DECATUR - Pauline Conyer loves passing thyme with fellow herb lovers.

The Decatur woman shared her passion Sunday with a dozen community members at Rock Springs Center.

"I just like pretty things," said Conyer, who has volunteered at the center for nearly 20 years. "There's so much ugliness in the world."

Participants Sunday tried their hand at making arrangements with herbs including Russian sage, scented geraniums, roses, basil and sweet woodruff.

They even tried some of Conyer's herbal cooking, sampling lemonade, pound cake and egg salad sandwiches seasoned with lavender.

"The food was delicious," said Sue Buxton of Harristown.

"I never thought about putting lavender into an egg salad sandwich," added Joyce Peters of Decatur.

Conyer offered insights about using herbs for cooking, decorating and potpourri.

But she didn't talk about using herbs for medicinal purposes.

That was the specialty for her grandmother, who was a midwife or "granny doctor" in Kentucky.

"She'd go out in the woods and pick ginseng and different things they used to help cure people," Conyer said. "It was whatever she could pick out of the woods to brew up."

Her grandmother helped treat those afflicted by the flu epidemic in 1918.

"She had her own secret potions, for lack of a better word, for the fever and the flu."

Some concoctions likely would be mixed with moonshine and a little sugar.

"Tobacco is an herb," Conyer said. "She chewed tobacco. That was our cure for chiggers. We'd always say, 'Grandma, don't spit that stuff on us.'

"Whatever it did, it helped."

Peters said she enjoyed the class and appreciates the scents, tastes and looks of herbs. She especially enjoys oregano on Italian beef, sage on a Thanksgiving turkey and chives on a potato.

Peters also would put a little lavender in the bedroom.

"Lavender is supposed to help you sleep," Peters said. "It relaxes you."

Conyer was heartened by the response.

"I just like to grow things, and I like to interact with people," Conyer said. "I call it my mental health work because people seem to enjoy it. That's basically why I do it - because I love to."

Mike Frazier can be reached at mfrazier@;herald-review.com or 421-7985.