August 30: In some traditions, this was the day the dove flew back to the ark, bearing an olive branch, token of peace and renewed life.

September 1: Traditional saying: "Fair weather the first of September, fair for the month."

September 4: Eat an Extra Dessert Day (did you need permission?).

September 6: Read a Book Day.

Isn't it funny How a bear likes honey? Buzz, buzz, buzz, I wonder why he does. —A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh, 1926

Flavored honeys are among the easiest and most delicious herbal treats—and they make wonderful gifts, too. Many different herbs, spices, and herbs and spices in combination can be used to flavor honey. (Please don't give honey to children under 12 months. Read why.)

Here are some ideas to experiment with. To each cup of honey, use one of the following herbs, in the approximate amounts suggested. Or you can combine herbs—if you do, reduce the amounts proportionally (for example, 2 cinnamon basil leaves and 2 cinnamon sticks):

To each cup of honey, add one:

• ½ cup fragrant rose petals
• 4 tablespoons fresh lavender flowers
• 3-4 lemon or rose geranium leaves
• 3 sprigs rosemary
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 4 cinnamon basil leaves
• 4-5 cinnamon sticks
• 3 teaspoons orange zest or lemon zest

Lots more things you can do with honey:

• Honey: Nature's Wonder Ingredient, by Jenni Fleetwood
• Honey: More than 75 Delicious and Healthy Recipes, by Avnar Laskin

Learn more about bees and their wonderful creation from a wonderful book: Robbing Bees: A Biography of Honey, by Holley Bishop. You'll never look at a bee in the same way again—guaranteed!

The richest gift. "The olive tree is surely the richest gift of heaven," Thomas Jefferson said. We think of the olive branch as a symbol of peace and renewal, but it has been much more than that. Go here to discover some fascinating facts about olives. And to learn how olive oil has been used for food, medicine, magic, beauty, and religious ritual, read The Passionate Olive: 101 Things to Do with Olives, by Carol Firenze.

For that extra dessert (you weren't going to pass it up, were you?), here's a hot number: Ruby's Hot Lips Chocolate Cupcakes. Bet you can't eat just one!

Celebrate Read a Book Day by reading the first book in Susan's new mystery series, The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree. "Great period detail...sure-footed sleuthing." —Publishers Weekly And if the recipes in the book leave you hungry for more—well, that's easy. Check out these Southern favorites.

Hello, Houston. Susan will be visiting your favorite mystery bookstore, Murder by the Book, on September 12. Fun, books, and door prizes, too. Y'all come!

Visit Bill Albert's woodwright website and see the gallery of vases and bowls he creates in his Texas Hill Country workshop. He's just posted some new items with different designs, so if you've visited before, there's something new to see. Bill is Susan's husband and the co-author of the historically-rich Robin Paige Victorian-Edwardian mysteries you have enjoyed over the years. His wood artistry is outstanding.

Register your book club with Susan's Book Club Friends, and become eligible to participate in contests and giveaways. Libraries, this is for you, too!

For more about herbs and the passing seasons, read China Bayles' Book of Days.

To find out what's going on in Susan Albert's life in the Texas Hill Country, read Susan's blog.

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