Are you going to Scarborough Fair

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.
Remember me to the one who lives there,
She once was a true love of mine.
(Simon and Garfunkel)

One of my true loves is gardening.
Flowers mostly…
And herbs.

I was in a quiet panic until this weekend.
Having only moved back into the house June 1,
We were overwhelmed with how much we had to do before leaving for vacation in just 2 short weeks.
Both the outside and the inside of the house were screaming for our attention.
In my opinion, the inside could wait.
After all, we still have more years than I care to count left on our mortgage!

But the outside was like a race against time.
The temperatures were quickly rising,
And the selection of flowers… diminishing.
I needed to act quickly, and I did.
The front of the house (the neighbors view!) looks great now.
But I ran out of time, and the nurseries ran out of flowers.
Begrudgingly, I accepted the fact that the backyard, the one place we love to hang out the most,
Would be barren this year.
Bummer!

Even more discouraging however,
Was the fact that we missed out on planting our herb garden as well.
This disappointment has a trickle down effect!
Mike and I love to cook.
And without our beloved herb garden,
What’s the point!
It was shaping up to be an aesthetically challenging and bland tasting summer at our house!

Then… a Miracle.
The flower Gods smiled down on me.
At Wal-Mart of all places!

Having cut through the near defunct gardening section of the store for some sunscreen,
I spied with my little eye the sorriest looking hanging baskets of Impatiens in varying colors tucked away in the corner.
They were marked down from their original price of $14.99, to 2 bucks a piece.
I gathered up 20 of them and a box of Miracle Grow!

Then, as if I wasn’t giddy enough…
Peeking out from behind the sorry-ass looking flowers were WHAT???
Could it possibly be???
Yes!
Herbs!!!
Parsley (flat Italian), Sage, Rosemary and Thyme.
And Basil, lots of basil.

Mike and I worked like savages all day yesterday.
I think we took 3 showers each!
But today…we rest.
We sit back, sip wine and enjoy the fruits of our labor.
Our backyard is now bursting with color against a palette of deep green shade trees.
The fresh sent of herbs is in the air.
We are finally home.