Potted up a wee clump of forget-me-not flowers in my great-grandmother’s forget-me-not teacup. Thinking this will make a lovely yearly tradition. And, it’s nice to get the teacups out of the china cabinet once in a while. Maybe an actual cup of tea in one of them would be a good idea, too ..read more

Forget-me-not flowers, from Les Fleurs Animées,  by J.J. Grandville (1803-1847) The dainty, true-blue Forget-me-not flower, or Myosotis, is a European native now naturalized throughout much of North America, including spots in my garden. The name comes from the Ancient Greek μυοσωτίς “mouse’s ear”, which the foliage is thought to resemble. This harbinger of spring and member of the Borage family, prefers moist habitats and spreads prolifically in partial shade along the edge of a woodland. Once planted, they’ll likely always be there! They self-seed readily, but they’re easily removed ..read more

A magic circle is a sacred space marked out by some practitioners of ritual magic. These circles are believed to contain energy that forms a sacred space to provide protection for the practice of magic spells and invocation of gods and spirits. This ancient practice took place in ancient Babylonian and Neo-Assyrian Period, at least three thousand years ago. The form of a circle was sprinkled with salt, flour, chalk, water, or just visualized by a magical practitoner. Ancient Sumerians called their ritual circles Zisurrû. The Zisurrû, derived from Sumerian, was a defensive measure drawn on the ..read more

The sunflower, a favourite subject of painters, is also a favourite plant in many gardens. As a symbol it represents optimism, longevity, and peace. It is the national flower of Ukraine. The symbolism of the sunflower takes us to a deeper level since Russia invaded Ukraine. It has become an emblem uniting the world against unprovoked Russian aggression. All flowers face the sky, seeking their daily dose of daylight, but the sunflower does it best, loyally following the sun’s path across the sky on a daily basis, not unlike one of Apollo’s mythical & loyal lovers. Apollo guards the flock ..read more

Everyone is Irish, today! May you live as long as you want, And never want as long as you live. – Old Irish proverb #HappyStPatricksDay ..read more

The idea of a triple deity or triad of goddesses has fascinated me for as long as I can remember. Three is my favourite number, so I started to research a little bit about the number three and its connection to mythology, or more particularly, triple deities. Triple deities appear throughout every layer of history, back to the very beginning of our current knowledge of ancient mythology, across cultural divides, from the Indus to Ireland. Along with the number three, my fascination lies in the connections between them, from the ancient past and up to the nearer present. A definition from Wiki ..read more

Crocus (Krokos), once a beautiful mortal youth who loved a nymph named Smilax, let his impatience get the better of him, (unrequited love?) ultimately angering the gods. They turned him into a spring blossom. It seems he didn’t learn his lesson re: impatience.  A win for us as the purple, white, or yellow flower he encompasses still hurries, not for nymphs, but to be one of the first blossoms to greet the spring among melting snow. There’s another version of the Crocus myth which involves Hermes, the messenger of the gods. Said to be lovers, and while participating in athletic games toget ..read more

..read more

You know that old proverb, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” I suppose that’s especially true here in Ontario because March straddles winter and spring. It tends to offer harsh or inclement weather, exactly like the kind of snow squalls we’re experiencing today. This is what I’d call a lion! Unpleasant weather in the beginning of the month. As the saying goes on to state, it’s then supposed to become milder and more palatable weather by the end of March.  I’ll believe it when I see it. In the meantime I’ve been fussing over my houseplants. I get to this point in wint ..read more

A few weeks ago I accepted a friend request on Facebook from a person I haven’t seen in over 30 years. I hesitated in doing so wondering, do I really want to go there? However, I did notice he’d become ‘friends’ with a few people I know and like, so against my better judgement I thought why not? I accepted. My hesitation really got me thinking. Why did I hesitate? One conclusion I came to may have to do with my age and the pre-Facebook world in which I grew up. Back then it was normal for a lot of people to melt away out of one’s life. Once one left school, pursued careers, got married, moved ..read more