Dear Reader:

I could hardly wait to get home from church yesterday, jump in some “garden” clothes and get my hands in that dirt. Why? Besides the gorgeous weather…I had found these daisies in a box at Tractor & Supply…and obviously decided I needed some “Becky” daisies in my garden.

All the other flowers in boxes like this one were bulbs… so in my haste to get it planted…I dug my hole, held the bag upside down…expecting a long narrow bulb to fall out of the long, narrow plastic bag…instead I ended up with a bag of dirt all over my shirt and jeans.

Now I had to scramble to find the “top”tiny stem from the dirt and teeny tiny roots…while putting the rest of the dirt back together. All I can say is “pray.” Don’t know if “Becky” the Daisy will make it or not…if she does…it will be…in spite of me!

But then again…my whole garden has survived…in spite of me. I owe you another ‘big one’ God!

As I was planting and pulling off dead stems from more plants…I kept stopping and staring up at the sky…it was so blue…it was easy to get lost in it and forget why I was even in the garden.

A quote (I must have heard in college or somewhere) came nagging back at me….and I finally found it. I remembered it had something to do with special, cloudless, clear, blue sky days that permit us a glimpse of God in heaven. * Should have known it was Lord Byron, himself.

And they were canopied by the blue sky,
So cloudless, clear, and purely beautiful,
That God alone was to be seen in Heaven.
~Lord Byron

I have always had a special affinity for daisies, along with many other people. They are very popular and seem so cheery and sunny all the time. For years I wrote daisy down for my favorite flower on hundreds of “Get to Know You” sheets of paper.

I still adore daisies…but like any good parent…with a garden filled with all kinds of flowers now…I find it hard to choose one over another…especially after planting many of them in the ground for a “shot” at life.

The origin of the word daisy is interesting in itself.

The name “daisy” was derived from “daes eage,” an Anglo Saxon term. A daisy was called “daes eage” or “day’s eye” because these flowers open during the day and close during the night.

Here are some of my favorite short stories and/or anecdotes stemming from the daisy flower.

1. (Roman Legend) (I often wonder if Roman gods ever did anything else but chase young women around)

Vertumnus, ( the god of flowers and trees) like many Roman gods, had an eye for beautiful women. One day, he saw Belides, an innocent wood nymph, dancing with other nymphs. He wanted her, but she had no desire for him. In order to avoid Vertumnus, Belides turned herself into a bellis flower. Bellis is the scientific, or genus, name for daisies.

( You go Bellis…maybe this is a good sign that my “Becky” daisy comes from ‘pioneer stock’ and can survive…no matter how badly planted.)

2. (Christian Legend)

Daisies have their place in Christianity. One legend has it that the daisy grew from the Virgin Mary’s tears. In fact, daisies are sometimes used to symbolize Christ and the Virgin Mary. You will also see the daisy as a motif in artwork from the medieval period as a symbol of Christ’s innocence when Christ was a child.

* This one is my favorite….do I feel a Christmas story coming on….umm?

3. (Christmas Legend)

Another Christian legend describes how the wise men were looking for a sign where the newborn Christ was located. When they saw groups of daisies near a stable, the wise men knew they had found Jesus as the daisies looked like the star that had led them to Bethlehem.

4. Victorian Tradition

The Victorians had affections for daisies. Chanting, “He loves, he loves me not,” while pulling a petal from a daisy originated during this time.

* I have a feeling by Saturday (Valentines Day) there will be many stem-less/beheaded daisies lying around in disarray. 

Today, the daisy continues to stand for innocence, purity and love.

(Information provided by Laura Evans...”What do Daisies Symbolize”)

While looking through quotes (hunting for Lord Byron’s quote used earlier)…I found another quote about stars at night that propelled me out in the garden to look up at the stars and moon last night.

Alas, the clouds, like angels, were scurrying in and out of the stars like children playing hide and seek…I couldn’t get a clear picture of the stars.

So then I went on the deck and took a picture of my garden with all the solar lights in lanterns sparkling back at me…garden stars. It was so beautiful…more than a photo can show.

The interesting quote:

Metaphor for the night sky: A trillion asterisks and no explanations. ~Robert Brault

So until tomorrow…remember: “A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it…it just blooms.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Joan’s latest terrific “pet painting” (That was fast Joan!)

Precious Georgie!

…and our precious Rudy!