It's Been Too Long!

It has been too long.  I have almost forgotten that I have a blog.  Internet connection problems have slowed me down and taken much of the fun as well as the joy out of all things net related.  Some of these problems seem to be resolving.  So here I am trying to remember how to do this.

A few days ago, I was refreshing my memory in a skill that I developed twenty or so years ago--potpourri making.  I whipped up a big, big batch (nearly 30 cups) of Christmas potpourri, which I will bag this week for sale on my Etsy shop.


 Here is a picture of the potpourri in my big shiny aluminum bowl that was originally intended, I am sure, for holding salad.  (Big stack in grocery store of the day and my recollection is that the bowl cost all of four dollars!  Wish I had bought three!)
 

Below is a closeup of the potpourri in the bowl.  I wish I could share how wonderful it smells!

The next step after mixing all the dry ingredients together is to pick the wet ones and add them.  They are a mixture of essential oils and fragrance oils.  I try to use essential oils because they are more natural and usually also stronger and they last longer.  (Some potpourri that I made in the late eighties is still pleasantly fragrant.

 Here is a photo of the oils, after I had chosen them from the collection. 

 The house smelled heavenly.  Unlike baking the fragrance lingers several days later, even though the product is neatly sealed in a large zipper bag.  Since it isn't edible, it also doesn't have calories.  I should have done much more of this and much less of baking over the last forty years.  Oh well.  I enjoy baking too!

To bed to read another installment of Laurie R King's amazing re-invention of Sherlock Holmes with Mary Russell, his young apprentice and wife.  

Happy Thanksgiving to all.  I will show the potpourri later in the week when it is in pretty packages with ribbons.