“Home was never the walls. Home is the tending — whatever small territory you care for on purpose.”
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There is a drawer in every house that remembers. Open it, and something rises to meet you — soap and sunlight and something older than both. This week, in the heart of Cancer season, we visit the lavender, standing at her fragrant peak in the July garden. We follow her long thread through lavender folklore and history: the Roman baths, the washerwomen who were themselves called “lavenders,” the London street sellers crying their bundles up to the windows, and the linen drawers of our grandmothers.
Along the way, a heatwave drives your host from a camper to a screened tent to a quiet room in a small Vermont library — and teaches, all over again, that home was never the walls. Home is the tending. As the Strawberry Moon wanes toward the New Moon in Cancer, we close with the gentlest of practices: one drawer, emptied and blessed and laid with lavender, so that some cold January morning, July will rise up to meet you.
Pour a cup of something cool, find a bit of shade, and come sit a while. The gate is open.
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🌿 Herbs & Favorite Tools
(affiliate links — thank you for supporting this work)
Herbs featured in this Show:
1. Dried Lavender Buds
2. Live Herb – Lavender (6 Per Pack)
3. Lavender Journal Notebook by Brenda J. Sullivan
My favorite tea-making tools:
BAYKA French Press Coffee Maker
Cold Brew Coffee Filter for Wide Mouth Mason Jar
Heat-proof wide-mouth mason jars
📚Bookstore – Brenda J. Sullivan Books
https://www.brendajsullivanbooks.com
🌱My Garden Journal – A How-To Garden Book for Kids
Because every gardener starts with a single seed — and a little curiosity.
My Garden Journal is part how-to guide, part creative keepsake, designed to help children (and their grown-ups) learn the basics of growing food and flowers while documenting their journey.
Inside you’ll find:
- Simple planting guidance
- Space for drawings, photos, and notes
- Imaginative themed gardens (Harry Potter Herb Garden, Young Chef’s Garden, Monarch Butterfly Garden)
Perfect for homeschooling families, budding herbalists, and anyone who wants to grow confidence by growing plants.
✨ You’ll be amazed at how much you — and your garden — grow when you take time to journal the journey.
🌿 Work With Me
🌙 Herbal Consultations (Now Open)
Root your wellness in the wisdom of the plants — and the stars.
My one-on-one consultations offer gentle, grounded guidance rooted in traditional herbalism, vitalist principles, and (if you wish) astrology. Each session begins with listening.
👉 Learn more here:
https://mailchi.mp/351efb18cd6b/one-on-one-consultations-landing-page
☕ Buy Me a Cup of Tea
If this story brought you comfort, you can support the channel here:
https://buymeacoffee.com/thompsonstg
🎶 Music Credits
A heartfelt thank you to Alexander Nakarada for the music featured in this story.
I am a Patreon supporter of Alexander’s work.
🎼 Song: Planning – 320bit – September 5, 2021
🔗 https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com/
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The New England Herbary is a project of Thompson Street Farm LLC.
https://thompsonstreetfarm.com/