October 27, 2005

• I am having THE best time lately.  I don’t think I mentioned the class I took with my middle daughter, the one on growing and using medicinal herbs.  It was taught by a young man who I adore.  He is so enthusiastic, a great writer, really kind and good natured, funny and I love his looks.  Too bad he’s so young.  What is it with me and guys in their 30s?

  
  

  Anyway, the class was held at a local farm that donated their land to the city, and they teach community ed classes, along with renting out garden plots.  We listened to a lecture with much sharing from the students who were gardeners and knew a little about herbs.  Then, after our potluck — You should have seen the food people brought — we went outside to gather herbs and berries, to make a flavored vinegar, and this root called ella campaign (that’s how he pronounced it, I’m too lazy to look it up) which he dug up to get the root.  We ran out of time so I didn’t get to see him make the tincture.  But we did have time to make lavender honey.  It is so good and we all got high off the lavender, all of us sitting around stripping the flowers, filling our little jars.

  
  

  I followed this one older lady all around the farm, asking questions.  I think her name was Sharon.  She reminded me of a white-haired Buddha woman with her round face and knowing smile, wrapped in an expensive but durable looking shawl.  She hardly had any hair and looked ancient but she was the most passionate person there.  She’d read everything and made all kinds of salves and tinctures.  I wish I’d gotten her number because when I got home I looked out in my backyard and realized I was a fool to be thinking about selling an acre of organic land.  I should be growing herbs.  I should be an herbalist.  Just the word tincture turns me on.

  
  

  I emailed Andy and requested that woman’s number.  He hasn’t responded.  I started fantasizing about how I could take my potions and sell them up the street at the Whole Foods place.  I could write off some of my household expenses.  Then I got online and found an accredited school here in Portland where you can get a master herbalist degree in two years.  Get this, each summer they study abroad.  Last year it was Greece, the year before they went to Provence.  It’s $1900 for classes, room and board.  She was quick to point out that included wine.  I think it was for a month.  I don’t know that I could justify that expense but I can’t quit thinking about it.  This is the first thing I’ve wanted to do since court reporting.  I just don’t know that this would be at all lucrative.  But I’d be doing something to make the world a better place and I could grow plants that were wonderful.  The school is having an open house next week.  They have a garden there and teach you how to grow the herbs as well.  My daughter says she wants to come, too.  We got all excited, she talking about the advertising and me talking about the tinctures.  I could write about this stuff, too.  And maybe I could heal my oldest.

  
  

  Last night I took her to a vegetarian dessert class.  It was taught by the same guy whose tofu class I attended.  We sampled and learned how to make chocolate pudding using millet instead of flour.  Then we tried lemon pound cake with groat (whole oats) flour and tofu.  And he made chocolate chip cookies and a vanilla pudding with a hint of peanut butter.  The best was a chocolate pudding made out of wild rice, but a lot of people liked the brownies made from groats.  He put flax seed in the baked stuff which I think I’d skip.  The heat kills the good stuff anyway.

  
  

  Today, this same daughter and I went to the movies.  I recommend Elizabethtown.  I don’t think that’s two words.  The sound track is great and the movie was cute. 

  
  

  I have to brag.  Now that I’m keeping this house I can do things my way.  Like I can use funky colors on the walls and linoleum in the kitchen instead of fancy stuff.  I got these big pruning shears and went to town on the rhodies.  For some reason I had been intimidated by those hundred-year-old bushes but once I got the hang of it I was really glad I didn’t hire someone.  So what if this house is big and I’m just one person.  If I’m working out of it I need a little more space.  I even have a greenhouse with electricity. 

  
  

  You know the really bizarre thing is that the previous owner was a dermatologist and he invented this cream.  What if he was growing the herbs and making the cream right here?  How cool would that be to pick up where he left off?

  
  

  I have to be careful as I have a tendency to make stuff up.  Do any of you know an herbalist?  Do they make any money? 

  • 1:03 am
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