It’s just not summer for me if I don’t take the time to go blueberry picking. I am so lucky – one of my neighbors has lots of bushes and is generous in sharing the wealth. I also pick for a local farmer, one for him one for me!
This evening I went picking alone. I loved hearing birds and crickets chirping as evening fell. When my kids were little I read them “Blueberries for Sal” and “One Morning in Maine” by Robert McCloskey, great stories for kids and for solidifying traditions like blueberry picking! The bushes were more plentiful tonight than I think I’ve ever seen them, which is a testament to the heavy rains we had this past spring (maybe they liked the 20 degree weather we had the whole month of January too…)
As I picked I mused about how long it’s been since I’ve had a skinned knee. It made me laugh to think that it’s been a good 35 years ( I guess that’s an indication that my life does not include much physical risk taking) Two days ago I was helping a friend who is running a new bakery to load bread into his vehicle. I tripped on a tarp that was in the driveway and fell pretty much flat on my face. But guess what? The bread did not sustain a single scratch; I however got two skinned knees, a bruised hand and fingers and bruised hip too. I admit to feeling proud of myself that I was somehow able to save the bread from imminent peril. I’m also a little proud of my skinned knees, it’s been awhile.
So, what’s new at Verdae. Well, we’ve resurrected our Vanilla Bean shea lotion after having several requests. This is a warm nutty vanilla that smells a bit “foodish” for my personal taste, but lots of people really like it.
We are also making palm wax candles in three different sizes and have several red, white and blue candles for July 4th. The wax is a responsibly-harvested palm wax from Indonesia. We have several new fragrances, among them Hawaiian Breeze with sweet notes of lilly and citrus. Our popular cinnamon red hots candle is a real crowd pleaser too; even a small votive fills a room with that spicy cinnamon warmth.
We’re still hoping to build a small warehouse in the country but politics and red tape run deep. We are keeping our fingers crossed that we will get permission to build.
Happy 4th to you and yours.
What we don't see 