 Even though my dad passed when I was 13, his humor, stories and wisdom live on. This is one of my favorites. Happy Father's Day to all of the wonderful fathers - and others who are filling the role of fathers. We are teaching every day, whether we know it or not.
Half of 8 is Zero I was in an arithmetic class in elementary school and as I looked at the number 8, I realized that "half of eight equals 4" wasn't the only right answer! This discovery thrilled me and I immediately raised my hand to share this with my teacher and the rest of the class. The teacher was neither impressed nor pleased. She was visibly annoyed. By the time I got home, my dad, a calculus professor at an engineering school, had received a call. He sat me down at the dining room table to have a conversation. His face was expressionless (my dad had made a considerable amount of money in the Korean War playing Black Jack and unlike me, had an enviable poker face). He told me that my teacher had called and given her perspective, quite negative, on my discovery, and he asked me to explain mine. "Well, I just realized that half of eight can be zero," I said quietly, my head down. "Can you prove it?" he asked, and I saw a grin cross his face. He knew I could! So I drew an eight, and covered the top. 0! My dad was not angry. He was pleased! And as I looked at the 8 I realize it could be an E or a 3! And if I turned it on its side, it could be an m or a w! It was then that I realized being creative in school might not be well received. Over the years, many teachers wanted me to **memorize and regurgitate**. Thankfully my dad, a Calculus professor, wanted me to **think**. My life would have been very different if he has scolded or reprimanded me as my teacher had. I have often wondered over the years as I've worked with young people, how many times their creative ideas and potential contributions have been squelched. Seeing things in new and different ways adds such joy to life. Note: I realize this may not seem like a good fit for an herbal blog but all of my creative endeavors are influenced by this concept!  Columbine sketch - illustrated journal Aquilegia canadensis Gender: Feminine Element: Water Planet: Venus Labels are on my mind. I’m in an online gardening group and someone recently posted a photo of a columbine. (Quick sketch of a columbine from my illustrated journal above). She liked it, but her brother told her it was a weed, so they ripped it out of the garden and threw it away.
How often do we allow other people’s perception and labels to determine our actions? Are we so dependent on the approval, or disapproval, of others that we no longer trust our own judgment? Doing this with plants is disheartening, but even more disturbing is we do it with each other. Let’s slow down and think before we react and discard. We might miss something beautiful that has value. “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle; the other is as though everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein We are literally surrounded by, and immersed in, miracles. Don’t miss them.  Primula veris
Gender: Feminine Element: Water Planet: Venus The cowslip, herb of Venus, always reminds me of my Dad. He taught me many valuable lessons over the years - this one was humility and a new respect for his wide range of knowledge. In fifth grade we were formally introduced to poetry writing! I was thrilled, and shared one of my poems with my Dad. He praised the originality, but then noted my “iambic pentameter was off”. I was insulted, and not entirely convinced that he would recognize great poetry if he saw it! After an extensive search I found an obscure (I thought!) poem by the master, William Shakespeare. I copied it – omitting Bill’s name – and handed it to him. He adjusted his glasses, began to read out loud – "Where the bee sucks, there suck I” . . . A smile crept across his face and he handed the paper back to me, removed his glasses and without pause continued - “ in a cowslip’s bell I lie . . .” and finished reciting the entire sonnet by memory. Busted! Maybe in addition to being a calculus professor, he had learned a little about poetry. When I see cowslips, I'm reminded to be humble and not to underestimate the talents of others.  Lavender Violets, Mikell Youell Worley, 8 1/2’ x 11" Viola spp. Gender: Feminine Element: Water Planet: Venus Violets delight me! They visit for such a short time in the spring, yet have numerous attributes and an extensive history. Violets will protect you from “wykked sperytis” and will bring luck and love. They are featured in mythology, folk lore, literature and poetry. They have been used to cure headaches, calm tempers, and induce sleep. They have been crystallized, used for syrups and jellies, and candied. There are over 550 species of violets, found in temperate climates around the world. They have many folk names and most of them are reminiscent of sex or love, as they are associated with the planet, and goddess of love, Venus. In addition, their leaves are often heart shaped, giving them a place of honor with the romancing herbs. Like the rose, the color of the violet has great significance in sending messages. Blue violets promise "My love will always be true", and purple send the message, "I return your love." White signifies "I'm willing to take a chance on happiness". In William Cullen Bryant’s poem "The Yellow Violet", he associated the yellow violet with a lost love. In the language of flowers, yellow symbolizes friendship, happiness, joy and success. All violets represents modesty and humility, as they often hide their spectacular beauty under their leaves. Violets are highlighted in many myths and legends. One rather disturbing story comes from the goddess Venus asking her son Cupid if he thought she was more attractive than a group of maidens playing along the edge of the woods. He said he found the maidens to be more beautiful, so she beat them until they were blue. I doubt that it’s valid. She is the goddess of love, after all! Another legend states at one time violets were white, but Mary's grief at seeing the suffering of Jesus on the cross turned them all blue. They have been associated with the modesty of the Virgin Mary, the Angel Gabriel, the Holy Trinity, and Greek and Roman legends and lore. Athens has been referred to as the "Violet Crowned City”. They have also been associated with Napoleon. Corporal Violet (Napoleon Bonaparte) used Violets to |
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The deaths during the hunger winter resulted from a variety of factors. It was a harsh and brutal winter, and the Germans requisitioned food from the Netherlands to support their war efforts, depleting the food supply for the Dutch population. Allied forces implemented a blockade to German occupied territories, and bombings and military action in the area greatly impacted transporting food.
Sketches from my Illustrated Journal
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Narcissus Duet, Mikell Youell Worley, 8 1/2” x 11"
Narcissus poeticus
Gender: Feminine
Element: Water
Planet: Venus
Gender: Feminine
Element: Water
Planet: Venus
The narcissus, often called the poet’s daffodil, has a shorter trumpet than the daffodil. It is often white, though comes in a variety of colors. There are 50 species with thousands of variations world wide!
Narcissus and Echo, a Greek Tragedy
The narcissus is named after Narcissus, the mortal son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Liriope. Narcissus was admittedly a good looking guy, and it was rumored that every nymph in the village, especially Echo, was hopelessly in love with him.
Echo was known to be garrulous and often kept people detained with her long stories and endless chatter. She delighted in having the last word. Zeus, considered the most powerful and intelligent god at the time, decided to use her gift of gab to his advantage and ordered her to keep his wife Hera distracted while he frolicked, among other things, with the other nymphs. Hera eventually realized his plan, and instead of getting angry with Zeus, she became furious with Echo. That never made sense to me.
Anyway, Hera put a curse on Echo so that she would never again be able to speak unless spoken to, and would only be able to repeat the end of people's sentences. This made any amorous conversation with Narcissus difficult. Their conversations were strained and redundant, and he became increasingly agitated when she repeated everything he said back to him. His rejection broke her heart, and she eventually wasted away into nothing more than the whisper of an echo.
The other nymphs were furious at his callousness and wanted revenge. They ensured that when he saw his image, he would fall madly in love with himself. The next time he knelt down to get a drink from the pond, he saw his reflection in the water and fell hopelessly in love. He was unable to move or to stop staring at his reflection and eventually died.
As far as I know, Zeus didn’t suffer any consequences.
Echo was known to be garrulous and often kept people detained with her long stories and endless chatter. She delighted in having the last word. Zeus, considered the most powerful and intelligent god at the time, decided to use her gift of gab to his advantage and ordered her to keep his wife Hera distracted while he frolicked, among other things, with the other nymphs. Hera eventually realized his plan, and instead of getting angry with Zeus, she became furious with Echo. That never made sense to me.
Anyway, Hera put a curse on Echo so that she would never again be able to speak unless spoken to, and would only be able to repeat the end of people's sentences. This made any amorous conversation with Narcissus difficult. Their conversations were strained and redundant, and he became increasingly agitated when she repeated everything he said back to him. His rejection broke her heart, and she eventually wasted away into nothing more than the whisper of an echo.
The other nymphs were furious at his callousness and wanted revenge. They ensured that when he saw his image, he would fall madly in love with himself. The next time he knelt down to get a drink from the pond, he saw his reflection in the water and fell hopelessly in love. He was unable to move or to stop staring at his reflection and eventually died.
As far as I know, Zeus didn’t suffer any consequences.
Planting seeds of inspiration with words, art, and lessons from nature.
Welcome to my Blog!
Do you love celebrating nature, botanical art, herbal recipes, crafts, legend and lore? I’d love to hear about your favorites. I’m inspired by words, the alphabet, and things that begin with the letter v- variety, vases, vulnerability, violets, vintage, vacations, vanilla, and velvet. Do you have a favorite letter of the alphabet? What is it, and why do you love it?
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