Its Beginning to Look Alot Like a Lavender Christmas!

As the Purple Ranch Hands are busy winterizing the Purple Ranch Lavender Farm, we are preparing for the Christmas Season as well. All of our products can be sold individually or in ready to go Christmas Gift Boxes. Got Lavender?

Purple Ranch Booth, New Photos

Recently the Purple Ranch Hands participated in the State Fair of Texas and various other fairs in and around Texas. We have updated our booth so I thought I would show you a few photos. Got Lavender?

Purple Ranch Lavender Wands in Living Color

Well as I previously stated, weaving lavender wands can only be done during harvest time when the lavender is cut fresh; otherwise the stems are way too brittle and can break. So, I thought I would share some photos of Bren and Mom actually weaving the wands to give you an idea what it looks like. On average a wand can take up to an hour to weave, but when you have a bunch of people weaving, the time just seems to fly by. Got Lavender?

Purple Ranch as Far as the Eyes Can See!

Today was all about cutting lavender and weaving wands (see blog on June 8th) and with so much fresh lavender to choose from, it was pretty easy. We had a bunch of Purple Ranchers on site today to weave including my friend Jewels. She is quite the weaver and her wands put mine to shame. Actually I am beginning to think that the lavender fields are magical because you can go through and cut an entire row (did I mention that you have to cut each lavender bloom by hand with a pair of scissors?) and turn around and it looks like you didn't even touch it. Bizarre. Got Lavender?

Purple Ranch Moseys to the Waxahachie Gingerbread Trail

This weekend was the 40th Annual Gingerbread Trail and Arts Show in Waxahachie, Texas and the Purple Ranch Hands decided to mosey south to partake in the festivities. As usual, we had a great time, met lots of fine folks, and eduated many on the art of lavender wand making. Since the lavender is in bloom, and wands can only be made when it is fresh, we were able to start making wands at the booth. Many curious people stopped by to see our talents and we were able to teach them how to weave. Since I used to live and work in Waxahachie, I was able to visit with many people that I haven't seen in years....it was like a reunion of sorts.....and I was very glad we made the trip. Also lets not forget the yummy dinner we had at The Rockett Cafe, home of the Best Chicken Fried Steak in Texas! Got Lavender?

Abe Standing Tall

Now how cool is this? Abe Bigoda standing very proud and tall overlooking the lavender fields? He is almost complete except for some cosmetic improvements, but for the most part it would take more than a Level 5 tornado to rock his world. My favorite part of the day has always been sunset and now with the fields in bloom and Abe available, I love to sit on one of his benches and smell the lavender and watch the sky turn the same color. Got Lavender?

Lavender Field of Dreams

Do you remember the movie, "Field of Dreams" with Kevin Costner? One of my favorite movies....anyway, towards the end of the movie, the voice says, "if you build it, they will come." Well yesterday at the official Purple Ranch Lavender Farm Ribbon Cutting Ceremony with the Royse City Chamber of Commerce, exactly that happened. It was straight out of the end of the movie. We were preparing for the arrival of everyone and suddenly we went from having no one at the farm, to a stream of cars coming from both directions turning into the driveway. It was an amazing sight. As you can see from the photo to the right, Abe Bigoda served as a great gathering place and the lavender in full bloom behind him, served as a great backdrop. Got Lavender?

Lavender is Blooming!

Guess what time of year it is? Lavender Blooming Season! The Purple Ranch Lavender Farm is turning purple before our very eyes. The fields aren't in full bloom yet, but within a few weeks, it will be amazing. I thought you would like to see a photo. Got Lavender?

Purple Ranch Tribute to Mandy Puppy

No you aren't losing your mind.....Mandy Puppy was not raised from the dead. This is the official Purple Ranch Tribute to Amanda May II, a.k.a, Mandy Puppy.....a life size ceramic of Mandy that is by her gravesite. It is so life-like that people who have visited the Ranch have actually sat in their cars and watched her to see if it is ok to proceed as they did not realize that she wasn't real. I am very proud that she has a prominent place on the Ranch guarding the lavender and the inhabitants. I want to personally thank all the Purple Ranch Hands that contributed to Mandy's tribute. You will never truly know how much this means to me. Got lavender?

Purple Ranch Sleeper

Well as a Purple Rancher, your job is never done. Some times, we get so tired, we just fall asleep standing up! Ok, just kidding. Here is Bren modeling our Purple Ranch Lavender Mask. It is filled with lavender buds and is used in spas and for home therapy. Bren put it on and wham! she was relaxed. Got Lavender?

Lavender Grapefruit Has Arrived!

At Purple Ranch Lavender Farm we try to be innovative and listen
to our customers with regards to new products and services. One of the many requests was a new soap using a combination of lavender and grapefruit to compliment our very popular Lavender Lemongrass Liquid Soap. Well not only did we create a new Lavender Grapefruit Liquid Soap, but a new bar soap as well. It is very light and refreshing and we have many men customers who just love it! If you haven't swung by any of our booths to try it, you can always order it on line at www.purpleranch.com. Got Lavender?

Purple Ranch Hits a Double Hitter

Today was a double hitter for the Purple Ranch Lavender Farm. Some of the Purple Ranch Hands stayed in the Dallas area and worked the Swiss Avenue Tour of Homes Arts and Crafts Fair and some traveled to the 118th Annual Maifest in Brenham. Mother's Day weekend turned out to be a great weekend for all. If you missed us, you can always order products on line at http://www.purpleranch.com/ or see our calender for details of our next event: the 40th Annual Gingerbread Trail in Waxahachie, Texas in June. Got Lavender?

Ladies Night Out in The Woodlands Included Purple Ranch

Last night Purple Ranch Lavender Farm ventured down to The Woodlands, outside of Houston, for the The Ladies Night Out which is held each year to benefit the Montgomery County Youth Services. We had a fantastic turnout and met a lot of great people. If you missed this event, the Purple Ranch Hands are taken it to the streets once again this Mother's Day weekend in both Dallas, the Swiss Avenue Home Tour and Arts Festival, and in Brenham at the 118th Maifest. You can get more details at http://www.purpleranch.com/calendar/ Got Lavender?

Purple Ranch Lavender Buds

The fields are all a buzz at Purple Ranch Lavender Farm as the first signs of lavender are starting to bud out. As the month of May progresses, more and more lavender will show up on the plants and before you know it, the entire field will be purple with color. I just love springtime on Purple Ranch! Got Lavender?

Abe Bigoda or is it Abe Pergola?

For those of you who are under 35, you most likely don't remember the mid-1970s TV show "Barney Miller" that starred Abe Vigoda as "Fish". Fish was a great, fun loving cop that had a dry sense of humor and wit. Some of you may know that Abe Vigoda, the man, is still alive at the age of 87, but few of you know that Abe Bigoda is now living on Purple Ranch Lavender Farm. Here he is.....
The real name of this structure is a Pergola. This is an outdoor structure, like an arbor, that can be traced back architecturally to 1645 in Italy. It is made of a series of beams and supports, but does not have a complete covered roof to protect from the weather. Instead it has plants, typically vines, that will weave between the wood to create an elaborate array of greenery and flowers. Well Purple Ranch now has its very own Pergola, a.k.a. Abe Bigoda. The reason that I started calling the structure this, is because 1. I have a hard time with the real pronunciation of Pergola (pur-guh-luh), 2. it is a really tall structure so it reminded me of both Abe Vigoda AND Abe Lincoln who were and are very tall men, and 3. it sounded funny and we try to have a good time at Purple Ranch when at all possible. Got Lavender?

Purple Ranch at the Aspasians Art & Crafts Fair

Another amazing day for the Purple Ranch Hands at the Aspasians Art & Crafts Fair this weekend in Rockwall, Texas. We met a lot of great people and made some great contacts. I like doing shows where people come by and tell you how much they love lavender and how much they are happy to see us. If you happen to be near downtown Dallas on the 10th or 11th of May, you can come by and see us at the Swiss Avenue Historic Home Tour or the Brenham Maifest in Brenham, Texas. You can see more details on http://www.purpleranch.com/ on the Calendar.

Soul Sisters at Purple Ranch

As we pass through this life we will meet many people. Some people meet for a moment in time, some are for a season, some are for a lifetime. Some people have friends forever and some have fleeting friends. When you find your best friend, you know it. Brenda is just that friend. Bren and I have known each other since 2002 and were work friends....you know, the type of friend you see just at work and every once in a while you would go out to dinner or something. In 2005 when Bren was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, that all changed. Unbeknownst to us, we became Soul Sisters over her cancer. When Bren asked me why I was there during her chemo treatments, I thought that was odd.....why wouldn't I be there? I never thought twice about it. Friends shouldn't be there in only the good times, but also the bad.

I have 3 biological sisters and she has 2 biological sisters and 1 brother. It isn't like we were searching for another sibling, but that is just what happened. Since then we have cried together, prayed together, had our disagreements together, but most of all we have laughed together. Bren and I laugh at life, at ourselves, and at situations that arise. She knows what I'm thinking before I say it. When I hurt, she hurts. When she hurts, I hurt. When I act like an idiot, she tells me. So if you are wondering why I am so involved in Purple Ranch Lavender Farm; think Soul Sisters. Got Lavender?

Purple Ranch Has Officially Signed Itself!

Today was a great day at Purple Ranch! We put up the 300 pound sign at the end of the driveway. I can tell you there was a lot of praying going on today while the sign was being pulled up into position. I just knew someone was going to lose a foot or something if it came crashing down. It wasn't long after we got it in place and there was quite the line of cars gualking at the butterfly in the air. Soon we will have a giant bee welded in the corner. It feels like we are official now with the sign in place. If you build it, they will come. Got Lavender?

Purple Ranch Products

Since I showed you what a Purple Ranch Lavender Booth looks like, I thought perhaps you would like to see what some Purple Ranch products look like as well. Here you can see our lotions, body mister, linen spray, signature candle, liquid soap, soy candles, lavender wands, sachets, and culinary lavender. Of course you can see all of them at http://www.purpleranch.com/ as well. Got Lavender?

A Purple Ranch Booth

I know many of you are probably wondering...."what does an official Purple Ranch Lavender Farm booth look like?" Well I thought I would just show you. Here you will see our booth a few weeks ago in Tomball, Texas. Everyone in the family is very creative (except me of course since I didn't inherent the creative gene through my real blood line), so they all pitched in to create this very aesthetically pleasing booth, but the real genius was Cliff. Of course he is also the one who created the logo, the signage, the labeling, the webpage.....so it should come as no surprise that he designed the booth as well. Got Lavender?

Bluebonnets at Purple Ranch

I love spring in Texas! This is the best time of the year in the Lone Star State. The temperature isn't too hot yet and the humidity isn't soaring. The wildflowers are blooming all over the place....the sides of the highways, country roads, and of course at Purple Ranch. The Bluebonnet is the official flower of the State of Texas. Now some Yankees would think that it is just a weed, but true-blooded Texans know that it is anything but. Personally I don't know of one person who grew up here that doesn't have their photo taken in the Bluebonnets. So if you were ever wondering when is the best time to visit Texas.....yall just come on down in March or April and you will be surprised at what you see! Got Lavender?

A Purple Ranch Hand's Roots

Well as you know, the Purple Ranch Lavender Farm is a family affair. All the official Purple Ranch Hands are either blood related, marriage related or the best friend of someone in the Hand Family. Well I am one of the latters. My best friend is Brenda, you can see her blog at http://purpleranchlavender.blogspot.com/, and she is one of the blood relations. Anyway, I have been officially adopted into the family and I feel very blessed because of it. However, my roots do stem from another.....my Mom, Julie. My Mom currently lives in NM after many years in Texas, but she really loves the desert climate much better. Recently she and her husband Fred, were at my house in Dallas undergoing her 3rd cancer treatment for mestatized lung cancer. She is a very tough woman and has been through many trials and tribulations in her 70 years so cancer is no different. Stay strong Mom. I love you. Got Lavender?

Daily Tasks at Purple Ranch

It is a gorgeous day at Purple Ranch. It is in the upper 60s and sunny.....about time.....has been way too cold. We are doing daily tasks and chores such as blogging, strategizing new products, and doing farm organizing. Mom is making candles and Bren and Diane (who is the oldest Purple Ranch Hand kid) are packaging products as well. Among the fun, there are 5 dogs running around having a great day. Well not all puppies.....Hope, is not having a great day as she was "fixed" a few days ago and has to wear a cone on her head. Poor Hope. I will place flowers on Mandy Puppy's grave today at sunset........ Got Lavender?

The Infamous Purple Ranch Postcards

As the junior marketing executive of Purple Ranch Lavender Farm, one of my many duties is to hand write out "Thank You" postcards to people that visit the various fairs, events, and booths that we do once a month. I know this doesn't sound too difficult, but when there are over 600 people that visit your booth in 2 and half days, your hand starts to throb and ache after a while. The majority of the postcards thanked them for visiting and or purchasing from the Purple Ranch booth and to remember to visit us at http://www.purpleranch.com/ to order your products on line. Repetition can certainly be fun, but not always. If you happen to be a VIP: a Cancer Survivor, a Red Hatter, the Mayor, the Event Coordinator, or if you just chalked up a great conversation with Mamma Hand, I was asked to put a special note on the postcard. Whew, my hand still hurts! Until the next event......April 26th in Rockwall...... Got Lavender?

Purple Ranch is Taken it to the Streets!

The Purple Ranch Hands, minus the Mandy Puppy of course, just spent 3 fun filled days in the great town of Tomball, northwest of Houston. We set up the Purple Ranch booth with lightening speed (well if you think 4 hours is fast, then we did) and we were good to go. Mom, Dad, Sher, Bren, Cliff, and I were all selling, educating, and having a great time Friday night, all day Saturday and then again on Sunday. We were just pleased that we didn't start until noon on Sunday so that we could attend Sher's church, Fellowship at the Woodlands, on Sunday morning. http://www.fotw.org/default_fotw.asp. Anyway, we met a lot of great people and at last count had over 600 people in the Purple Ranch booth. No we didn't count the leaderhosen that walked in, that is based on the number of people that signed up for our free basket give a way. Of course we could have since there were definately a lot of German clothing to be had......

Each of us have specific duties while we are working a booth. Of course none of these were assigned, we just sorta fell into them. Mom is the lavender queen, so she sells and educates. Bren and Sher are lavender princesses and they are quite the sellers and educators as well. Dad helps with set up, tare down, and running errands for us.....must keep all the Ranch Hands hydrated and well feed at all times you know! Cliff helps with the art decoration, display, signage, and will jump in as well to educate the customers and never doubt at any moment that he will squirt some lavender lotion on your hands if you walk too close to the booth! I spent most of my time as the head cashier. Not sure how I got this job since I really am not that great with numbers, but oh well. During the down times (weren't too many this weekend), I hand wrote over 200 postcards thanking people for coming to the booth and for buying products. My hand is still killing me and the pretty blister I developed will heal in time. Don't you just love marketing?

Anyway, we will be in Rockwall in April, Dallas in May, and Waxahachie in June. So come see us....... Got Lavender?

Sad News at Purple Ranch

On March 25th, one of the beloved Ranch Hands passed on: Miss Amanda May II, a.k.a. Mandy Puppy. She was put to rest on Purple Ranch among her many friends and Mommy. We buried her with her blue blanket that she loved to curl under, her trademark blue collar and leash, her UT collar and leash, many bones, and especially her tennis balls. We all tossed a tennis ball into her grave out of respect for her and what she enjoyed the most......we gave her a 21 ball salute!

She was born on January 11, 1999 in Tyler, Texas and came to live with me exactly 9 years ago when she was only 14 weeks old. We instantly fell in love with each other and the rest is history. The photo above was taken on Easter Sunday, two days before she died. She was still so full of life, but unfortunately cancer had already taken its toll on her body. It happened very quickly and Dr. Murphy and Dr. Tate at City Vet did everything they could to save her and I will be forever grateful to them for that.

I am just now understanding how Mandy Puppy effected those around her. She was such a large part of my life and I took her everywhere with me. In doing such, she became an extension of me. She went to the store (loved getting those cookies at PetSmart), Bible Study, the gym, on roadtrips, to church activities, and especially to Purple Ranch. She loved to run around and be free to chase tennis balls (I would call her tennis balls "Mandy Crack"), squirrels, bees, whatever she could play with. The photo here was her just a few weeks ago, chasing a ball at Purple Ranch. She would do this for hours until you wore out, not her. Below you see a photo of her staring at her ball. She would do this until you played with her....never losing eye contact with the ball. She had amazing concentration.

Mandy didn't know she was a dog; she really thought she was a person. She cried when I cried and then did her best to cheer me up. She was happy when I was happy. She loved being with her Mommy, but most of all she loved being around people that would play ball with her. Over the last several years, one of her best friends was Brian. Brian was my life saver. Due to my job, I have to travel a lot and Brian's home became Mandy Puppy's other home. I used to tease him that when he was in the room, Mandy would forget who her Mommy was because all she could think about was how Brian would play ball with her, but she was always happy to see me come home from a trip.

The hardest part of the last few days, is that she isn't with me and I feel very alone. She isn't around to follow me from room to room; to sit at my tub and wait for me to get dressed in the morning or to go to bed. She never forgot that she needed to take care of her Mommy at all times; she was my protector. Of course, I thought I was hers, so it all worked out. I have often said that I gave birth to her....the front legs were easy to get out, it was her back legs that were the toughest! She had my big brown eyes and big feet. As I highlighted my hair blond, many people thought I looked even more like her. Often people would comment on how thin she was. I would say, "fat puppy, fat mommy, skinny puppy, skinny mommy". We would walk up to the gym almost every day. The walk was really for her, not for me, but I never told her that. As I worked out, she would watch me through the window to make sure that I was ok. I tried to work out yesterday and couldn't....I kept looking out the window to see her watching and she wasn't there. Needlesstosay, I wasn't very productive.

I have always called her my "miracle puppy" because she did many things that other dogs would not have survived. When she was 15 months old, she ran off a 25 foot cliff and fell onto rocks below directly on her side. She jumped up, shook it off and ran into the creek bed. Not a scratch on her. When she was 3 years old, she and I were training for a marathon, she twisted out of her collar and ran straight into a moving vehicle. She shook her head and kept going. Later that year she suffered from heat stroke (because Mommy was really stupid and had her run 8 miles with me in the Texas sun). I hydrated her and cooled her off. It was touch and go, but she shook that off as well. Also she ran away numerous times over the years but always made her way home. The scariest one was when she was 4 years old and she got out of the backyard a few days after we moved into a new home. She was very smart and typically a fence couldn't hold her if there was a lock she could figure out, she would. She escaped and went on a great adventure for 4 hours. I was panic stricken and even called the police. Eventually she sniffed out the house we had just moved out of. She was excited to see us; very tired, but safe. What I didn’t mention is that she crossed a 4 lane highway during the process!

I know that time heals all wounds, but a large piece of me died this week when Mandy Puppy died and it will take a very long time to heal from this. I thank all of my friends and family for their love and support and the many tissues and hugs they have provided. If Mandy Puppy touched your life in any way, please post a comment as I would really like to remember how my daughter touched the lives around her.

Rest in peace Mandy Puppy. I miss you and love you very much.

Spring Cleaning at Purple Ranch

This weekend at the Purple Ranch Lavender Farm was all about Spring Cleaning. We finished painting the exterior of the house (sure do love climbing a 50 foot ladder and hanging from the rooftop), pulled weeds in the garden, flower beds, and lavender fields. The wildlife is coming back as well......bees, fire ants, wasps, ladybugs, and the bunnies that live under the Purple Ranch Store. We planted some new baby lavender plants to replace some that didn't make the winter that will eventually grow into large, flowering plants by the summer. In a few weeks, we will plant the additional 300 lavender plants that need to get into the ground before summertime and a good time will be had by all! Got Lavender?

Mandy Puppy

Brenda's husband, Jerry, is the VP of Pet Handling. On Bren's Blog, http://purpleranchlavender.blogspot.com, you can see a great story on the life and times of Jerry's job. Anyway, one of the dogs that he doesn't watch is my 78 pound yellow labrador named Amanda May, a.k.a., Mandy Puppy. She is my baby girl. Ok, not really a baby anymore because she is 9 years old, but don't tell her that. She has been my confidante, my friend, my daughter, my roommate and the one who knows absolutely every secret I have. She has seen me laugh and cry more than anyone else on Earth. I can't imagine my life without her. Most of the time she thinks that she is a human and every once in a while she acts like a dog. Unfortunately that is typically around her eating habits. Just recently she decided to eat an entire bowl of rat poison. Who knew that rat poison would be tasty? I am a devout Christian and never doubt miracles and God's presence, but if you do, keep reading.

Mandy Puppy historically will eat anything she can get her mouth on; her current favorite is cat poop she finds in the ally behind my house...gross! Because she isn't a puppy, I don't watch her 24/7. Due to this, she could pretty much eat whatever she wants to and I would never be the wiser. A couple of weeks ago, Mandy Puppy had wandered off from me. Within a few minutes I looked up and she was gone. I went looking for her...why? I felt the Holy Spirit telling me that Mandy was in danger. Within seconds I caught her eating some rat poison that had been recently put down due to too many mice in the area. I was very calm. Less than an hour later, she had been forced to throw up and had charcoal put down her throat...I didn't do this, the late night emergency vet clinic did. The vet told me that she would have shown no signs for at least two days and then she just would have dropped dead. This is actually very common. Good to know. The only residual is that she has to take Vitamin K for a month. Why did I catch her at the exact moment that I did? Praise God! Mandy Puppy is part of the Lavender Ranch Hands and would have been truly missed had this turned into a tragedy. Got Lavender?

Bug Inspector

All the Purple Ranch Hands have "Titles" on the farm and one of my many titles at Purple Ranch is "Bug Inspector". I'm sure most people would think this is because I have a degree in entomology; oh contraire. Personally I don't like bugs, rodents, or things that go bump in the night. The reason that I have this dubious title is because if there is a bug on the 8 acres called Purple Ranch, it will find me. I don't know how this happens, but every bee or fire ant hunts me down to sting me if at all possible. For those of you who aren't from the Great State of Texas, we have these awesome insects that come straight from Satan called fire ants. They serve absolutely no purpose on Earth except to make people's lives miserable. They build large mounds where ever they choose to and if you disturb them, they bite you immediately. These bites aren't like a mosquito, but more like a lightning bolt of pain. You are now saying to yourself.....really, a little bitty ant? Oh yes, trust me, when it bit me on the nose, I knew within a nano second what it was due to the shear pain it inflicted on my face! I mean honestly have you ever known anyone to get bit by a fire ant on their nose? Now how did I do this? I was mowing the yard around Purple Ranch and I leaned down to move a potted plant. The ant leaped a 1000 times its size in my direction and bit me on the nose. Really. That's my story and I'm sticking to it....... Got Lavender?

2005 National Football Champions

The University of Texas at Austin. This doesn't really have anything to do with Purple Ranch Lavender Farm, but hey, Texas hasn't won a National Championship in Football since 1970 so I can't help but be very proud of my team!

Fun Filled Weekend at the Farm

Another great time at Purple Ranch Lavender Farm this weekend! It is amazing to me how we all have the same personalities….give us a deadline and we WILL meet it! Mom told us a few days ago a reporter with The Herald Banner was coming out to interview all of us and take photos of Purple Ranch. To get us "reporter ready" there were a few things that we needed to accomplish first. So over a day and a half, the entire family (minus Sher) pitched in to clean the yard, haul off farm equipment, clean the store, and try to raise the Purple Ranch Lavender Farm sign. Oh, did I mention that we needed to paint the exterior of the store as well? Hey, we liked the challenge. So as the sun was setting in the Texas sky, Brenda and I were on on ladders painting the last of the sage paint on the upper trim of the store. Of course I have no idea if we got the sage on the white or the white on the sage at this point, but hey, it was painted. We did get it done just in time. Mom planted flowers in the beds after all of us placed a new patio in front of the store. Never a dull moment at Purple Ranch Lavender Farm. Got Lavender?

At the farm

Lavender Farm Thriving in North Texas

ROYCE CITY, TX – The Purple Ranch Lavender Farm is thriving in North Texas where just a few years ago, June Hand, owner was told that the dark, Texas clay would not sustain growth.
“We are so pleased that our lavender fields are doing so well. We have had several set backs with too much rain, but overall our lavender is flourishing”, said Hand. Purple Ranch Lavender Farm is located in Royse City, about 45 minutes outside of Dallas, Texas. It specializes in high-quality lavender products such as soaps, bath salts, candles, linen spray, oil, tea bags, wands, and more.

Hand said, “I have always dreamed of owning and running my own business and with a life-long interest in plants and flowers, this is definitely a dream come true.” Purple Ranch Lavender Farm became reality in 2003 with just two hundred plants and has grown to over 600+ today.

“Over the years, we have had our trials and tribulations, losing 75% of our crop the first year, but we were all very determined to make the lavender farm work”, expressed Hand. On Mother’s Day weekend, 2007, 500 more plants were planted. “We had to change the soil to get the proper mixture of sand, dirt, and gravel to make it work, but with the whole family converging on the farm to plant we succeeded.”

After harvesting the lavender, the Hand Family creates hand-made products. “Almost everything that we sell is made from the lavender grown on the farm. Purple Ranch has been a family labor of love with all of us preparing and planting the harvest, to creating and selling the finished products.” At least once a month, they sell their lavender products at craft fairs, business expos, local chamber events, or festivals in and around Texas. Custom baskets, special events and orders can be placed on-line at www.purpleranch.com. The Purple Ranch Lavender
Store is now open in Royce City, Texas.

This just goes to prove that dreams really can come true!

For more information about Purple Ranch Lavender Farm, please visit http://www.purpleranch.com/, Got Lavender?