ahhh... vacation!

It's taken me a while to get around to posting. A week ago, I was packing my bag to come home from a rest by the sea.
It may seem that I run around the countryside a lot, but it is a rare time that doesn't include some kind of work - a presentation, setting up a booth, or some kind of research or business.
Most of the people I know in herbs are shaking their heads, knowing that no matter how much we adore what we do, there are times when we need to recharge. Oh, I walked beside the dunes looking at the plants thriving there, and considered well all the herbs and spices included in the delicious meals that were served to me. There might even have been a conversation here or there about the medicinal merits of various herbs, but for the most part it was a true vacation.
It was interesting. With social media and being out among people at herb events, it isn't really anything I usually think about, but being away reminded me of the privacy that we all willingly give away to conduct our lives and businesses these days. Do we really think about how exhausting that can be?
The "B side" of any time away is usually the catching up, but Maryanne pulled all of the orders that came in during my absence, and the printer took care of the mailing of the May/June issue of The Essential Herbal that had been sent in just prior to my leaving, so I could really take advantage of the great energy I brought home.
I couldn't wait to get outside and see what the plant world had been up to. It would be impossible to express how exciting/frightening this spring has been so far. It seems that this growing season *might* have been extended by three full months. I say "might" because there is still a month before we reach our last frost date, and we have a scare once or twice a week. There's just too much outside to rush out and cover, so I'm letting Nature take her course. Who knows what such a long growing season will produce? We've never had one before.
Here is what was waiting for me last week...
The row of dogwoods along the driveway waved to me as I arrived.
The trilliums were waiting for me to get home so they could bloom!
Blueberry bushes are all laden with buds.
The early "Golden" elderberry is preparing to send out the dinner plate sized umbels of blow.
Horseradish that went in the ground last year is back and happy.
Molly and I spent a couple of hours picking violets and the next day Maryanne and I spent another hour crawling around in the woods picking some more.
Everything is way ahead. There are figs on the tree, the ramps are lush and green, and the anise hyssop is nearly knee-high!
It's good to be home and back at it, but it sure was good to get away!