Security. Blah.

While at Hilton Head, daughter Claire (who was visiting from Virginia) and I talked her husband into driving us to our favorite (in that we have visited there twice) greenhouse on HHI.  And I must say here, that Rich (my SIL) drives a standard-shift, which for the likes of me I DO NOT UNDERSTAND, my daughter has never bothered to learn how to drive. 

HELLO?!!!  911??!! Or a casual drive to a greenhouse on Hilton Head Island?!

Nevertheless, Rich is a terrific son-in-law.  He puts up with me.  He smiles at me and laughs at my faltering jokes.  And he teaches me fun things that have been in his brain for a few decades (history of the US and the world, global information system information (should I need it), fun political yin-yang, and much more.  He is brilliant and allthewhile, patient with me.

I digress.  We went to our favorite greenhouse last year and daughter Claire bought MANY banana trees, and she and Rich drove home with bikes and banana trees in their car.  Ha ha ha.  Young love.

This year, I spied a whole lavender field's worth of lavender, on CLEARANCE. 

Really?

Because last fall I had part of our pasture plowed so that I could commence the planting of my lavender field.  I have spent two years propagating lavender for a small, small field.  And this is my year to do it.  So, add to the ??? many plants I have ready to put in my little garden/field, plus the 38 plants I brought back from HHI, and that makes me a lavender farmer, I think.

NO: I DO NOT PLAN TO MAKE SOAP OR ESSENTIAL OILS OR ANYHING ELSE.

I am simply growing lavender fields.  Forever.

And here's a funny:
In addition to the 38 lavender plants I scored on HHI, I purchased three eucalyptus plants.  You know, fom which the Vicks Vapo-Rub folks make their cold stuff.  (I almost made that sentence end with a preposition!)  I wanted to carry-on those three plants, onto the plane.  The TSA website said I could.  I was only carrying my overnight bag, (go back a few posts to read about my packing plan.), and I certainly wanted my carry-ons to be light, and so I took all three eucalyptus plants out of their plastic pots and put all three into three plastic bags.

Well, here's an interesting lesson on carry-on eucalyptus:
Apparently the TSA could not discern what it was that I was carrying onboard, and they pulled me aside.  Ha ha ha ha!!! 

I was ready. 

The TSA man stated that there was something in my bag that they could not identify.    

I said, "Is it three globs of dirt?"

And the TSA guy took a poker-object which also had some sort of "discerning" material around it, (think tiddly-wink made of fine, fine netting), and he probed my carry-on.

Yep.  It WAS three globs of dirt.  Yessiree.

And I was allowed on board my flight.  Which, may I add, was delayed three hours, during which I read Tracy Chevalier's novel The Last Runaway.  I would recommend said novel, either on a delayed flight, or just for a fun read. 

And so, now?

We have 38 lavender plants in temporary planting, and in a week we will commence the "Big Plant".
Happily, we are not farmers who rely on a return for our money.  Happily, we are planting for the beauty of the earth.