This is a familiar lyric heard on the radio during the Christmas season made popular by Julie Andrews. In the movie, Sound of Music she sings to the Captain’s frightened children to calm them down during a storm. Music indeed soothes the soul. Another favorite this time of the year are Christmas stories shared. They connect one generation to the next. Many have themes including... Read More
Let’s take stroll down memory lane, a very long stroll. Approximately 2400 years ago, the Salii (Etruscans) of Southern Europe adorned themselves with corona sutilis. This special item was constructed of flowers, more specifically roses, and formed into an elegant chaplet to be worn at a festival events. The ancient Romans wore them to denote power and pride. The Greeks, wore this as token of... Read More
Sometimes the simplest most heartfelt messages are shared in childhood. These memories are kept safely away in the recesses of our mind. It takes a child (or a children’s movie) to be reminded of a song and a prayer for those we love. In this case the 1987 movie, An American Tail, is a story of two mice, Fievel and Tanya. When Fievel gets lost... Read More
As the holiday season approaches, one is reminded of a time of gathering with friends and family. You may be young or ‘older,’ travel near or far, but memories of home return. Edgar A. Guest stated, “So at last I think we always come to see that the hometown, whether it be a great city or humble one, takes its place in the mind and... Read More
Old Apple House in Autumn Seeping down from the cracks in the knotted ceiling, And lifting from the depths of the earthen floor, An oddly released and subtle scent comes stealing From the hoardings of many an autumn gone before. And now afresh the Pippins, Baldwins, and Russets Heaped high in bushel baskets add their scent To linger long in this ancient house long... Read More
For thousands of years humans spent their short-lived existence as hunters and gatherers. The ebb and flow of the seasons was their unwritten calendar. Large animals kept marching forward to greener “pastures.” So, we followed. Somewhere along this ancient timeline was a budding horticulturist with a curiosity of green growing things. Most likely what happened was they experienced tired feet and were really poor at... Read More
Have you noticed? The morning air is growing cool and crisp. Touches of autumn are beginning to envelop the hot, sticky days of summer. Anticipation awaits the dawning of a new season and a certain bittersweet emotion of the sun sinking earlier upon the horizon. Thoughts of color fill the mind – the softening of summer’s riotous colors slowly fading into rich, jewel-tone hues –... Read More
LAVENDER GINGER LEMONADE Makes 6 servings Lavender Ginger Syrup (recipe follows) 4 cups water ½ cup fresh lemon juice Prepare the lavender syrup. In a 2 quart pitchwe4r, combine water, lemon juice and syrup. Add ice to the top and stir to chill (or serve in ice filled glasses). Lavender Ginger Syrup 1 cup sugar 4 ounces crystallized ginger chopped 2 tablespoons dried culinary... Read More
What does summer sound like? There is a definite sway and rhythmic beat to this sultry season. A simple arrangement of 8 notes has a magical quality of transporting one back to a time of endless days filled with youthful excitement and adventure. The melodies pouring through the airwaves evoke special memories. Was it a family road trip with everyone singing at the top of... Read More
Lavender is for lovers true, Which evermore be faine; Desiring always for to have Some pleasure for their paine: And when that they obtained have The love that they require, Then have they all their perfect joie, And quenched is the fire. By Clement Robinson Handefull of Pleasant Delites, 1584 Throughout the millennia this lovely fragrant, purple herb has captured the hearts of poets... Read More
