A few weeks ago, I sat down to write a blog post about Arthuriana. I got a line and a half in, and I expect that post will be written eventually, but this night, instead, I went on a journey.
Recently, I bought some plants. I wanted some kitchen herbs because I thought they'd look nice in the windowsill (the kitchen window is the only one the cats can't get to), plants are familiar territory for me to explore witchy uses of herbs, and maybe it might motivate me to cook. Side note: nope, I don't cook. I used to bake, but even now that's a rarity. I have an aversion to spending time in the kitchen thanks to a prior abusive living situation, and I'm working through it... hence the plants. But, it's quarantine and still not many places are open, plus it's late in the season now for a lot of nurseries. So, I went to my friendly neighborhood Lowe's (they're not actually in my neighborhood, but my work's neighborhood) and bought some herbs: basil, sage, thyme, and mint.
They're all diseased. Every single one of them. An incurable disease, and I'm rather upset about it. But this isn't about them.
That evening, I had a monthly book club meeting and while I won't name what book we were discussing (none of us were much of a fan), it did inspire a lot of us to get in the spirit to write again. I've had a story in my head for years that I want to write and explore; I actually think it would work well as a visual novel but I have to get it out on paper first. The problem is, I've been thinking on this story for years, and I have a lot of it planned out, but... I've never found a name that fit the main character. So I sat down on the couch, intending to write a blog post (hello!), but couldn't stop thinking about this story. I decided to start prepping for NaNoWriMo-- it's only a couple months away after all-- since we'll most likely all be stuck in quarantine still and I'll have time for it for the first time in years. And that means finding a name for my protagonist.
I pulled out my trusted baby name book and started reading, flipping, reading, flipping. Came up with a list of about 15 names for other characters. But this isn't about them.
Gave up and went to the internet to see if babynames.com had anything to spark inspiration. I want a nature-inspired name for my character; it's a fantasy book but she's more hedge witch than flashy. I looked up "forest" and found a lot of names tagged with #naturename. Looked through them. Liked a lot, but none for my character. Took note of a few but my main character's name remains a mystery. But this isn't about her.
Looking through the nature names, there were a lot named after herbs and flowers. A lot. I've been attempting to fill my apartment with plants lately, to feel a little bit of nature, to have some greenery, and to explore magical properties and uses of these plants. Seeing all these herb names got me thinking. Not about my character and story; oh no, those thoughts were long gone. But about the diseased herbs and the disappointment of that. That I'd have to replace them (or give up). So, my fingertips got wandering and after looking at a lot of herb kits and seed packets, ordered a few different packets. Seeds, which I'd wanted to avoid, but better than diseased fully grown plants.
The seeds I got are: basil, calendula, chamomile, cilantro, echinacea, fennel, hyssop, lavender, lemon balm, lemon mint, parsley, peppermint, rosemary, sage, thyme, and yarrow. But this isn't about them.
These are just seeds and starter grow pots, though, so of course I need full size pots to keep them in after they're out of the seedling stage. Cue another hour of looking at different pots and holders for them. Since Avocado likes to chew on any and every plant he can reach (including fake ones), I really want plant holders that I can hang at the top of the window out of reach of his mouth. I think, ultimately, I'm going to have to make my own shelf of what I'm envisioning, but I need something in the meantime. (And believe me, I've spent many other hours looking for the shelf I want with no luck.) I eventually found some that I actually love, amidst all the white ceramic modern minimalist that's definitely not my style. Purchase. But this isn't about any of that.
An accidental hundred bucks later, I now have a lot of plants, a blog post, and... a character name! This path is a strange one.
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