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things to do when it rains

I hurried out to the front yard this morning to gather these few late bloomers before the rain started. The roses are still blooming: there are quite a few buds which may still open with a lot of cooperation from the weather. It is cold, though, really!

Today was one of those dreary days when light is served at fifty percent intensity. At noon it looked like dusk, at five it was already night. Brr! There is nothing better on a day like this, when every gardener deplores the dried up, scrunched up state of the almost dormant garden, than making all things beautiful and fragrant. So today was potpourri day.

There will be some time until the rose petals and the rest of the flowers dry, but what a treat! Lucky for me, the camera has a flash, which was automatically triggered for ALL the pictures (to give you an idea how dark it was in the house).

The flash brought back all the brightness of summer and reminded me that these flowers have been in the garden since spring, going unnoticed at times. The pictures attached bring some late justice and some most needed cheerfulness to the page.

potpourri2-crop

I am sure that even after they dry, these striking colors will remain. Rose-calendula-jasmine potpourri to come soon.

To dry rose petals, you can either hang the roses upside down in a dry, warm, well ventilated space or if you have enough room, treat yourself with this beautiful spread of colorful petals on paper towels over a wire rack. Store the dry petals in airtight glass containers until ready to use. Rose petals shrink significantly while they dry and lose a lot of their scent. Add a few drops of essential rose oil to bring back the fragrance.

Soon: decorative scented candles.

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