Wonderful Herbs

    There are any number of negative things that I could post about today. For instance, I could talk about how thoroughly disappointed I am that Rumor had to have an emergency c-section and both babies were lost. I could talk about how the area surrounding mine is flooding, or how many people are likely to lose their belongings due to flooding here and in other areas around the Mississippi River....but, I won't. Not any more than I already have, at least. Why? Because there is still so much to look  forward to, and so much good in life! Yes, bad things happen and this has been a particularly rough year already, but that's okay. Every cloud has a silver lining, and "all things work out for the good of those who love God." 
    So, instead of complaining, I'm going to talk about my garden and how well it is doing! My tomatoes and peppers have all made it through the storm. My onions, cucumbers, and carrots are sprouting. My potatoes, eggplants, and squash are in the ground and doing well. I planted more onion sets today. My herbs are absolutely flourishing. I love their low-maintenance attributes, and I also love their flavorful, aromatic, and - in some cases - medicinal qualities. This year gardening has been more enjoyable than it has ever been for me before. Mountain Rose Herbs is having a giveaway, and part of the requirements to enter was to blog about your most powerful experience in the garden or in the wild....but how can I choose just one? I have had so many wonderful, even moving, experiences in nature and in my garden. Just breathing in the essence of being outdoors is enough to calm the senses and make you feel at one with nature and closer to the Creator than you could ever feel trapped inside of a stuffy, artificially lit building. I encourage anyone reading to go out and start a garden, if you haven't already got one. Try planting herbs! They're so easy and so rewarding, and many of them have another added bonus - attracting pollinators. For example, the larvae of a certain butterfly feed off of dill, and bees and butterflies love bee balm (never would've guessed, would you? Hehe.). Oh, another good one to try is stevia - if you enjoy sweet tea but don't enjoy calories, grow stevia and use it to sweeten your tea. It is a very sweet, very strong, natural sweetener! No calories, no chemicals! Herbs are amazing things. Mountain Rose Herb's website is a great place to go learn about them, too. 
    Also, check out this cool giveaway, and the information about Rootstalk! If you live in that neck of the woods, it would be an awesome thing to attend! Mountain Rose Herb Rootstalk Giveaway
    -Rach in Wonderland