When we put away all of my garden items - globes, birdhouses, etc. this Fall, we left two wooden benches out in the yard. One sits in my herb garden and one sits under the old locust tree out by our lake. We figured they were worth leaving out just a little longer. We could always run out and drag them in if it snowed.
So I sat on my bench in the herb garden, propped my feet up on an old tree stump and breathed in the crisp, clean air and made mental notes about where I might put this or that herb next Spring. You know, there's something about just being still, listening and feeling everything around you. Sometimes if you sit long enough, the chipmunks, the rabbits, the birds, the spiders, and even the deer think you're supposed to be there and you feel like you're a part of a completely different world.
Anyway, I sat for awhile and then walked around on all my paths in the woods, went down over the hill, crossed the bridge and walked around the lake. Even the fish were active!! I ended up back in my herb garden picking the apple mint that was left untouched by earlier frosts. Actually, it was a toss-up. Lemon Balm - Apple Mint, Lemon Balm - Apple Mint but finally, Apple Mint won out! I picked a huge handful of those beautiful grey-green furry leaves, brought them up to the house, put water in my Whistler Tea Kettle, washed my mint and stuffed it into the tea pot. Brought it just to a boil and it's sitting in my kitchen right now waiting for a little honey or stevia to sweeten it up. My pot makes about 2 quart and I quite literally fill one hand as full of mint as I can and that makes a perfect pot of tea. Tea bags are nice but there's something about picking your own tea, washing it, holding it in your hands, feeling what it really feels like, and the smell just can't be described. Then when you take that first sip you realize that your sipping something really, really good for you. The peace that comes from making your own tea, from taking the time to do it, why, sometimes that's all it takes for you to unwind and lose the day's stress. On top of that you have the knowledge that it's pure with no chemicals or pesticides and you have the appreciation of knowing all the vitamins and minerals it contains. It just makes you feel "good all under". It's Beautiful!!