The month of August was a killer...

It did this to my strawberry garden,

And my tomatoes look like skinny captives of a forced march through the Sahara.

The whole thing made me sad, and it WAS cool this morning

So I gave up and went for a walk with my animal crew.

Fall always calls me out. Like Odysseus and his sirens, I almost need to lash myself to the stove to get anything done.

And so there will be no soap made today, you see it is Saturday, it is almost September, and there is a smell on the air even better than the new batch of Lavender soap I need to take out of the mold--tomorrow maybe, hopefully.

Today was soap cutting day...

this is Gingerbread scented soap. The fragrance will be subtle in the shower, but oh so comforting. There are even tiny bits of ground oats and ginger in there, but don't eat this, really.

today was also soap making day, of course

and dog sitting day...This in not my dog, this is my granddoggy, Lexy.

She stays when her parents travel. I feed her real meat. I also think she likes making soap, so she probably won't want to go home.

The French green clay batch from a few days ago came out very pretty. It's lightly scented with Pure Serenity essential oil, and is pure girlie, too, because of the Calendula petals mixed in.

Today smelled extra nice.

Dog Days

There's nothing like the smell of fresh out of the mold soap! Took it all out to the back porch to cut because the morning was so nice and cool. Finally!!

The dog days of summer are wearing a little thin these days.

So in honor of the cool morning and the fresh soap and the dog days...Maggie and I took a four-wheeler ride, which, by the way, is her favorite thing in the world to do.

And if you show a dog a four-wheeler, she will take your seat.

She will sit on it and get hair and paw prints on the vinyl.

When you finally move her, you will get mud on the seat of your pants.

If you start the engine, she will slobber on your shoulder and drool in your ear.

If you head down the road, she will point her face into the wind and smile.

She will ask you to go faster and faster

and further and further.

She will want to go to Texas for lottery tickets.

She will thank you with her eyes, and often.

And she will be happy when you get back home

because that's how a dog is.

No Reservations

I usually don't add much color to my soaps, and will only do it if I can use a natural product and not a synthetic dye. The healing clays are a perfect example of something I will throw into a batch without reservation.

French Green Clay consists mostly of montmorillonite and is highly efficient at drawing oils and toxins from the skin. It is rich in important minerals and phyto-nutrients and is the most commonly used therapeutic clay.

And enough with the dictionary descriptions! It also looks really neat in a bar of soap.

The green clay layer is actually hidden in the bottom of this loaf.Will post pictures when it comes out of the mold.

Other things I will do without reservation:

get a kick out of watching my grand kids play

give them candy when their parents aren't watching

cry during Hallmark commercials

buy huge sacks of cat food for the barn cats

choose Mexican restaurants whenever I get to pick

throw those little lemon slices out of my iced tea

scream like a little girl when I find a spider in my shoe

Starting a blog, starting a business, applying for a Federal Tax ID, and hoping to not transform my hobby into the proverbial elephant in the room.

Does anyone even know what a Federal Tax number is used for, and if I get one, am I then bound by some unseen force to generate taxes?

I love to make soap. I love to research the different kinds of ingredients and what they do to enhance the product and the skin. I enjoy searching out special additives to add to the mix, like cinnamon, lavender, and wildcrafted mesquite beans which I can grind into powder. I like to stir and blend the base oils in my big soap pot. I like the way the brown apothecary bottles of essential oils feel in my hands, and the exotic fragrances as they pour from the glass. I love the large, five-pound loaf of soap that comes out of my mold a fanciful lump ready for cutting and curing, full of glycerin and healthy lather. Did I mention I love to make soap?

Did I mention I did not love applying for that Federal Tax number? You never know where something like that might lead.