The Fern
Flowerless beauty
Since 300 million years
Shade and shadows green
GoldenBrodie Haiku 6/3/16
Category: Nature
Musical tree with no fancy camera
A tree grows in Blarney
Musical branches
Imagine fairies playing
Heartstrings and romping
GoldenBrodie Haiku 6/3/16
Irish stacked stones and moss with no fancy camera
Stone Wall and Moss
Gathered ancient stones
Hardness holding the soft moss
Each stone becomes one
GoldenBrodie Haiku 6/2/16
Succulent with dew and no fancy camera
A moist hen with dew
Fleshy hen that has no chicks
Patiently waiting
Golden Brodie’s Haiku 5/31/16
Reflections from Buttercups
Being a kid in the spring was fun for me. I’ve already shared with you about picking dandelion greens for a salad and sucking the nectar from the honeysuckle blossoms. Well, there was yet more to come from Mother Nature each spring.
The dandelions came first, then the honeysuckle and then the buttercups. Ah, the buttercups. We were so lucky. War had not been waged on weeds in lawns at this point in my little life. I was a post WWII baby and folks were busy getting their loves & lives back together, making babies, buying a house (thanks to the GI Bill), buying a new refrigerator and trying to silently put the scars of the war in a place that no one would know about. So silly weeds were the last on the list of people’s worries. This was a great time for buttercups and for kids who had to use their imagination and make fun.
We had to entertain ourselves. Having just a few toys and living in a home that had inside tensions created the perfect formula for playing outside whenever possible. The coming of the buttercups was yet another reason for us to enjoy being out there.
Buttercups grew freely in our yard, but we knew they would not be there for long because our Dad would soon be using his manual, sharp bladed, push-mower to level the grass and cut down our beloved yellow lovelies. Our dolls got to come along. We’d pick the little flowers, leaving long stems and make bouquets of butter. Butter? Simple fun…hold a buttercup under your chin…if you see a reflection of yellow on your skin, you like butter. Seems we always saw a yellow reflection and never questioned the outcome. I wonder if anyone today plays that simple butter pastime. Might be a challenge, as buttercups are not in the picture due to pesticides and fertilizers and lawn services. I guess people just trust their taste buds.
Buttercups are a simple faucet of nature. Considered a weed by many, they are a flower. They are poisonous to cattle and horses. Humans as well cannot eat these little lovelies. Interesting to me that we kids never considered eating them, even though they represented butter to us.
Visit: http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/why-buttercups-reflect-yellow-on-chins to find out the scientific reason there is a reflection.
Wee moments in The Republic of Ireland with no fancy camera.
One little word…..
One little word
One something that made your day
One little word
One kindness that kept the moment
One little word
One special day, one little word becoming three
Happy Mother’s Day
pamela 5.7.16
My Honeysuckle Grove
There are days when I wish I were somewhere else, somewhere other than my usual place. You know, like being in a gondola in Venice or sitting in the natural spring baths in Iceland or maybe even Giant Stadium, catching the California sun-rays or perhaps back in New Orleans eating gumbo & listening to street jazz. But today, when Brodie, my golden retriever and I were walking through the woods behind our house in Virginia, I thought… this is exactly right for us. When I told myself that I was content with walking my dog and noticing nature at its spring best, I became mindful of my surroundings. I got into the moment, and into the Honeysuckle grove that surrounded us with sweet fragrance and lush green.
The bouquet of the honeysuckle blossoms wafted lightly in the air. I remembered back to when I was a little girl. I thought of my kind grandfather showing me how to suck the sweet nectar from the inside of a honeysuckle blossom. I could see his huge but gentle hands delicately sliding the stamen out of the body of the flower while dragging the delightful honey out to meet his tongue. There was an art to this and I was a good student. Granddaddy preferred the yellow blossoms, saying they were sweeter. I agreed. He was right.
So in honor of our honeysuckle grove and in celebration of becoming mindful with little effort, we harvested some of the blossoms. The next day I remained content being exactly where I was, as I sipped my homemade Honeysuckle & Spearmint Iced Tea. My liquid refreshment was a simple and sweet memory drink.
Honeysuckle and Spearmint Tea
Pick about 3 cups of honeysuckle blossoms
Sprigs of Spearmint
Pick fresh blossoms, removing all leaves and stems.
In a container with a lid, add the blossoms to about 3 cups of boiling water. Add a few spearmint leaves. Cover the container and steep for at least 6 hours in the refrigerator.
Strain the liquid through cheesecloth. Enjoy over ice and with a sprig of spearmint.
Mindful Moments
Walk and think
Walk and dream
Walk and realize
The Honeysuckle memories
Pamelalucas 5/1/16
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