The sun is shining brightly . . .

There is heat in the sun as it crosses my hands on the keyboard and it feels wonderful. The seed and plant catalogs continue to arrive. Spring will be here in a blink of an eye. Hope I am ready!

This year there will be a concentration on learning more about the plants here, what parts to use, best growing conditions and what purposes the plants can be put to.

Echinacea will be the first 'under the magnifier' for me. Last month when I felt a cold coming on I used a tincture I made two years age using the Herbal Medicine Making Kit from Learning Herbs. I felt better by morning. I have used the echinacea tincture twice more. I have not been sick yet. Was it the echinacea tincture? Or not. All I know is I have not been stricken so far. There are so many variables and as a gardener of a small plot of land there will be no high priced, scientific testing. Only ardent observations, testing and careful use of the preparations.

As I have been gathering information, I came across this thought provoking blog post by Kiva Rose on The Medicine Woman's Roots called The Core Nature of Plants.