Upon returning from a very wet, very muddy camping trip last weekend, we were welcomed home by even more rain. Which is good. I love rain. And we can always use more precipitation in this high desert.
The flowers are astounding this year. Our Fox Glove, Lavender, Cat Mint, Mountain Sage and Echinacea are blooming like crazy (and attracting many pollinators, I might add). It means a lot to me to have cultivated those tiny starts into a fragrant flower garden that grows stronger and more beautiful each year.
My mom sent me the starts for 36 drought-tolerant perennials and herbs from our hometown nursery, Mountain Valley Growers. The nursery is right down the road from the five acres of lush beauty I grew up in. My step-dad used to work there. Last spring, I took Ben and Analise to visit my Grandma and my hometown, and I was struck by how much I had taken for granted.
The wildflowers. The rolling green hills with their granite protrusions. The smell of dirt. The long, steep, winding driveway. The tacky little mobile home. The junkyard. The country store. The top of Badger Lane. The weird old men. The isolation. I could go on forever...
It took me going back there 10 years later to realize I'm still country people at heart, and there ain't nothing wrong with that.
Going deep down to my roots and turning all that rich soil gave me the space to grow and blossom this summer. I realize that I love what has precipitated this lovely place in which I am now present.
Thanks, Ma.
Love,
Jessica
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