THE WEB WE WEAVE

Until I moved here, I never used the computer voluntarily. It was strictly for checking email, balancing my bank account, or typing up papers when I had to. Gradually, all that has changed, with the most amazing result. It started when I sent a couple of emails to Pamela Arnosky at Texas Specialty Cut Flowers. I told her about Susan Branch, cookbook author from Martha's Vineyard, who has recently pulled up stakes and moved to sunny california so that she and her husband can garden year-round. They have renovated an old roadside farm-stand and are starting up an enterprise much like the one Pamela and her husband have. I told Pamela that I wished I knew how to hook the two of them up, since they could learn so much from each other. Pamela replied that she had just been daydreaming out in her garden recently, of having an ongoing dialogue with a group of strong women, who happened to be very good at what they do, and which would stretch out over the years.

Next I sent a couple of emails to Sibby Barrett, owner of Onion Creek Kitchens at Juniper Hills Farm, who as it turns out, is already familiar with Pamela because their farm-stand is one of the stops on Sibby's Hill Country foodie tours that she conducts. Then I sent a couple of emails to Susan Wittig Albert, only to find that she too is connected to Pamela. In fact, if you turn to the acknowledgment page of her book Mistletoe Man, you will read "Thanks to Pamela and Frank Arnosky, of Texas Specialty Cut Flowers, in Blanco, Texas, for their fascinating and informative articles in Lynn Byczynski's newsletter, Growing for Market. The Arnoskys' articles have given me useful information about the challenges and rewards of growing flowers for market in Central Texas."

Gradually, I became acquainted with more and more interesting women, who all seem to be connected to one another somehow. I began to refer to them as my livin' the good life hall of fame. I also came to the realization that they were all " strong women, who just happened to be very good at what they do." One day, as I was transferring a journal entry written about the lavender festival a couple of years ago, I realized that there was someone missing from my hall of fame - Jeannie Ralston, the Lavender Queen. I knew that she and her family had sold their lavender farm and moved to San Miguel de Allende, but had no idea what they had been up to since. I went online to see what I could find, and discovered that she had been writing a memoir, called "The Unlikely Lavender Queen." I was hoping she had a blog of her own somewhere, or that I could find some way to contact her. No such luck. I did find a very cool food blog about San Miguel though (see Big Sweet Tooth on my links list), and one of the comments someone had left on it said "Hey Misty, I love your blog! I need to introduce you to my good friend Jeannie Ralston, who also lives here in SMA." I left a comment myself saying "What an odd coincidence - I've been trying to track Jeannie down, and that's what brought me to this blog!"

Fast forward several months, and I have forgotten all about that comment. Suddenly, out of the blue, I receive this email:

Dear Becky:

The internet is amazing. I happened upon a food blog about San Miguel when I saw your post that you were looking for what I've been up to since leaving the Hill Country. How funny!!

Well, I've been up to a lot and a lot that has to do with the Hill Country. I've written a book--out at the end of May--about my lavender growing life in Blanco. It's called The Unlikely Lavender Queen: A Memoir of Unexpected Blossoming. Doubleday Broadway is publishing nationwide and I'm going on a national book tour, etc. It's very exciting. I'll be in Texas doing book-related stuff from June 7 through June 15 (of course I'll be at the Blanco Lavender Festival).

I would love to get you a copy of the book so that you can review it closer to the pub date. In the meantime, you can go to my website and read background on the book plus the first chapter. www.jeannieralston.com

All is well down in SMA. Having a great time, learning lots of Spanish.

Please let me know where you're based so I can get you a copy of the book.

So glad we've hooked up.

Cheers---Jeannie

P.S. And no, we haven't gotten together with Misty yet.

So, you can add Jeannie to my hall of fame. It looks like I will be doing a review of her book for Story Circle Network, which happened to be started by Susan Albert. In all likelihood Susan herself will be the one to edit my review. Thus there will now be a connection between Susan and Jeannie. I have signed up for a "cooking with lavender" class that Sibby Barrett will be teaching at the lavender festival this year, and hope to hook up with Jeannie while I am there. Turns out she and Sibby are pals too. And to top it all off, we happened to go to a pot luck at the Arnosky's blue barn recently, where Pamela told me "Hey, I read your email about hearing from Jeannie! We just had dinner with them a couple of weeks ago." Ahhh, another connection. What a wondrous web we weave. Finally I realize that Pamela's daydream has become my reality, and I am part of an ongoing dialogue amongst strong, talented women, thanks to the internet. I pray that it stretches out over the years.

P.S. The pot luck was a blast, with musical entertainment provided by folk musicians Emily Kaitz (what a hoot!), Bruce Jones, Drew Pierce and The Monotones.