ABOUT LAVENDER: 2014

Happy Birthday, Nancy

Have a wonderful birthday, Nanc. If I'm wrong about the date, just chalk it up to age. If I'm right about the date, chalk it up to age. If the latter, it's kind of scary because it means I have great long term memory which emphasizes the sad state of my short-term. Not only that ... I remember your phone number and street address - yikes! It's fun to think back to the beginnings of our friendship.

Here I go (reminiscing time)................
I spending lots of time at your house growing up:
Having to lift my feet as we sat talking in the kitchen because your mom was washing the floor ... at midnight! Walking in and seeing your dad sitting in the dining room watching TV. The cottage in Belleville and playing rummy with your dad. Dropping the sledge hammer on my baby toe as I was messing around in the garage. Meeting halfway between your house and mine. Running all the way to your house to see Elvis on Ed Sullivan because our TV broke (talk about a crisis)! David M. and I sitting on your sofa freezing because we had just come in from walking all over Allen Park in freezing weather. I think I remember that because I have a photo of it somewhere. And a million other great memories of you. Your friendship made my life wonderful.

Speaking of photos, I finally developed some of my mother's 35mm slides that I found stuffed in a drawer. They were too old to be able to see what was on them, so I got them turned into prints at WalMart. (They told me they don't do it any longer--I was the last customer. I think I should have gotten a Wally World award or something ... but she just looked at me like I was some alien). Again, I digress.

So, in addition to a couple of pics of my dad and and aunt & uncle in Chatham, Ontario, and one that I think is my grandfather and his wife, the rest are of, guess who, yep, ME. 1959, boy did I have a lot of hair ... the main thing I miss from my teenage years. And David (painting the peak and front windows on the house... even that didn't earn any credits with Ma. Also one of Noreen, John, Pat Sheehan, Stasch Bogucki, Diane Benedict and her boyfriend. Talk about a blast from the past.

10/17/14

Last Camping Trip & Last of the Lavender for 2014

Angie and I did a quick weekend getaway with her little Scamp trailer to Gateway Canyon on the Dolores River. We had it all to ourselves and the weather was perfect. The area has beautiful canyon scenery and at night the stars are magnificent. The bonfire was wonderful.

Then back home to reality. Cleaning the last of this year's lavender. And tomorrow morning I'm off to my friend, Roberta's, house to help cut the last of the lavender in her labyrinth.

Last week I had made some Lavender/Buckwheat Hull Pillows for a customer from Denver. He had purchased on from me at the July Lavender Festival and liked it. Since he was coming to Grand Junction to pick up a new camper, he wanted to get some more pillows for it and some for gifts. He picked out these 4. He and his wife love the fragrance and the fact that they can just pull off the covers and wash them.

The cool nights here are making all of the flowers vibrant and bright ... or maybe it just seems that way because they know summer is coming to an end. I guess Denver and Boulder got some light snow and we had a few cool and rainy days, but right now it is gorgeous. (I did post on my Facebook page a picture of my sox ... first time I had to put them on all summer). Here is a pic of some of the flower pots that Con plants each year in the backyard. 9/15/14

Not sure what this flower is. Do you know?

... BUT THEY WERE SUCH NORMAL CHILDREN ...

Would you let me know if you receive this ... either respond here or at rosemarylitz@yahoo.com or both. Want to make sure my email addresses are correct. Thanks. 8/26/14

Doesn't everyone ride with a vacuum cleaner on their back?

You never know when you may need a set of .... Antlers

Who Are These People ???
Maybe hospital mixed up babies at birth ... twice .... 5 years apart!

Angie and I at a local car show on 8 11 14

I guess this is called a "selfie." A little narcissism never hurt anyone, did it? Not that I think of it, that Greek guy did melt by getting too close to the sun ... or is that a different god. There are so many it's hard to keep track ... but I digress. Ang & I went to a local car show and just wandered around and talked after a dinner of spinach salads at Noodles. I'm so happy she lives nearby ... and Alan too. He got home from North Dakota yesterday for 2 weeks and then back for 3. God is good to us. 8/13/14

New Backyard Plants this Summer

Hello hello to you, Lavendeers! I actually took photos last month but just got to posting them. So it is not just lavender ... but other new backyard plants this year. I pulled out all of the old shrubs and barberry bushes along the ledges in the back and put in new plants. The tall ones are fast growing (I forget the name) and they'll block the neighbor's yard. I added some more hostas toward the back. I really like them because they are unusual and so easy to grow. They come in many different colors and sizes and I have about 6 different types.

Astible is a very popular plant out here. They bloom in the spring and I didnt plant until early summer so there should be nice colorful flowers next spring. Lamium (light green) is another plant that I've never used, but it looks really nice and is starting to lean over the brick wall. Nice.

Coleus is usually an annual
so will just enjoy til fall.

Huerchera (coral bells)
These coral bells are in both yellow leaves and green leaves. Haven't seen them bloom yet but Angie says they are really pretty in bloom.
So many to different flowers to choose from ... but I'm always looking for xeric and color. What is your garden doing???????? Rosemary 8/13/14

Lavender Festival 2014 - A Great Success

Great time at the Lavender Festival July 12, 2014

This year's lavender festival was really nice. More people attended, many from out of town and out of state. People plan their vacations around the event now. The Lavender Assoc teamed up with the Palisade Chamber of Commerce this year and the publicity had a much broader reach than in previous years. My Lavender Cookies went over very well --- I just recently started making and selling them. I ran out of lavender filled dryer bags and sold a lot of eye pillows and lavender/buckwheat travel pillows. Con and Ang helped out, of course, and Alan came at closing time (4 pm) and helped pack up. The load was lighter when I left than when I arrived ... that is the point, eh? Everyone made some money ... that too is the point, eh?

Newsletter Nightmares - April New in May

This article was actually written in April but I couldn't get it into the blog until now. It was originally done in a really nice- looking newsletter format but was impossible to get into a blog. I'm not getting any smarter at this stuff ... but I'm not losing ground either ... obsession finds a way! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 5/5/14

D.A.R. Gift Basket

A chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) wanted something special for the Silent Auction table at their May meeting in Denver. I was contacted by a member here in GJ and so put together 2 big baskets of locally grown, locally crafted lavender products. One basket contained food products. The other contained body products; lotion, body cream, neck wrap, bar soaps, etc. Hope they will bring high bids for the D.A.R. event.

I have a friend who was able to trace her family back to the before the American Revolution. Her husband got interested & searched his family back to a valet to Henry, the Eighth.

A Caveat: They found that her ancestors were “peasants” while his were “near aristocracy.” It could upset the family’s balance of power.

******************

We had good April rain this year. That’s a good thing here in the west. And a good thing for lavender plants. Mid-June will show the results of the winter and spring moisture.

We Lavendeers are all ‘chomping at the bit’ to do something (anything) to the lavender. It’s so hard to wait for the weather to get just right. Until the danger of freezing is over, don’t trim the plants. The local advice is that our last frost in the Grand Valley is Mother’s Day. May seems so very far away. When the time comes, just lop off the top third of the plant. That will get it’s juices flowing. (Update: I couldn't wait any longer ... so yesterday (5/4/14) I lopped off the tops of the lavs).

Plants will look dry & may even look dead - do not pull them out. Often, the plant is just slow coming back to life. Wait, wait and wait some more until you are sure it needs to be pulled up.

Newest Product: Neck Rolls

Neck Rolls filled with Lavender & Organic Buckwheat Hulls. Tuck behind your neck for firm support. 5”x16” (5/5/14)

Lavender Nosegays

In the little town of Ridgeway, CO near Ouray/Telluride, Angie and I found a some great little antique shops. Now I don't know an antique from a piece of junk but it was fun wandering around looking at the many old items. One surprise was a box of old handkerchiefs ... from an era long gone. The arrival of Kleenex wiped out (haha) that age-old fashion accessory. I couldn't resist buying them because many were beautifully embroidered and trimmed in a variety of laces. After washing and ironing them, I wrapped them around little bundles of Betty's Blue lavender. Betty's Blue variety is a small/medium size plant with a very deep blue color.
A dozen of them are now sitting at the shop awaiting someone to buy for a Mother's Day gift. 5/5/14

Laundry Room Tricks

Well now, what have we here? Oh, it's a dryer sheet stuck to my pants. At least I found this one before I finished dressing. There have been a few times that I didn't know I had one hanging out of my shirttail or pant leg until Con spotted it. I find them stuck to towels and sheets and underwear. And I find them on the white tile floor of the laundry room.  Since the floor tile is white and the dryer sheet is white -- I don't always see them until I find myself skating across the floor grasping for the counter while swearing up a storm. They are a health hazard in more ways than one.

I shouldn't have them around at all. There are many benefits to the lavender-filled dryer bags that I make and I do use them most of the time. They are a popular sales item.  Some customers have been buying them from me since I started making them several years ago. They really like them, and I do too.

But I just don't fully wean myself from the sheets because I often don't have time (ok, don't take the time) to replenish my stock of lavender bags for home. And rather than stitch up a batch for myself, I reach for the convenient dryer sheets ... resulting in the "dryer sheet up the pant leg trick."      2 12 14

All About Lavender Open House Celebration

I found these pics in my "draft" file from last November 9th. I thought I had written about my open house but evidently I didn't click "publish." So there it sat. It was so much fun and lots of people turned out for it. As you know I have a retail shop (along with about 50 other shops) inside Shabby Chic boutiques in Grand Junction. They create & sell high-quality, mostly hand-made products ...some of them are outstandingly beautiful. Especially the quilts and fiber creations, and exquisite woodworking pieces. From locally raised alpaca hats, socks and rugs to to refurbished furniture to homemade taffy ... and everthing in between. It's fun to browse and shop because the good are unique. Each shop has it's own floor space to decorate as they see fit and it is amazing how creative some people are in a small space.

So I had a special open house because I had started carrying a line of lavender lotions and bath oils and wanted to advertise it. (Plus I love a party). So I made up my lavender lemonade and lavender chocolate sheet cakes and had some friends teach some mini-workshops on lavenders. Everyone sent out e-invitations to their email lists and we had a wonderful, large turnout. A good time was had by all.