Quarantining. Social distancing. Zoom. Facemasks. Sheltering in place. Daily mortality and morbidity reports. If you’d told me in January that these words would become our common language, I would’ve thought I had stepped into an alternate universe.

Things change quickly. We are now instituting our Plan 3-B: closing the store to the public effective Thursday March 19 until further notice. Our hours, as of this time, continue to be Mon-Fri 11-6 and Saturday 10-4. Our Wednesday hours will be effective through Wednesday April 8. We’ll be here to process orders and make formulas and tinctures. Our Pick-Up bin located outside the front of the store will be where you pick up your orders. The bin will be brought inside at the end of each day unless other arrangements have been made. We can also mail orders via the post office. (We don’t ship bone broths.)

As I wrote earlier, we have been thinking this through on how to protect us, our customers and still provide herbal remedies. We came up with a 3 level plan. We’ve been functioning at a Level 2 these past few days (as outlined on the previous newsletter). We are now going to Level 3-A (and yes, there is Plan 3-B!)

All classes and events have been put on indefinite hold.

As I am sure you are all very aware, the escalating spread of the Coronavirus globally and the potential for an outbreak in Charlottesville is becoming possible. Due to this crisis, for the next month we will be open WEDNESDAYS 11-6 in addition to our other days.

The plants will support us through this development and we’re happy to continue to offer them, with some extra mindfulness. We want you to know that we are taking extra precautions to help ensure that all of our visitors to our shop stay healthy.

At this point in time there have been no reports of COVID-19 in the state of Virginia. We’d like to keep it that way. As there are few guarantees in life besides death and taxes, we at The Elderberry have been scouring good reliable herb sites and respected, knowledgeable herbalists to come up with a toolkit focusing on viral protection, prevention and assistance.

Much of it is well documented, is widely available (Elderberry leaves are NOT commonly available as an herb) and can make a big difference on how easily and quickly, relatively speaking, we can get through this. We are all on this planet, at this time, in this place, for a reason. Our work is cut out for us and we need all hands on deck, so let’s begin.

So many garden catalogs, so little time! The catalogs arrived in my mailbox the end of December, but I was still in post-holiday recovery mode. The recent string of overcast, rainy and dreary days brought on a need to have something to look forward to. I heard the whispering of fairies and noted Winter’s slumber had started to lighten. It was time to envision and plan a garden.

Early Morning

The population of the Monarch butterfly continues to plummet….reports the newsfeed. My heart is heavy. I can’t bear to read the article.

Snuggled in flannel and wool, wool hat and socks, I sit in my rocking chair in front of my living room window slowly scanning the hillside tree line for the barest bit of light to appear. It’s 4 AM and too soon for the Winter sun to show, but I sit vigil anyway. I know the light will come. I can count on that. What I didn’t factor were the clouds.

We’ve just walked through the door to the next decade, and it’s been…intense! Janus (the basis for January) was the Roman god of doors, beginnings and endings, and transitions. This two-faced god, half looking to the future and half looking at the past perfectly embodies this time. His shrines were “… used for symbolically auspicious entrances or exits…. These gateways had a particular connection to Roman armies departing for war and there were both lucky and unlucky ways to march through a janus.” (Ancient Origins) The fact that there were both lucky and unlucky (or helpful or not helpful) ways to go through the gates emphasizes the power of a mindset.

Everyone Has Their Own Cannabinoid System

Ready to learn a little more about Cannabis? Cannabinoids were first found in plants and only recently has it been discovered that each of us has our own internal cannabinoid system called the Endocannabinoid System (ECS). This system underlies all other systems including the Autonomic Nervous System. It’ offers both protection and regulation and interfaces with every system in our body.

The Gift of Protection (ECS)

You want to try CBD oil but are confused by all the hype and product varieties. What works? That depends on a) what you’re using it for: anxiety, sleep, pain, etc. and b) the cannabis strain including the amount of CBC, THC and terpenes. This 2-part series covers the basics about the current craze and provides a different perspective on this powerful plant that could be your potential ally. First, let’s get clear about the words.