The letter H

[vaneramos]

lisalemonjello assigned me the letter H. I have to choose ten things that begin with H and write what I like about them. I will assign a letter to anyone who comments on this post.

This is going to be Hard.

1. Harrow, the town of 2,400 people where I went to school from grade 3 to 13. There were some things I didn't like about the place. On the bright side, it was situated as far south in Canada as you can possibly go, near the 43rd Parallel. The summers are long enough and winters mild enough to grow apricots commercially. Colio Estate Wines makes an excellent Cabernet-Merlot. A memorable country fair is held on Labour Day weekend.
   
2. Herbs. As a teenager I took an interest in the lore of herbs and started growing them from seeds ordered from Stokes Seed catalogue. I was fascinated with herbal medicine, but was more interested in growing, collecting and identifying them in the wild than in actually using them. I still like to cook with herbs, and plan to help with the herb garden in the community gardens this summer. A few of my favourite herbs are lemon balm, pineapple sage, lavender, lovage, basil and wintergreen.
   
3. Hair. I like it on men. Facial hair matters more than body hair, and really it's the look that turns me on as much as the feel. Although I adore silky head hair for stroking, and dark is my favourite. By the way, Danny has wonderful, soft, glossy, dark brown hair.
   
4. Haliburton Highlands. Haliburton County is part of Ontario's cottage country, and my family's cottage in the northern part is simply the most heavenly place I know. A few things I like about it are swimming, sunsets, birdwatching, wildflowers and the forest.
   
5. Hemlocks. The largest trees around our cottage are Eastern Hemlocks. I love hugging their rough bark, and the soft litter of needles and tiny cones underneath.
   
6. Hard cider. A pint of Strongbow cider is my drink of choice. It's sweeter and more refreshing than beer. Unfortunately its acidity has been bothering me lately.
   
7. Hiking. One of my favourite pastimes. I like to see the flow of the landscape, and watch for interesting wildflowers, trees and birds. Ontario offers excellent hiking opportunities, especially the Bruce Trail along the Niagara Escarpment, but I have excellent trails to choose from right here in Guelph.
   
8. Hors d'ouevres. My favourite part of a meal! Some of my favourite foods are escargot, a fruit plate, or simply cheese and crackers. It's fun to sit around chatting with friends and graze on finger food.
   
9. Horses. I started taking riding lessons at the age of eight and continued to the age of 13, when I broke my arm in a riding accident. I've rarely ridden a horse since, but am still fond of them. Of all domestic animals, horses seem the most like humans in their sensitivity and range of emotions.
   
10. Hypnagogic states. The state between being awake and falling asleep. Sometimes as I'm falling asleep I experience lucid dreams, in which I know I'm dreaming and can control what happens.
    
    

Comments

[artricia.livejournal.com]

I'm growing lemon balm, lavender, and basil right now, as well as a couple of mints (but not wintergreen).

I'm wondering what exactly to do with lemon balm and lavender, other than sniff.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

I like lemon balm tea, and it's nice to mix with other herbs for that purpose. You can use it as seasoning anywhere you would use lemon, for example fish and dressings. But it's best to use fresh; it loses much of its fragrance when dried.

Lavender does not have many culinary uses, although I occasionally mix it with other herbs in tea, and I have a lavender cookie recipe. The nice thing about lavender is it keeps its fragrance so well when dried, so it's green in potpourri.

You have the letter C.

[vavaverity.livejournal.com]

I can relate to everything except maybe 1,3, & 4. :)

Sure, I'll play. Toss me a letter!

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

To a Scrabble player, I give the letter N!

[capitalcor.livejournal.com]

Me please

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Okay, you are S.

[tim-e-bear.livejournal.com]

Ah, horses. In addition to being my favourite Patti Smith album, I have such fond childhood memories of the white horse with blue eyes on the farm of my father's cousin in PEI. A very flatulent horse - but, as a child, I found that amusing. :)

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

The first horse I rode was a buckskin named Sonny. Later I went to a riding school where I had a variety of mounts. The one that broke my arm was named Bunny Bounce.

You can have the letter M.

[dencoartist.livejournal.com]

I'm game...whattya got for me? :)

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

The letter D!

[thewindrose.livejournal.com]

I have an area all plotted out for our summer herb garden. I love cooking with herbs, and I love throwing handfuls of fun things in salads - a few mint leaves, some fresh basil, that kind of thing.

I'll take a letter too - this sounds like fun.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

The community garden I'm joining has a cool perennial herb garden I plan to help with. I also intend to grow basil and dill in my own plot. Fresh herbs are one of summer's simple pleasures.

Take the letter L.

[hankdmoose.livejournal.com]

I know I'm showing up a touch late, and that you I'm not one of the journals you frequent, but this sounds interesting. Gimme a letter, and I'll x-post my entry as a reply here if you'd like.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Never too late. Your letter is R.

[hankdmoose.livejournal.com]

This was a fun exercise. I've finally managed to compile my list. It is here if you would like to have a look.