January 01, 2011
Here's to a New Year
I wonder how many neglected blogs get restarted New Year’s Day. And for the same reason! Ah well, here’s to inspiration. I haven’t yet ventured into truly handmade soap. I just melt and pour. For my mom, it’s the ultimate gift. Ever since my brother told me my mom loves glycerin soap, I knew I just had to give it a try. Unlike my brother’s care packages, mine have always received a lukewarm reception. I’ve tried hand sewn, knitted and quilted lovelies, but nothing was ever received with a bang until I sent her “handmade” soap from “my garden.” For this batch, I added lavender I bought at the Farmer’s market (it dried beautifully in a zip lock plastic bag), spearmint I propagated in the greenhouse and seven drops of lavender essential oil. She’ll have four bars to take with her tomorrow on her flight home. I’ve just got to find a way to propagate lavender in the greenhouse this coming semester. I love the connections, however tenuous, between the gifts I make and the garden I grow.
That and seed catalogs drove me to Borders where I found this lovely. Soil Mates: Companion Plants for Your Vegetable Garden by Sara Alway.
It never occurred to me that I could pair companion plants in several combinations throughout the garden. I always tried to create the perfect master companion garden, even though I don’t like puzzles and I have more garden space than I know what to do with.
I'm still knitting, of course, and spinning and weaving and sewing, even. But my interests have gotten rather tangled. So instead of jacquie knits, this year it will be more like jacquie putters. Jacquie putters ALOT!
Posted by Jacqueline at 07:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)