Today is Monday, July 31, 2023
On this day in history…
1948- U.S. President Harry S. Truman dedicated Idlewild Airport as New York International Airport (rededicated as John F. Kennedy International Airport in 1963).
Spotlight Photo
Quote of the Week
“Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Do what you love.”
-Mary Anne Radmacher-Hershey
Mira’s Photo of the Week
https://www.everafterphotographypnw.com/
Rachel’s friend, Mira, shares her art each week to help beautify the My Monday Memo.
A Few Good Facts
This section is an add-on from Britannica.com. Each day there is a new fun fact in their All Good Facts section. These are a few that Rachel found interesting.
The Pony Express lost as much as $13 on every letter delivered. The business folded after 18 months.
While studying at Cambridge, Charles Darwin was part of a club dedicated to eating unusual food, like hawks and owls. His voyages on the Beagle afforded him many more exotic dining opportunities. He ate pumas, iguanas, armadillos, giant tortoises, and a 20-pound rodent he described as “the best meat I ever tasted.”
According to an ancient historian, in 525 BCE the Persians won the battle of Pelusium against the Egyptians by using cats, ibises, and other sacred animals as hostages.
Kitty Korner
12 weeks old
It has now been three weeks in my new home and I continue to grow like a weed. I look so regal and handsome in my photo, don’t I? My human really missed the mark with my name. I should be called King T’Challa. During the last week I have gotten much better at jumping. I was missing my mark the first couple of weeks but now I give my human the gift of added fear when she walks into a room and finds me in places I couldn’t reach previously. Oh, let the adventures begin. My new goal is to get into the shower with her; my attempts thus far have been unsuccessful, but stay tuned.
– Brady
I have started to do a bit more adventuring this past week. My energy level has increased and I am becoming more playful. My human got us a new toy this week, which I have been enjoying, as shown in my photo this week. I have even started fighting back when attacked by Brady. My human is excited to see me finally put on a bit of weight. She tells me I am a good boy because my poop is now in log shape rather than mushy pile. Amazing what excites her.
– Belichick (Beli)
Farewell to the Jungle
It was a sad moment, full of relief, followed by sugar consumption. With the arrival of Brady and Beli, it was time for Rachel to say farewell to her house plants. She started her plant collection after her cat, Honey, passed away in 2021. She wanted to care for something and add life to her office space. The plants serviced their purpose well. Last week, Rachel visited with Derek, the owner of Happy Duo Cafe located next to her apartment building. He has a beautiful cafe full of plants and artwork. He was all too happy to adopt her plant collection. As a thank you, he treated her to a latte, donut, and one of his new canvas bags. Rachel was pleasantly surprised, as she felt as though he was doing her the favor. The best part of the deal, she can visit her old plants anytime.
Where in the World
This week’s adventure was only ten miles from home to the Crescent Valley Lavender Farm in Gig Harbor, Washington.
Word of the Day
Will you find it?
As a fun challenge each week, Rachel visits Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day when she sits down to write her weekly story. Whatever the word of that particular day happens to be, she must find a way to fit it into her story. Will you find it?
BULLY PULPIT
Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day Saturday, July 29, 2023
Meaning
Bully pulpit refers to an important public position that allows a person to express beliefs and opinions to many people.
Story of the Week
Crescent Valley Lavender Farm
On Saturday, July 22, 2023, the annual Lavender Festival was in full swing in Sequim, Washington (65 miles from Tacoma). Pre-pandemic, the Lavender Festival was a full month of July event in which all lavender farms in Sequim were open to showcase their beautiful purple rows of fresh lavender. In the last few years, this has changed and only one weekend in July is designated as the official Lavender Festival. Rachel has been disappointed in this, as it limits her ability to attend.
This year, just weeks before she would head to Sequim to enjoy the events, her friend, Mira, told her about a new farm in Gig Harbor, Washington (only 10 miles from Tacoma). When the weekend approached, Rachel did not want to leave her kittens for the extended day trip to Sequim and decided to check out the new farm in Gig Harbor. She would not be disappointed.
Crescent Valley Lavender Farm is a family-owned farm that was started in 2015 by Glenn and Diana Liebner and their daughters, Annina and Eliza. Rachel briefly met Glenn but had the opportunity to meet and speak with one the daughters during her visit to the farm. She told Rachel about the conversation eight years ago when her dad told the family that he wanted to start a lavender farm, from the ground up. Why not, they thought. The family relocated, not far, to land that would be suitable for a lavender farm, and the journey began. She explained that once the farm was ready, opening to the public had been a bit slow due to the pandemic, but things seemed to be picking up this year.
This year would mark their second annual event, the “Lavender Bloom.” The Lavender Bloom event is six weeks in duration that the farm is open to visitors. For only a $5.00 admission for parking, visitors have a 90-minute visit to enjoy the farm. They also offer a you-cut option, which allows visitors to cut their own fresh lavender for a nominal price.
There is also a shop on the property that offers locally made botanical products infused with the farm’s own lavender. The shop had a variety of offerings, including tea, magnets, mugs, vases, bath bombs, soaps, greeting cards, oils, fresh lavender wreaths, and much more. There is even hand-made jewelry made by the family.
The farm not only has a variety of purple and white lavender but a short trail, which they call the Forest Therapy Native Plant Loop Trail. Forest Therapy, Rachel sure did like that name, and plans to adopt it for a new section on her blog. Back to the trail… When entering the trail, the first thing you come up on is the Victory Garden. There are signs along the way warning visitors to beware of wildlife and asking visitors not to feed the Sasquatch. Along the short trail were lovely statues to enjoy before looping back to the lavender field.
Rachel is very happy that she learned of this new farm and that she opted to stay local and visit that day. She will look forward to next year’s Lavender Bloom to see how the property has grown and discover any new offerings. She will take full advantage of her bully pulpit to spread the word about the Crescent Valley Lavender Farm, as she found it to be a great spot. The customer service provided by the family was a large part of the satisfaction of the visit. Kudos to the Liebner family for creating such a welcoming and lovely environment. Until next time, be well.
