Saved by Sage
A while back, friends of mine, a married couple, bought a fixer upper. This wasn’t a splash-of- paint-and-some-elbow-grease fixer upper; this was a 1970s gem that hadn’t seen a lick of work done to it, ever. The former owner, a curmudgeonly recluse, neglected repairs and maintenance saying “let the next people take care of it.” The next people, my friends, saw their renovation timeline double as unhappy surprises piled up.
After months of work, the house started to look habitable. My friends had added lots of lighting and put in new windows, but the place still felt gloomy. One half of the pair, the wife, decided to dispel the unhappy aura by trying sage smudging. I was surprised because my friends are ordinary folks and not at all New Age-y. But my friend was adamant, and I was sent to buy a sage smudge stick because I live close to a Whole Foods store, known purveyors of such items.
Reflections on Rosemary
First, you notice the smell: tangy, resinous, and unforgettable. That’s rosemary, the workhorse of our herb gardens. It’s always on hand, no matter the time of year, ready to yield up a snip to flavor tonight’s dinner. My rosemary was purchased from a Folsom Garden Club plant sale eons before I became a member.