Waiting.............

It's yet another rainy weekend in Lexington!  That's okay because we are cleaning out the basement today and putting up some shelves so I can get the business more organized.  The more organized I am the easier it is to get things done!  I have gotten next to nothing done in the garden and I'm getting a little nervous 'cause it's almost June already.  Where does the time go?

I have managed to get some hydrosol done during the week on days when it doesn't rain and right now I'm clearing out my peppermint patch slowly but surely.  The distilled peppermint is better than I could have ever imagined.  Mu husband isn't into natural things like I am but even he is loving it.  It's so sweet and minty, like candy.

All of my plants are flowering and I even have my first big bud on my rosa rugosa (roses).  I can't wait to distill fresh fragrant roses!  I have tons of comfrey in, my helichrysums and lavenders have buds on them and I would think I should have tons of elder flowers in the wild soon.  And my St. John's Wort plants are getting tall and bushy!  Everything seems to be happening later than usual this year since we had such a prolonged cool period-not cold but very cool.  The magnolias aren't even in flower yet.  But the lemon balm  is looking good!  I may run a bunch of it through the still too and run big hydrosol sales all Summer!

I have a blend I distilled from a little bit of everything last year which I have been rationing all Winter.  I'll be distilling bigger batches this year and putting it up for sale.  It's the best toner I have ever used!  Comfrey, roses, lemon balm, fresh lavender buds, helichrysum, St. John's wort..............I may throw in some geraniums too.

I have my Eau de Cologne and Florida Water going, added the hydrosols today and now I have to wait.  I will have them on my new shelves where I can keep an eye on them.  I love alcohol based perfumes so much better than oil based.  The alcohol evaporates off of your skin throughout the day sending little blasts of fragrance into the air.  It's like I'm a human aromatherapy diffuser.  And those of you who know me know I am just mad about orange blossom and petitgrain.  The aroma is so beautiful it makes me feel like a supermodel even when I'm busting my ass working and sweating like a whore in Church (that's for you Gretchen-I know it tickles you when I talk all Southern). 

The ladies at work have been drooling over my Orange Blossom perfume that I have been wearing.  They all think it smells like Honeysuckle.  It doesn't really, but it's the closest frame of reference I guess.  However, it does make me wonder how it would work as a honeysuckle substitute in perfumery.  I would love to create a fragrance that smells like a Spring breeze in Kentucky (minus the horse smell, of course)-Honeysuckle and Magnolias with a touch of damp earth and green undertones.  So now that will be cooking in the back of my brain while I do other things until I finally get the inspiration to start experiments.