 I once used to tramp all over the land in the fall gathering useful plants until too many eyes glanced askance at my efforts in roadside ditches and seemingly abandoned wastelands and my body decided that it had done quite enough of that sort of thing. Throughout the years, I have not only harvested various useful herbs but also returned with roots and seeds. I have yarrow that I started from roots I found twenty years ago in Cumberland county TN. My most recent and last efforts of bringing some good things home included planting anise scented goldenrod roots and seeds that I had gathered. This year, one of my plantings made it! I had to vociferously defend this little patch all season long to see and harvest these flowers! Of course I left some to be pollinated and in turn go to seed. One should never be greedy and take all. I'll be having some tea later, after I have put some flowers into alcohol for an extract to tide us over this winter. This herb makes a really nice alcohol extract. Mine usually retains that delicious anise scent, and a teeny bit goes a long way. It has been said that this herb is good for sore throats, allergies and kidney/bladder complaints. I do find myself amenable to taking it when I suspect a sniffle may progress to something nastier or perhaps have an allergic component. I do not claim that this has any effect on the retreat of the sniffle, etc, but I find the tastes of my goldenrod concoctions to be quite pleasant and absent any ill effects. One year, I gave some to one of my more adventurous friends, and she said that it helped her mother's bladder complaint. She said that her mother has never had a recurrence after the goldenrod extract, but prior to taking the extract, she had been plagued by recurring problems. One of my daughters has likewise used it for a similar complaint and she prefers the goldenrod extract to cranberry juice. Once again, I am not saying that this plant actually does anything to the body or combats disease because there have been no formal and conclusive tests done here. I'm merely relating what those close to me have experienced at the time of ingestion and that the events could very well be purely coincidental. I prefer to stress the pleasant taste and possible placebo effect of increased well being. I like to make my extract with the fresh unblemished flowering portions of the plant, and to extract with 95% ethanol for greater strength of extraction and longer shelf life. I never use plants that have signs of blight or disease. This may seem like a recipe for seriously nasty and one should definitely not drink any 95% ethanol plant extraction straight or in large quantities. I like a few drops in my tea after the goldenrod season has passed and winter is biting. It carries a taste of fall sunlight into the days quick to darken.
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 I took this picture sometime around 5 a.m. last night after an intense pounding and rubbing session, Alas, I wasn't one bit picky about the alpaca I squished into this thing, which is inspired by a big fat bald faced hornet nest. My current handbag is falling apart after serious service, and rather than buy another, I decided to make my own. This one is roomier than my curent modest little cross body bag, so I can cheerfully accumulate more loose change, store receipts and stray tissues. Since I was just indiscriminately combining and piling on the fibers, a finishing shave is required. There are a lot of coarse super long hairs in my bargain buy collections! I like the weirdness of it, or I could just be too lazy to sort thoroughly. When my extremely tired arms and hands recover, I will make the hornets to adorn it, and my new bag will be complete. Who will be brave enough to reach into this fierce container to rummage for sunglasses or keys?
 Now that things are cooling off both family schedule wise and weather wise, I'm back to sorting and washing some hoarded fibers for future projects. Last year, I got some dirty dirt cheap deals on Alpaca and Shetland wool. When I say dirty, I mean that yes, the white alpacas must have really really enjoyed rolling in the dust, and the Shetland sheep most have enjoyed a free life in a lot of brush! I got such good prices because I'm willing to fool with the fibers that most mills won't touch, nor most other people either, I suspect. This means that to get a little bit ready to use, it takes a lot more work with the less than desirable trimmings. I have to do much more picking out of suspicious particles and more washing, but there is some good stuff for my small project needs slowly accumulating! I might be weird, but I really like the scents of unwashed alpaca and sheep and the way it feels to work on the fibers, releasing them from the dirt, washing and carding them.  When I have some sufficiently cleansed and prepared fibers, I can indulge the ideas that have been festering. One of my favorite flowers that smells just so darn good is the moonflower. This summer gave me a few nice vines that sadly have struggled between waterings yet still managed to produce some blooms to grace the night. I'm not satisfied with my first attempt to recreate a facsimile in alpaca felt. If I want to work on perfection, it's time to put in a few hours of preperation!
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