Today I harvested herbs

Fresh Basil. That's Dori looking on.

This Spring I planted a little herb garden. It included the regular herbs like basil, oregano and thyme. I even planted stevia which is a natural sweetener. With fall just around the corner I figured it was time to harvest. That was the easy part. Figuring out what to do with them once I harvested them was another story. 

I did a little research and decided I would dehydrate them. Thankfully my next door neighbor "J" had a dehydrator that she lent me. The funny thing is while I was standing in her garage holding her dehydrator the neighbor who lives across the street came over and borrowed her juicer. She was making jelly. Got to love it!

I am happy to report it is going well. So far the oregano and basil are done. I am looking forward to the cold winter day that I decide to make soup and include these herbs, a little bit of summer in my soup. Oh yeah, my house smells great!

Vacation Part One - Iowa State Fair

It has been said that the Iowa State Fair is one of the best fairs in the United States. Minnesotans would argue that fact. The Iowa State Fair is listed in the "Top 30 things Midwesterners Should Do".

So we set out to see for ourselves if this was true. We arrived on a Tuesday morning toting cameras, ponchos (it was raining) and big expectations. We were not disappointed.

There was a lot to see including a butter cow. Yes, a cow carved out of butter. This is a Fair tradition. I could think of worse things. A cow carved out of cheese perhaps?

When I heard I had the opportunity to milk a cow I jumped at the chance. I must admit I was a little nervous. Kind of felt like I was getting real personal with the cow.

A sweet young man showed me first and assured me it was no big deal for the cow. I felt myself blush a little. I have to say that milking a cow was the neatest thing I have ever done. I also have to admit at first I expected the milk to come out cold. Yes, I know better. She is a mammal after all. This may sound crazy but I have a new appreciation for milk. To know milk comes from a cow is one thing. To experience milk come from a cow is a whole different thing.

I am grateful.

Me holding a butterfly at the Iowa State Fair.

This photo was taken by my friend Erik Mathre.

 He is good isn't he?

I have been on a sabbatical since last November.  I decided after putting DH (Dear Husband) through 4 years of graduate school I needed a break. Not a few weeks but a year. Yes, an entire year. I worked hard and made many sacrifices (so did the rest of my family) and I felt I wanted to explore some things I had never had time for.  

For instance, art, photography, genealogy, travel, my spiritual side, a foreign language, cooking, juggling…….not really the juggling part. It was a tall order for just one year. 

My sabbatical is nearing the end and as I look over my list I discover I covered just about all of it. 

 I am grateful.