can report to her ---- and to you all!