Medieval Lavender

I was thinking yesterday about the life of a Medieval peasant. There was the bubonic plague that made life especially precarious. There was little food in the winter- 'twas common practice to boil leather and eat clay for a meal. And most families slept on a straw mat together with fleas. When a guest came over, it'd be a polite gesture for the husband to offer his wife to the visitor to sleep with. Hospitality!

This morning I popped out of the tub and was stretching in front on the mirror, watching the top of my belly beat with my heart. It kind of reminds me of the tree frogs on the glass door-- watching their little bellies flutter with their so fast heartbeat. We got the beat!

I had wanted to tell you- the glove makers in France were renowned for their immunity to the plague. Do you know what they did? They cured the inside of every glove with lavender! Lavender is naturally antimicrobial, and when supplies were low during WWII, it was used as a disinfectant in European hospitals. Lavender has relaxing properties and helps babies go to sleep. You can just smell it when you like, steep it in tea, bathe in it, or make an oil of it for skin. If you want some lavender, email me and I'll be glad to send you some, my treat!


Now the wind is high and the rain is heavy
And the water's rising in the levee
Still I think of her when the sun goes down
It never goes away, but it all works out