The Beauty in Diversity

The rays of the setting sun were shining on the orchard one evening and I wanted to capture the beauty of the moment, so, I quickly grabbed my phone (camera) and took these photos.

Different varieties of fruit trees, mostly apple, a few pear and a couple prune trees, were being visited by a multitude of tiny flying creatures gathering their food.  They didn't pay me any heed as I took photos.  Everything was going about doing what they were created to do and didn't appear to be disrupted by my intrusion.  Nature is like that!

It is good to see the bees!  Did you know that the need for bees increased during times of war, especially World War II?  Honey sweetened a very bland diet during World War II rationing and beeswax was used for waterproofing tents and metal casings for bullets to lubricating mechanical parts.  It was even smoothed onto planes to help them cut through the air more efficiently ("Plan|bee", by Susan Brackney).

The setting sun on the fruit trees gives them an idyllic appearance (standing west looking east).

We also planted cold hardy, survival-of-the-fittest Canadian Chokecherries.  They are a beautiful, colorful tree whose flowers fill the air with the sweetest fragrance and leaves that turn a deep purple.  The tree was buzzing, even in the going down of the sun, with miniscule winged critters .  It was as if they, too, had had enough winter and wanted to stay out and enjoy this warm weather as long as they could.  Whether fruit tree or ornamental tree, they bring such delight to the heart and to the sight!

Listening to the hymn of the pollinators

2017 Canadian Chokecherry

2017 Canadian Chokecherry in bloom

Lavender, also, comes in different colors:  leaves as well as flowers, shapes, sizes and fragrances.  Still Waters Lavender has 26 varieties in its commercial field and I hope, this year, to show the differences in each variety.

May 2017 Lavendula x int. 'Fragrant Memories'

All year long, we would look out our kitchen window and notice one variety that didn't seem to go dormant but stayed green throughout the winter: that variety is Lavendula x intermedia"Fragrant Memories'.   'Fragrant Memories' is a year-round green bushy evergreen lavender with slender, upright stems and fragrant pale purple flowers in the summer.  We planted the row with 'Fragrant Memories' in 2013 and they are now about 3' across and about 2' tall (without stems).  About 50% died the first year and so we do not recommend this plant for Central Oregon because it is rated zone 6 and we fluctuate between zones 3-5; however, we are growing this variety out in our field and you may want to come out and see it for yourself.   It is such a treat to look out in the field and see this green, green lavender holding its own against Central Oregon elements.

May 2017 Lavendula x int. 'Impress Purple

I took photos of Lavendula x intermedia 'Impress Purple' growing next to the Lavendula x intermedia 'Fragrant Memories' and you, hopefully, can see the difference.  I do not take good photos so I hope this will suffice.  While the 'Fragrant Memories' stays green all year round, the 'Impress Purple" goes into its dormancy and is just now waking up.  In a few weeks, it will produce a beautiful dark wine-colored, long-stemmed, oil-enriched bud.  I use the 'Impress Purple' variety for my Provence Layered Wands because the stems are rugged and long.  The only drawback to using this variety for wandmaking is that my hands get sticky from the essential oils it produces.  They make beautiful finished wands that hold up to being gently rolled between the palms of hands as the essential oil is released from the encapsulated buds.   Most wands are made from Lavendula x intermedia 'Grosso'.  they also have long stems and a lovely fragrance.  When you visit Still Waters Lavender and the lavender is ready for harvest AND you should like to make a wand, you can have a choice of either variety, as long as it is still available.


There are many reasons why I love lavender, but one of the reasons at the top of my list is the diversity of this plant.  Whether used for landscaping, such as the 'Fragrant Memories' variety or for crafting with the 'Impress Purple' or the culinary lavenders which I'll get into as it flowers, each variety is beautiful in its own way.

May 2017 Events

Before I begin the dates of the shows for this coming month, I want to tell you that the kildeer are in the field.  We heard them calling to each other about a month ago and saw them last week.  We have not seen any of their little ones from last year but we do have one pair.

Gene and I thank all of you who stopped by our booth at the April 15 2017  27th Central Oregon Master Gardeners Annual Spring Gardening Seminar and Garden Market held in the Middle Sister Building at the Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center in Redmond, Oregon.  We had a wonderful time visiting with you.

Now... on to the events for the Month of May:

May 5-7

Central Oregon Builders Association

2017 Home and Garden Show

Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center

• Free Admission
• Free Parking

• Friday:     10a-5p
• Saturday:  10a-5p
• Sunday:    10a-4p

May 13 and May 27-28 (Memorial Day Weekend)

Central Oregon Saturday Market

10a

520 NW Wall Street

(Located in parking area across the street from public library)

April 2017 Events

Still Waters Lavender 

will have a booth at the following event in April:

Central Oregon Master Gardener Association

Spring Garden Seminar

Saturday, April 15

8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Deschutes County Fair and Expo, Redmond, Oregon

We will have lavender plants to buy as well as many of our handmade products:

Lavender Plants (4" pots)

Lavender Plants (4" pots)

beeswax candle with lavender

soy wax melt (6 melts/pkg) with lavender

Molly-inspired dog gone door stoppers

"kitty kitty" batting ornaments

hot pad trivet

eye pillow

clothes hanger protectors

body butter

moth repellent

crochet dolls

dryer balls (3/pkg)

lavender goat milk soap

Provence Layered Wands

owl sachets

dried bouquet

neck wrap

We invite you to visit us Saturday at our booth.  We will have the newly-printed 2017 Oregon Lavender Destinations brochure available that lists all 75+ lavender farms in the Oregon Lavender Association.

 We make you kindly welcome.

Gene and Bonnie Schmidt

Still Waters Lavender

Sunday, April 2, 2017

My husband and I were having our morning coffee and talking about the day:  "The sun is coming down the trees," he said.  "How far down?" I asked and he responded, "About one-third the way down."

I got up from my chair and went to the french doors.  Looking through the glass panes towards the west, I saw the miracle we see every day the sun shines.  At 6:51 a.m., the sun was down about one-third of the way on the Juniper trees.

April 2, 2017: 6:51 a.m.

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow." 
- Helen Keller

April 2, 2017:  7:00 a.m.

"Every second, the sun converts 657 million tons of hydrogen into 653 million tons of helium by a process called nuclear fusion.  The missing 4 million tons of mass are converted into energy and hurled into space as heat and light.  The Earth intercepts only about one two-billionth of this energy, or about 4 pounds worth of the vanished matter.  The sun never misses so tiny a fraction of its huge bulk, but to the Earth that 4 pounds worth of energy every second is the difference between day and night... winter and summer...death and life."  - 365 Starry Nights

April 2, 2017:  7:11 a.m.

"Following the light of the sun, we left the Old World."
- Christopher Columbus

April 2, 2017:   7:31 a.m.

In the first two photographs, approximately 10 minutes elapsed.  Between this photo and the one taken at 7:11 a.m., 20 minutes elapsed.  I wonder the formula it would take to calculate the distance the sun travelled on this tree line in the space of 10 minutes and in the space of 20 minutes.  In that space of time, we finished our first cup of coffee and poured a second cup; Molly and Toby finished their first breakfast.

April 2, 2017:  7:51 a.m.

Without any calculations of mankind, the Earth leans into its curve as it makes its journey around the Sun.  Without any programming from mankind, the Sun starts to climb higher into the sky and its rays hit the Earth's surface more directly in the northern hemisphere and the Earth responds.  On this day I am reminded of the scripture "The heavens do declare the glory of God and the sky does proclaim His handiwork." (Psalms 19:1)   

I must remember the next time there is a cloudy day and my husband and I are drinking our coffee, the Sun is shining and its rays are coming down the tree line, whether I see them or not.  There is comfort in knowing that.

Introducing New Products for 2017

Still Waters Lavender, located in the beautiful high desert of Central Oregon, is happy to introduce its new products for 2017.  The first product is "Kitty Kitty" batting ornaments.  

"Kitty Kitty' ornaments:  $15/each

 These ornaments are made using 100% cotton batting, bodies are encased with dried lavender buds from our farm, hand-embroidered faces, dressed in embellished hats and capes, and a little tail in the back.  Each one has its own personality and is handcrafted and an original design.

The second product is "Dog Gone Door Stoppers".  These products were requested by many of our customers and inspired by our precious cocker spaniel, Molly.  Each door stopper is made with 100% beautifully lavender-printed cotton fabric, lined with muslin and filled with flax seed and dried lavender buds.  Notice they have the cocker spaniel ears and head, short tail and four legs.  There also is a ribbon around their neck, a hand-embroidered nose and buttons for eyes.  They are 36" long and 7" in diameter.   Just as our precious Molly is unique, no two door stoppers are the same.

Molly "Dog Gone Door Stoppers:  $22/each

The third and fourth products are 100% "Beeswax Mason Jar Candles" and 100% "Lavender Soy Wax Melts."  Both are items of interest from our customers whom we learned to listen to because they provide valuable insite for our lavender farm.  

Lavender scented Beeswax Mason Jar Candle:  $10/each

Neither the candles nor the soy wax melts have any dye or harmful chemicals added for color.

Lavender scented Soywax Melts:  $2/each

We also have the three products created last year:  wool dryer balls, extra-large trivets, and clothes hanger covers with pocket for lavender.  Since 2012, Still Waters Lavender has introduced new and different products we thought you would enjoy or have suggested we make.  

lavender scented or unscented 100% wool dryer balls:  3 in package/15 per package

lavender- and flax-filled extra-large trivet:  $21/each

muslin-lined clothes hanger covers with pocket to hold lavender buds:  $17.50 each

We hope the products for this year are as pleasing to you as those from past years.

Thank you for your patronage.  Please visit our website:  www.stillwaterslavender.com for more information on these and other products we offer or come visit our booth as we participate in the upcoming events.  Our farm opens the first week of July and closes the last week in August.  All the products mentioned, as well as old favorites, will be on display and for sale in our gift shop.

The Evolution of a Product

For the past three years, people have asked if we have any draught stoppers.  These are long tubes filled with sand, beans, rice or other forms of filling placed on the floor by a door or window to stop draughts.  We listen to our customers because we have learned they usually are asking for something that is practical and beneficial to our business.  It took a little over a year for me to Google, YouTube, read and ponder about draught/draft stoppers before an idea formed in my mind on the procedures I would follow.

Eating snackerdoodles with papa after an exhilarating day in the Ochocos

I was coming down the stairs one day and, as I rounded the corner to the downstairs hallway, Molly, my precious cocker spaniel, was sprawled out in front of me, sleeping and snoring her adorable snore that keeps Gene awake at night.  I had the "ahha" moment that someone that preciously cute should be the inspiration for the draft stoppers.

Molly resting after shopping

Molly was born on September 13, 2005.  We brought this tiny, precious little creature home and she has gently ruled her kingdom and we have been her willing subjects ever since.  We would  get such delight watching her sneak up on the songbirds when she was a puppy and "point"... this little hunter had all the instincts of a good bird dog.  One of her stuffed animals was a duck that she would carry to us, roll her eyes and then lay her catch on the floor at our feet and wait for her lovies.   She loved her walks around the block that could take as long as an hour as she sniffed each and every scent she came across.  Sometimes our walks would consist of her leading me so I wouldn't get lost.  She would go about ten feet in front of me, look back to see where I was, wait for me to catch up and then move again in front and wait.  She had the cutest little outfits but she hated dressing up so that stopped because I hated that wrinkled brow that let me know she was not pleased.  I still have her little yellow raincoat with the ducky buttons but that stays on her coat hook and her Hawaiian dress we bought on the big island is in her drawer.

I now had formulated in my mind the look I wanted as well as it's title:  dog gone door draft dodger. I used butcher paper for the pattern, a pencil to draw the pattern and writing the steps as I did them, a cutting mat, a ruler for lines and a bottle for rounded corners, scissors and something to drink.  I measured the doors and, after many trials and errors and a trail of butcher paper everywhere I travelled, I had the pattern cut out and sewed together.  Holy moly!  This prototype prehistoric Canid used a lot of fabric and a boatload of flax seed and dried lavender buds.  This wouldn't sell because I would have to charge a fortune to just break even.

Draft Stopper Prototype

It was back to the drawing board and modifying the pattern again.  I drank a lot of tea between each step!

Scraps of butcher paper, fabric, thread and pins everywhere, especially on the floor, and hours of modifications, I finally had the pattern worked out.    Cutting the material for the modified pattern with the beautiful lavender-printed fabric was exciting but a little nerve wracking.  In the back of my mind, I wondered if I modified it to the point where it lost the appearance I wanted.  I knew what I wanted the final product to be but sometimes surprises happen and not always in a good way.

After cutting the fabric, the next step was to attach the tube and the lining to the body and then the head and tail to the tube.  There are the four legs that are hand stitched with buttons to the body and the ears to the head and the nose embroidered using black thread.  The hind legs have a different shape from the front legs, the cocker ears need to be narrow at the top and broad at the bottom and the head is shaped to resemble a cocker's head.  The legs have a function in that they give the main body stability plus I thought, along with the embroidered black nose, they finished off the little "dog gone door draft dodger" nicely.  Each piece--tube, head, tail, legs and ears--are filled with flax seed and dried lavender buds.

Legs and Ears need attached and the nose needs to be embroidered.

Close up of the dog... head with eyes and floppy Molly ears and embroidered nose, short little snubbed tail, and legs--all with buttons--for stability.  And don't forget the ribbon around the neck.

 Finished Product for 2017

The finished dog gone door draft dodger is approximately 7" round x 36" long and is filled with flax seed and dried lavender buds.  The tube is machine sewed but the ears and legs are hand sewed.  From beginning to end, starting with requests from our much appreciated customers, this is the procedures we used to bring this requested product to you.  Thank you for your valuable input.  We appreciate all the support and suggestions you have given us over the years.

And now, on to the next project--klingy kitties!