Herbs and such May 22, 2018

 

First things first

The day Michael had pulled the bundle of grass out of the terrace was the lifting of the baton of his symphony he started in Casoli five years ago and hasn't stopped since. Michael is in charge of "Ordnung and Beauty," as he puts it, gaining complete control over which flowers stay and which will go. He decides the color, the plant, the shape, and the height it grows if it's a flower, a shrub, a salvia, a perennial, or a darn tree. All of Michael's energy goes into this. 

Do you know why our Marriage works so well? 

I'm letting him. Indeed, I can make a garden, but Michael just does it better, which needs to be acknowledged. So I step aside, grab the weedwhacker, the chain saw, and the axe, and do the more coarse work on the property. It's OK, as long as we get to sit on the terrace, have a smoke, and cheer to beers at the end of the day. 

On the second or third day of our first stay, I woke to a regular "chuck" and "swish" - "chuck" - "swish" - "chuck" - "swish"

The Herb Garden 2018

I was, of course, too excited to fall back to sleep. Besides, the weather was phenomenal, and looking out the front windows, which is possible in a horizontal position, I saw the turquoise Mediterranean Sea. Plus, it was 7:15 AM, and definitely time to get up. 

I stepped down the creaking stairs from the bedroom into the kitchen. Yes, they connected and first stopped at the kitchen counter to fill two spoonfuls of espresso into the moka. You know, the banged-up, aluminum, Italian coffee maker only Italians use. Gas on, Vergnano in, basta. While waiting for my coffee to percolate, I stepped outside and saw Michael doing something I had never seen before. He was shuffling dirt, ripping out the top layer of grass, shaking them from their soil, and discarding them on a pile that must have grown half a meter by then. 

Michaels's first project was building the herb garden, and I bet you that he didn't know either that morning. Of course, we needed an herb garden to grow the spices that are so typical for Tuscany. Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, Mint, Oregano, and a few others, which we added over the years. 

Living in the Versilia means one thing. Rain. Knock on wood, but it does get enough rain, sometimes too much, or at least on the wrong days. But, yeah, it rains more here than it does in Sicily. So everything here grows. Everything. Not only the herbs but the weed, too, and the weed I grow for the consumption needs of my husband and his friends. I never inhaled, I swear. Growing Marihuana in Italy, btw is legal. Two plants per household. Usually, I produce three or four plants. However, it tends to be too much, and very slowly, Michael runs out of places to squirrel it all away. 

The Herb Garden 2020

After a day and a half, Michael had cleared quite an oversized lot, and it came naturally that we drove to the nursery in the via Roma down in Camaiore. Michele is the owner and does not speak a single word of English. We didn't speak Italian either. So it was hands and feet again, and my translation app, Snubbed by Michael so many times. We didn't only find the herbs we wanted; apparently, Michele supplies the entire valley with baby plants of anything you can think of; zucchini, arugula, melons, tomatoes, fennel, carciofi, cucumbers, salads, onions, cauliflower, apples, pears, lemons and what have you not, and of course each in at least 5 different variations or more. 

This is where I found my chance to join the fun and say, " We need a veggie garden!"

The veggie garden came a year later. For now, we shoved the plants into the car, filling it with an abundant smell of Tuscan potpourri. We were so happy! Before returning, we got some provisions, a beer, and a slice of Pizza on the Piazza. 

I look at the gardens every day. I wonder and study the colors and plants. I follow how everything is arranged, and the different angles are taken to make it pop from wherever you stand. The Garden Chief says, " The eye must wonder," and it does. I know it is more than just herbs and flowers. 

I love you too, Michael.  

Michael and friends

#FirstThingsFirst, #OrdnungAndBeauty, #GardeningSymphony, #CasoliMemories, #MarriageSuccess, #GardenMaster, #TerraceLife, #PropertyWork, #MorningRoutine, #MediterraneanView, #ItalianCoffee, #HerbGarden, #TuscanSpices, #VersiliaRain, #MarijuanaGrowth, #LegalWeed, #NurseryAdventure, #LanguageBarriers, #VeggieGarden, #TuscanPotpourri, #GardenWonders, #LoveAndGardens, #GardenLife, #FloralArrangements, #GardenAngles, #GardenBeauty, #TuscanBeauty, #GardenReflections, #LoveAndNature, #GardeningJourney