Monkey see, Monkey do.

Well, the trepidation is over. The pre-visit worry that a five-year-old gourmet might reject my meager offerings was quickly dashed when she said "OhIrememberthis place, youhaveapool,canIswim?Isthisbread?Ilikethepearsyourdogiscutewhatisthisplant?CanItaketheseedsoutwewentcamping
canIhavesomelemonade."

I was pretty sure she was comfortable. Iris is a truly engaging, precocious, poised, self-confident blue-eyed sweetie. Her parents were ok, too.

I thought I'd give her an aromatic visit to the herb garden to wow her olfactory senses. I grabbed an obscure green leaf, crushed it gently in between my fingers, "Do you know this herb?" She smelled it and said "OH, That is Lemon Balm." Then she went on to correctly identify, Tarragon, Sage, Fennel, Parsley-differentiating between curly and flat leaf, Oregano, Thyme, Tomato, Chard, Beet, Zucchini, Acorn Squash, Raspberry, Chive, Basil, blueberry and strawberry.

Not to be shown up by a learned child, I grabbed some catnip, mixed it with poison oak, and said, "Smell this!"
She said, "Do I look stupid?"

Her beaming parents loaded her into the car, thanked us for the visit, and drove off to Grandma's house.

I'm having a sip of the new vintage McCarthy's single malt beverage made by Clear Creek Distillery , and watching the alpine glow on Mt. Hood.