black cat superstitions and folklore

I am a sucker for superstitions. I always throw salt over my left shoulder, only pick up a penny if it’s heads up, plant rosemary by the front door, FREAK OUT if I break a mirror, won’t trim the hawthorn tree, try to exit the door I enter, and many more silly little quirks. Personally, I think it makes me more interesting, but some people think I’m just a little crazy and ridiculous (Granny;))!
Black cats, however, I embrace! I LOVE them. We have......READ MORE.

Make a Fairy Doll

My mom made some cute and whimsical fairies for Fauna’s birthday. These fairies can be made with very little sewing skills.......READ MORE.

Will-O'-the-Wisp

Tomorrow is Fauna’s 8th birthday and what does she ask for? A Will-o’-the-Wisp. I had no idea what this creature was until she got out her Spiderwick book and shared it with me. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about a will-o’-the-wisp.....Read More.

Waxing Flowers for Preservation

In the 1840's, paraffin began to be produced in quantity as a by-product of the petroleum industry, and ladies soon discovered that they could preserve fresh flowers and leaves by coating them with this inexpensive substance (hmmm, the beginnings of the petroleum addiction?). Bridal bouquets and funeral wreaths, wax-dipped and glass-covered, were favorite parlor decorations of the "Age of Sentiment," cherished for the memories they evoked. (Info from Making Gifts from Oddments and Outdoor Materials by Betsey B. Creekmore)

In the tradition of the Victorian waxed flower bouquets the Little Ladies and I had to try this method of preservation out! We picked all different types of flowers and leaves to see which would work best. The feverfew, daisy and echinacea did not work very well at all; you need more thick fleshy type petals that can withstand the hot wax.

*Pick a cool rainy summer day for this activity; it will warm up the kitchen quickly!

What you need: soy wax, beeswax or paraffin, (I used soy) fleshy petal flowers (zinnia, tulips, lily, orchid, rose), clothespins, double boiler to melt wax, wax paper, narrow-necked glass bottles, candy thermometer (optional)

Steps: Melt the wax until it shows a temperature of about 130 degrees on a candy thermometer (or just wait until all of the wax melts). Remove the pan from the heat. Hold the flower by its stem and dip it into the wax, I used clothespins to prevent my fingers from getting burned. Dip the flower into the wax, deep enough to cover its entire head.

Then lift the flower immediately and shake it over the pan to remove excess droplets. Separate and straighten the petals to your liking before the wax dries.

Stand the flower upright in a narrow-neck bottle until the wax has hardened. Don't let the flowers touch each other or they will stick together. Let them dry and re-dip if you wish. You will notice that the wax catches in the nooks and crannies of the petals and will leave a thick waxy area. Blot these places carefully to rid of the excess wax.

The lily and orchids kept their colors really well after waxing. The wax just seemed to soften them a bit. Here they are before:



And after:

Zinnias lose their color when waxed but they created a really pretty wood appearance. Here they are before the waxing:

And after:

Don't just try flowers, try deciduous leaves. We also tried acorns, pinecones and grass heads full of seeds. It was really fun. Now to go make a garland of waxed leaves to hang across our bow window.

Enjoy!

100 Species Challenge (#1) Yoshino Cherry Tree

This beautiful symbol of spring lives in our front yard. The Yoshino Cherry tree is a native of Japan that was introduced to America in 1902.


Fauna refers to it as the "Humming Tree" because every year at this time it is covered with honeybees.

Obviously it is an important source of food for the honeybees, but it is also a source of food for many small birds and mammals including robins, cardinals and waxwings.

According to legend, the goddess of spring, Konohana-sakuyahime, hovers low in the sky, wakening the sleeping cherry trees to life with her delicate breath. Consequently, people have gathered under blossoming cherry trees throughout the ages, to offer prayers to Konohana-sakuyahime for a bountiful harvest. Here is my little spring goddess wakening our cherry tree.

cherry blossom shade-

a fox spirit

has enchanted me!

By Japanese Haiku Poet Issa

Keeping the Goblins Away

Did you know that lining mushrooms up along an outdoor windowsill will keep the goblins away? This is true, according to Fauna and her friend Natalie.


I guess you need to dip them into sand first. ;)

I did not know this. However, I do know that I need to clean and repaint that windowsill! Thanks for protecting our house ladies.

Love Note from a Fairy

Araina came to me this morning and said, "Mommy, I found a fairy note for you." This is what she had found..................


A little later I caught "the fairy" writing on Osage Orange tree roots.......................

Osage Orange trees grow on the edge of a little woodland and farmland in the back of our property. They were planted there many years ago as a natural fence to keep cattle on the farmer's land. Some of the roots had been plowed over for a future crop of corn or soybeans, so we brought some home to play with.

The roots flake apart like little sheets of paper, the girls have coined it "fairy paper."

Oh, and in case you were wondering what I caught the fairy writing............................

I Love Dabby.

Rosewater

"The very winds were lovesick," Shakespeare wrote this in reference to the perfumed air of Cleopatra's cedarwood ship whose sails were scented with rosewater. So romantic! Just as Cleopatra was, I am in love with this heavenly liquid! I mean come on, it was fit for a queen, now anybody can go to the nearest middle eastern store and pick up high qualitly rosewater for a bargain price.

Rosewater has been valued by many cultures for centuries for its profound healing properties on both a physical and psychological level. Many different religions use rosewater for purification. We use it a lot in my humble abode....we mix it with our lotion and apply it after showers, spray it onto pillowcases before falling asleep (there's nothing like drifting off to sleep and having rose-scented dreams), and a refreshing cool spritz on a hot summer day is the best! Many of my favorite skin products use essential rose......

I had read somewhere that if you put a little rosewater in your face cream it would make men's heads turn......I did try this (before I was married of course) and it worked, but on the wrong man! (He He)

We can even cook with rosewater. Many cultures from all over the world have been cooking with it for centuries. Shakespeare also mentions the use of it in cooking when Romeo speaks of "old cakes of roses." Here's a delicious rosewater cookie recipe so you can make your own "cakes of roses."

German Rose Water Cookies

1 c sugar
1/2 c butter
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 1/2 t lemon extract
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 c sour cream
1 1/2 t rosewater
3 c flour
1/8t salt

Preheat the oven to 325. Cream the sugar and butter. Beat in yolks, vanilla and lemon. Combine the baking soda and sour cream, then stir into the sugar mixture. Add the rosewater. Finally add the flour and salt. Roll out the dough on a floured surface (the dough doesn't require chilling) and cut with cookie cutters. Bake on greased cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes. Cool and frost with your favorite frosting.

*If you want more of a rosewater taste in this cookie, you need to decrease the amount of lemon extract and increase the rosewater.

These are delicious cookies and would make a great valentine gift! This summer we are going to make our own rosewater. I'll be sure to let you know how that goes!