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Reflections on Life and Lavender

Rain

4/1/2019

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Living most of my life in Southern California, first in the Mojave Desert and then in San Diego,  I had always wanted to live someplace where it rained more than twice a year (a slight exaggeration, but not by much).   I can remember running outside when it rained, lifting my face up to the sky, and then jumping in a few puddles (even as an adult).  I became a bit of a weather geek, watching the weather forecast constantly, hoping for a "chance of precipitation" in the five-day forecast,  and becoming very grumpy if that chance dissipated, as it often did. The light mist of a foggy morning didn’t cut it for me. I wanted rain, real rain, pounding rain, saturating rain.  Rain that would soak everything, running off of the house onto the pavement, rain that I could hear on the roof and that made me suck in my breath with the power of it. 

When we moved to Oregon, I got my wish.  ​
I wondered if I would tire of it.  I haven’t. It’s certainly been an adjustment...but of the very best kind. Although there are more days spent inside now, I find that it has also opened up time and space in my life for reflection, for dreaming, for planning, for creativity, for kindness.  I spend these rainy days making soap, grading essays, reading books, tending lavender cuttings in the greenhouse, or solving the world's problems with my daughter Lauren over lunch. Mark and I go for long walks in the rain, me in my black raincoat and rainboots, hood on, head down, looking at the road in front of me, appreciating the warmth of a handmade blue flannel scarf.  I sit in my living room with its enormous windows and watch the clouds move through the Douglas Firs on the hill and think about the wonderful people in my life. I am more present.  I am more thankful.

What is it about rain that causes this?  I think it's because when the sun is out, there is always something that needs to be done.  I think it might be hard-wired in us. The lawn needs to be mowed, the garden needs to be planted, or windows need to be washed. The lavender needs to be weeded or trimmed or harvested. But when it rains, many of these things become less likely (though not impossible) and instead I am presented with another possibility: rest, introspection, creativity. The rain somehow slows life down.  

Sure, there are moments when I tire of the grey skies, but I know that the time is coming soon when the rain will go away for a while.  And when that happens, I will welcome the sun, embrace its light, and appreciate its warmth.  I will get busy tending all of the lavender plants that will be bursting forth with blooms and will inhale their lovely fragrance.  But for now, I will enjoy this slower time, listen to the rain on my roof, and maybe head outside to splash in a puddle or two.

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    Categories

    All
    *Birth Days And Determination
    *Chasing Dreams And Letting Go
    *Christmas Letter 2017
    *Indelible Mark Of Kindness
    *On Sisterhood
    *Opening A Lavender Shop
    *Rain
    *Reflections On Difference
    *Reflections On Family
    *Reflections On Home
    *The Light We Lost
    *The Little Things
    *The Optimist
    *The Table
    *The Village It Took
    *Uncle Jimmy
    *Winnie And Bit

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    Author

    Hello! My name is Pam Reynolds Baker and I am a mom/wife /English teacher and lavender farmer located in Dundee, Oregon.  

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Shop Location

Little Lavender Shop
108 S College Ste C
Newberg, OR 97132
Hours: Thurs-Sat 12-5

Farm Location
Little Lavender Farm
11011 NE Paren Springs Rd
Dundee, Oregon 97115
(Farm is open by appointment and for Exclusive Events Only)

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  • Home
  • Lavender 101
    • Our Lavender
    • A Brief History of Lavender
    • The Many Uses of Lavender Essential Oil
    • What is Hydrosol anyway?
    • Lavender and Anxiety
    • Lavender and Weddings
    • A Lavender Home
    • Lavender and Soil Amendment
    • Growing Lavender in Containers
    • When to harvest lavender
    • Pruning
  • Shop
  • Recipes
    • Culinary Lavender
    • Basics
    • Drinks
    • Appetizers
    • Side Dishes
    • Main Dishes
    • Desserts
  • Writing
    • Around the farm
    • Reflections on Life and Lavender
    • Newsletters
  • Lavender Crafts
  • Gallery
  • About Us
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy