LAVENDER HEALS BODY AND SOUL, THEY SAY

Very validating to have old friends respond to my previous post, and to know that the windmills are still turning, even if not very often. 

We've stopped trying to get everything on this house done here overnight, and have started to spend some time enjoying ourselves.  Last weekend both of Gail's sons and their families came from Denver for a visit.  It was exhausting, but delightful, to have those four little urchins around the house.  I hope to get some pictures into this entry later. 

Then, today - a gorgeous perfect day, washed by last night's furious rain, cool but sunny, blue skies with heaps of white clouds around the edges, the mountains clear and crisp in the distance -  we went out to The Village of Los Ranchos for the Lavender Festival.  We spend most of the day out there, going from venue to venue on the provided shuttle.  Arts and crafts (Gail bought me a beautiful silver bead as an early birthday present), plants galore, great food, lavender lavender lavender.  Lavender soap, cookies, lemonade, sangria, cookbooks, lotion, essential oil, ad infinitum. At Los Poblanos Ranch we were able to cut our own bunch of lavandula grosso and bring it home.  I would have loved to cut lavender all day, it was so heavenly out there among the plants - the smells, the bees and butterflies. Los Poblanos is a place that merits a post all its own, and maybe someday I'll do one.  Suffice it for now to say that I think it may just possibly be heaven. Having so much fun today has worn me slap out, and I think a tall glass of iced tea and a long nap are what comes next here.

(And, Paulette, I just want you to know there was a group of Red Hat ladies at the festival, often in the same place at the same time as we were - and they were having an absolutely illegal amount of fun!  No wonder you are into this!)