Floriography, by Gina Margolies

Every spring the fairies come out to play. After the long barrenness of winter, our enchanting friends revel in the new warmth with exuberant joy.  Many tales and stories reveal how the magical realm welcomes spring. The fairy mothers in “The Legend of the Fairy Tulips” rock their springtime babies in newly-blossomed flower cradles. The fairies in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream celebrate the arrival of springtime with dancing and merrymaking. The flowing green Spring Sprite from Fantasia 2000 soars over the barren earth to call forth new life. These stories and so many others capture the gush of magic...

March’s Birthday Blossom is the sunny daffodil. Because of when it blooms, the daffodil is one of the quintessential symbols of spring, so much so that daffodils seem to bring the very warmth of spring sunshine with them.   The daffodil is the national flower of Wales. The Welsh wear it on March 1 to celebrate their patron, Saint David, heralding the soon to arrive spring. In England the daffodil is referred to as the Lenten lily. In Germany, the word for daffodil, osterblocke, actually means Easter bell. In China it is a popular symbol of the New Year In the...

I wandered lonely as a Cloud That floats on high o’er Vales and Hills, When all at once I saw a crowd A host of dancing Daffodils; Along the Lake, beneath the trees, Ten thousand dancing in the breeze. The waves beside them danced, but they Outdid the sparkling waves in glee: A poet could not but be gay In such a laughing company: I gaz’d - and gaz’d - but little thought What wealth the whew to me had brought: For oft when on my could I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward...

Food for Thought - Purification      Purification might seem an odd topic for a month so strongly associated with boxes of chocolate, but its significance stems from the root of the word February. Like so much of our language, the English word February is derived from a Latin word. The Roman month of Februarius had the festival called the Februa or the Februatio festival, which took place on the 13th to 15th days of this month. The festival was one of ritual purification. Maybe this was the Roman way of detoxing after the holidays? A jump start on spring...

     Mistletoe is a traditional part of Christmas decorating in many American homes. Which is actually kind of funny as mistletoe is a parasite. Not a particularly festive or romantic thought, but true. The plant commonly grows on trees by attaching itself to the branches. It survives by penetrating the branches of the host plant and absorbing water and nutrients.        Many of our ancient ancestors revered mistletoe although the reason for their reverence can be a bit murky. The Druids held mistletoe in great esteem and believed the tree on which it was found, generally the...