Rue's Garden Herbals

This isn't my usual blog but I have to tell you about my Friday night adventure. The son of our friends and his friend shot a video for a bicyclist named Bahati. Bahati was a student at Claremont High School in California, which is in a very rough neighborhood. Being involved in their music program kept him out of trouble. Now he is a bicyclist and he wants to give back to students who attend there. So he had a fundraiser for his foundation and, because we knew Michael and Roberta, we got to go.

We got to this theatre and walked into this huge room, where people were standing around and having drinks. At the front was a stage. It all looked fine but we apparently had 3 1/2 hours to stand before it was over, so I was already planning on sitting on the floor and not seeing a thing. But it turned out we were on the vip list. We got wristbands and could go upstairs into a really nice lounge area with drinks and seating areas. We stood around there for a while and watched people. Pretty much everyone was dressed to the nines and looked like something out of People magazine - not the Oscars but certainly a very nice cocktail party. We were presentable in our middle-aged version of clothing but we knew that was as good as we were going to get so we accepted it. I thought we had to go downstairs again when the show came on but a door opened and we were ushered into lovely amphitheater style seats where we got to watch the program in luxury. Included were a team of bicyclists and musicians and dancers from Claremont High. If you ever want to send money somewhere, the Bahati Foundation is a good cause.

The next day I went with my granddaughter to get her hair turned from grown-out roots and red dyed bottoms to stunning blonde. She is most comfortable as a blonde so she felt like she finally looked like herself again. The process only took four, yes four, hours. But we finished the day without her crying, which we were all expecting.

Now I'm back to my ordinary life, which is good. Tomorrow I go with a friend to a tea house, where I will escape from the everyday world again. Next time I'll tell you about a mystery novelist who writes about herbs in each of her stories.

Today I'm sharing with you a few of my favorite magazines that are about herbs. Each one is interesting and, if you love herbal stuff, will have something to offer you. These can often be picked up at stores that carry herbal products or you can see samples on their websites.

The Essential Herbal - This magazine comes out six times a year. It has articles about different herbs and their remedies, herbs around the world, recipes and herb projects. It's written in a friendly fashion and is fun to read. I have started to feel like I know the article writers. The January-February issue front cover talks about dill - herb of the year, warming winter recipes, herbs in Oz, aloe, making an herb hanger or a soap mold, and many other articles. It runs about 30 pages. The website is www.essentialherbal.com.

The Herb Companion - This magazine comes out monthly. I like that. They also have recipes, articles about herbs and herb projects and stories about people and their gardens. A lot of information. I look forward to it every month. The front cover for January talks about herbal oils and butters, basics of a beautiful kitchen garden, skin's best friend - tea tree, and an herbal tip for the winter solstice. That just scratches the surface. It runs about 60 pages. The website is www.herbcompanion.com.

The Herb Quarterly - As you probably guessed, this comes out four times a year. It has lots of short updates along with its articles on herbs, projects and recipes. A little more technical but easy to read. It's always a good day when I find it in my mailbox. The front cover for Spring talks about throwing an herb-themed shower, herbs for weight loss, a spring makeover, growing black plants and an essential garden tool guide. And much more. It runs about 65 pages. The website is www.herbquarterly.com.

A new magazine I have just discovered is called Mary Jane's Farm. Not an herb magazine, it has lots of short articles on things having to do with country living and comes out six times a year. Their front cover for April-May talks about recipes: heirlooms and heritage grains, outdoor bathing, greeting cards from common weeds, garage-door quilts, suburban folk art, Mother's Day dishes and delights, and rooftop gardening. I loved this magazine so much I couldn't wait for the next issue and ordered some back issues. It runs about 100 pages. The website is www.maryjanesfarm.org.

All of these magazines are so great I even like to look at the ads!

This week's movie review: Last night I went to see Crazy Heart. Either Jeff Bridges was a complete alcoholic while filming that movie or he is a really great actor. He was so believable in the part that now I'm interested in finding out more about him to see what his life is really like. A very good movie.

I was reading the Mountain Rose Herbs newsletter and it talked about dandelions. Apparently dandelion plants contain lots of vitamins and minerals. They wrote, "Half a cup of leaves contains more calcium than a cup of milk, and they boast even more iron than spinach." If you are picking them in the wild, there are no similar poisonous plants to worry about. Young dandelion leaves wilt quickly so if you are growing the plant pick the leaves right before you use them in a salad. They can be boiled and eaten like spinach, or sauteed and eaten with pasta. Even the root is edible. And the roots can be brewed like coffee. It supposedly tastes much the same as regular coffee. For instructions on how to do this go to mountainroseherbs.com.

I am taking a break from the Academy Awards to write this blog. I love to criticize a few dresses and then rave over the ones I love. I like almost everybody and Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin are so funny. Overall, it's a wonderful event and I'm glad I'm watching it on tv because I don't think I could wear my wedding ring and still clap all evening. My hand would be so sore.

Last night we had company so I decided to do a wine tasting. I bought 5 bottles of red wine (that's what they like, I'm a Chardonnay person myself), two merlot, a cabernet, a zinfandel and a petite syrah. We all acted like experts, tasting everything, then took our single glass of wine and had a great conversation and dinner (lasagna, my husband's specialty). Not the most wild party I've ever been to but a lot of fun.

The weather is acting up all over the place and it's easy to get the flu. If you do get the flu, here is a remedy to help. Make a tea of 2 parts boneset, 1 part elder flower and 1 part peppermint. This should relieve some of the aches that come with being sick. If it's too bitter, honey is always a solution.

Tomorrow I put on my business hat and figure out how to knock Warren Buffet out of the top spot. Wish me luck!