penandpatience

WRITERS WORDS: “Flowers are the music of the ground.  From earth’s lips spoken without sound.” – Edwin Curran

APRIL 2021 MONTHLY MUSING

THE POWER OF A FLOWER!

This year’s hard winter with deep snows, high winds, bitter cold snaps, tornadoes plus the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic was enough to give most folks a bad case of the “Blah, Blah and Blah’s.” The month of March, already sprung forward, came in like a lion and went out like a reluctant lamb. April is the first month of Spring, but will its showers bring May flowers?  Hmmm…

I muse.  Perennial flowers (i.e., daffodils, tulips, hyacinths) are brave and trusting, pushing up through thawed, damp soil unaffected by human turmoil. Spring flowering bushes (forsythia), their barren winter branches bursting with yellow flowering foliage dot our dormant landscapes with early colors saying, “Hey! look at me!”  Dandelions begin to proliferate in lawns, along roadways not caring if they’re perceived as friend versus foe. The earth awakens with flowering glory every spring reminding mere mortals of endurance, beauty and yes, their overlooked power.

Generally, we don’t think of flowers as powerful, but blooms are more than colorful stems in a vase. Many flowers are edible. They provide food for human consumption.  Think about the notorious dandelions that we remove from our pristine lawns. Yet, dandelion flowers have a high level of polyphenols and antioxidants.  The leaves are excellent in salads, yet we treat them as weeds, dig them up and pitch them away in the yard recycle bag. During the Depression Era many people lined up in bread lines and ate dandelions during this tragic time. Closer to home many cooks and chefs fry apple and pumpkin blossoms into fritters as occasional delicacies. (Note: always research flower edibility before eating.)

There is a saying that we should “stop and smell the roses” as we traverse through our daily lives. Why would we do that? Perhaps it’s because the enjoyment of inhaling a lovely scent provides a brief oasis from difficult situations and transports us into thinking of the good things in life. Rose bouquets are also a favorite gift on Valentine’s day. Growers, florists and retail outlets enjoy welcome revenue from roses grown and sold each February.

Also, there are many flowers called opiates (i.e., opium poppy) that produce various types of negative effects in human beings. However, on a positive note, Cannabis (Marijuana) has now been adapted for medical purposes.  Negative or positive, these flowers have a great impact on society.

Perhaps the most important power of flowers is the ability to provide abundant food inside and outside our country’s borders. I am an avid gardener and get excited when cucumbers, tomatoes and other home-grown vegetables flower and pollinate. (Love those bees!) The result is fresh, healthy food for many Americans with a benefit of physical fitness from digging, planting, weeding and harvesting the bounty.

And what’s not to love about seeing a morning glory bloom on its vine early in the morning while sipping a first cup of coffee or viewing a sea of wildflowers on the hills, meadows and mountains when driving by.  Flowers are inspirational tools. They have the power to lift spirits and bring joy when life hands us “lemons instead of lemonade.”

DAFFODOWNLILLY

She wore her yellow sun-bonnet,

She wore her greenest gown;

She turned to the south wind

And curtsied up and down.

She turned to the sunlight

And shook her yellow head,

And whispered to her neighbour;

“Winter is dead.”

-A.A. Milne

Happy Spring.  Happy Easter and

Happy National Autism Month. Folks, don’t forget to “Light it up Blue” for Autism