Peppermint tea

The spray nozzle was set to 'rinse'. The tall stalks were loving the cool wash job after a long day of toasting in their bed beside the house. When the water hit them, the peppermint leaves loosed their perfume into the mist. I tried to breathe it all in, but some of it escaped. The sweetest of simple pleasures.

Oh, well. There was plenty more fragrance out in the little herb bed. Rosemary, lemon balm and lavendar are potted neatly between the crushed white rocks. When I rub the leaves between my thumb and finger, yummy scents fill the air. It's like an outdoor cooking school with savory, tangy flavors floating around, begging to become sauces and teas. Rosemary chicken steaming in the oven. (Excuse me while I wipe this drool off.) Lavendar sachets scenting my pillow cases, just begging me to rest peacefully. Icy, sweet mint Julips for the southerners.

I don't drink mint julips, but I do love peppermint tea. Sweet and cold, with a few leaves on top for garnish.
My great-grandmother taught me to make the tea before I even entered school. Patiently, she would watch me lean under the porch handrail and pluck several leaves (and sometimes a whole stalk) of peppermint from her patch that grew there, just for me. Then we would crush the leaves. It was supposed to be a paste, but I never made it that far. Strips of fragrant leaves floated over the crushed ice, water, and way to much sugar that she let me put in.
We would then take our drinks out and set on the porch swing, sipping peppermint tea, watching the world go by, with all the time in the world to enjoy a simple pleasure.


Sharon Raines has two book s available: 'Through Mom's Eyes'at http://www.publishamerica.net/product27236.html and 'I'm still the cuckoo of this clock' http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/sharonraines You can also check me out on Twitter. http://twitter.com/ Franks1wife