A Ramble in Lavender Fields

Last Saturday, a fine Michigan July day, I drove about twenty minutes north east to a lavender farm I'd heard about. These kinds of places being in short supply in my neighborhoods I thought I'd better take this one chance to see one. It was tiny and intoxicating - for the bees, I mean. They hummed in a loud sort of way the whole time and judging by their frenetic activity, they were storing up for a cold hibernation. Then again it could've been for sheer joy. 

When you come to the farm, they give you a twist tie, a scissors, and send you out into the fields with instructions for how to cut lavender. Lavender apparently must be cut a certain way to be happy. It's somewhere below the first leaves and above the second joint, and this is all to be accomplished without getting stung. 

If the twist tie can close around the bunch of stems, you pay $5. Genius. So therefore accordingly armed with instructions, camera and gear I set out; all the while I dreamed I was in France. 

It took me a good hour and a half to gather enough stems, but that was because I daydreamed more than I picked. No wonder my family used to get frustrated with me when it was time to get work done. I've (mostly) managed more focus these days. 

Visit a Lavender farm. Check. Now for the fields of Provence. I have this wild idea that it would be fun to get together a group of ladies, rent a small villa, and spend about 5 days wondering around Sault. 

Perhaps the daydreaming will be to some good purpose yet. Meantime, should you find yourself in MI in July...  the map is below.