Balm of Gilead

 There is always a silver lining to every cloud, I've heard. And there was to the ice storm. It brought down poplar limbs by the truck load... including the buds that my friend Velta always used this time of year to make Balm of Gilead. That balm is what took down the horrid swelling from a tick bite I had a few years back, and the pain and itching from bee stings, and it eased my sore muscles from the recent gate incident... once I remembered to use it. Balm of Gilead is very good stuff.

 But friend Velta died last November. She had told me how to make it so I've been collecting poplar buds ever since the ice storm, talking friends into coming over and collecting poplar buds, putting some of the buds in jars with olive oil and setting them behind the wood stove (in a warm, dark place for 4-6 weeks, as per directions).... and freezing many because there are a LOT of poplar buds down. I'm beginning to think Velta, in the beyond, initiated the ice storm to provide me with plenty of poplar buds to make Balm of Gilead. No, not really. She would not have had the storm level everything else as well as the poplars. 

Friend Mary and I, along with Annie Puppy, recently walked the paths through our woods along Agency Creek, or as much of the paths as we could find and navigate. As Mary said, "It looks like a hurricane came through here!" And it does.

Mary clambering through the downfalls. She is on a path, believe it or not

Annie beside a big downed tree, now a nice seat

Annie had less trouble than we did. She is at the right in this photo

The wide main path was only blocked along parts of it. Here Mary makes her way through

 Johnny and I have not yet begun liberating the woodland paths. We are still working on the areas by the house and driveways. So are our neighbors as we can tell by the sound of chainsaws all around us.

But spring will not be thwarted and our yard is abloom with spring flowers. One of these days I'll take time to take photos of the flowers and the new baby goats, first ones born today, March 8th... while I was disbudding poplars.