Aphrodisiacs, Love Potions, Philters and Charms

Aphrodisiacs, Love Potions, Philters and Charms
Cheryl Nolan
Jan/Feb '07 issue The Essential Herbal

She bent down and turned around and gave me a wink;
she said "I'm gonna mix it up right here in the sink."
It smelled like turpentine and looked like Indian ink
I held my nose, I closed my eyes.........I took a drink!

I didn't know if it was day or night;
I started kissing everything in sight.
But when I kissed a cop down on 34th and Vine
He broke my little bottle of Love Potion # 9.

Song by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Recorded first in 1959 by "The Clovers"

When I hear the words love potion, I always think of this song. I remember singing along to this tune when I was a kid. History abounds with strange superstitions concerning herbs and foods that are sure to enhance your love life! Whether you believe in the power of aphrodisiacs or not there is no disputing the fact that a healthy libido has been of the utmost importance to man since the beginning of time.
In the past when a balanced diet may have been hard to come by, the nutritional boost to the body after consuming certain reputed aphrodisiacs may indeed have stimulated a person’s sexual vigor. One well known aphrodisiac was said to be a favorite of Casanova's. Supposedly he ate 50 raw oysters each morning in the bath with his favorite lady love of the moment. We now know that these lust producing mollusks are a rich source of zinc, a mineral required for the production of testosterone. In the process of studying herbs I found that the "Doctrine of Signatures" was also used in the treatment of sexual dysfunction through the consumption of foods. In other words, foods or herbs shaped like certain human body parts were thought to enhance a person’s bedroom ability! Watch out if you find yourself eating asparagus, oysters, chili peppers, peaches, ginseng roots, carrots, apricots, figs, bananas or okra!
Ancient herbalists prescribed the use of many herbs as a way to "provoketh bodily lust." Some of their favorites were clary sage, lady's bedstraw, chervil, flax seed, anise seed, nettle, chamomile, mint, watercress, oregano, coriander seed, parsley, basil, plantain, myrtle, patchouli, ylang ylang and dill.
The reputed efficacy of "alleged" aphrodisiacs has always fascinated me, so over the years I have collected a number of strange and unusual concoctions. Following are many examples of medieval lore, gypsy beliefs, love potions, love philters and even a few old wives tales that are believed to be advantageous in the art of seduction. Of course I'm excluding the ever popular rhinoceros horn and Spanish fly!!!!

*Cleopatra was believed to have dissolved pearls in vinegar as a drink
to enhance her seductive powers.
*Add dill seed to any drink and you've concocted a powerful aphrodisiac.
*Sprinkle lovage in your bathwater, after soaking in the tub for a while you will be irresistible.
*To insure faithfulness, steep cumin seed in wine.
*If you kiss anyone with a bit of valerian in your mouth you will definitely win the one you love.
*A pinch of coriander in a glass of hot mulled cider or hot mulled wine will increase passions.
*The next time you write your loved one a letter, slip a bay leaf into the envelope and their love for you will double.
*An old gypsy belief instructs a woman to sprinkle dried lavender or passion flower into a man’s hatband so he will always think of her.
*Sprinkling lavender under your loved ones bed means that you will be sharing it soon.
*Keep dried vervain flowers under your pillow to bring luck and love.
*Rosemary is a symbol of fidelity, friendship and remembrance.
*If you chew on caraway seed’s while you think of the one you love, they will become yours.
*If a man desires to be irresistible, he should approach his intended with a bit of sage under his tongue.
*Sprinkle lovage over your loved one's food ten minutes before it is finished cooking and it will increase his love for you and encourage his faithfulness.
*Your hearts desire will always be yours if you secretly sprinkle chicory root into his drink.
*Take a warm bath with a cup of rose petals and a teaspoon of dill seeds to attract a lover.
*Offer the one you yearn for a sprig of basil, if they accept it they are yours forever.
*If you worry about a loved one straying, tie 3 laurel leaves to the foot of the bed, he'll be blind to everyone but you.
*To arouse passion keep a sachet of lovage, orris root, lavender and southernwood in your pocket.
*Sprinkle cinnamon on any food to produce amorous thoughts. *If you chew on caraway seeds while you think of the one you love, they will become yours.
* A man who wears amethyst will find women attracted to him.
* Egyptians banned celibate priests from consuming onions because of their libido enhancing powers.
*Grated lemon peel steeped in wine is supposed to be a powerful sexual stimulant. But then, anything steeped in wine is going to lower your inhibitions!
* Sweet marjoram is known as a symbol of youth, beauty and happiness.
The Greeks crowned newlyweds with marjoram to wish the couple enduring happiness.
*I had a friend whose grandmother gave her a sprig of rue to place in her shoe when she was married to ensure a long, loving marriage.
* For peace and harmony in marriage, place pennyroyal and magnolia leaves under the mattress. If you include lavender and southernwood the flames of passion will never die.
*Cleopatra favored figs, Napoleon treasured truffles, and Shakespeare savored sweet potatoes as their own secret love potions.

To ignite the flames of passion you might also try horseradish, damiana, ginger, almond, saffron, cloves, jasmine, elderberry, vanilla, fennel, catnip, cayenne, fennel, clover, endive, thyme, sardines, onions, pine nuts, rose petals, ginkgo nuts, strawberries, truffles, nutmeg, coffee and lets not forget chocolate. Chocolate contains phenylethylamine a substance that courses through the veins of people in love. Although a large part of orally ingested phenylethylamine is metabolized before it reaches the central nervous system, the remaining components will affect people who are sensitive to it. If you are one of the lucky ones (like me) who reaches for a Milky Way bar when you feel the need to alter your mood, chances are some of your bodily functions like temperature and blood pressure will also be affected.
Could the sweet sensation of luscious chocolate melting in your mouth be enough to arouse your carnal desires? The Aztec ruler Montezuma certainly thought so; he allegedly drank several cups of xocoatl (a chocolate drink) before visiting his harem, believing it would increase his sexual stamina. The ancient Aztecs also believed chocolate would make women less inhibited. No wonder chocolates are so popular on Valentines Day! Recent studies have shown that
chocolate affects the brains of men very differently than the effects that it seems to have on women. Certain areas of brain activity decrease when men eat chocolate, whereas the opposite is true in the brain region related to motor skills in women.
We all know how a diet rich in vitamins and minerals will keep the human body running smoothly, this fact alone may be enough to light a fire in the romance department. Pleasing scents, stimulating textures and savory flavors can lead to a sense of pleasure that in turn might just procure for us an evening of sensual delights. Whether these love potions work because of their nutritional values or only because in our minds we "believe", really doesn't matter. As long as you know they are safe with knowledgeable use, what’s the harm? So go ahead, sprinkle a little lovage in the bath when you need to feel
lovable or try a damiana cordial if you wish to induce an erotic dream.
The end result couldn't be anything worse than a "randy reputation" ....could it?

Making Potpourri

From the Mar/Apr '08 issue of The Essential Herbal Magazine

Making Potpourri

The term potpourri has come to mean the mixture of dried flowers and herbs, plus spices and other fragrant ingredients, which are kept in open bowls or perforated containers to gently perfume a room. Ancient Egyptian kings who had enormous quantities of fresh roses placed in crocks and buried for later use were probably the first people to experiment in trying to preserve the scent of summer flowers. The term potpourri is translated from the French term meaning “rotten pot” which describes the earliest way of preparing potpourri by the moist method, also known as a “sweet jar”. In truth, the ingredients literally do rot. Today, the most common method of preparing potpourri is by the dry method. By the 18^th century, many different recipes for potpourri had developed and most country ladies had their own special formula, which they handed down from generation to generation.

The dry method of potpourri is prepared from dried materials, the bulk of which is traditionally rose petals. This method is the easies to make and the final result is much prettier than the moist type since all the petals and leaves remain separate and intact. The natural scents of the flowers, however, are not so well preserved, as with the moist method, so essential oils must be added for extra fragrance.

If using your own flowers, they should be collected in the morning before the sun is high, but should be rid of all traces of early dew, and each blossom should be just opened, at the peak of its bloom. Flowers should be cut on a dry day, after a few days of clear weather. Flowers are best dried away from strong light in a well-ventilated place where air can circulate around them. If using only the petals from the flowers, they must be stirred or turned every few days. Your goal is to have petals that are crisp and dry.

To your flowers and petals you will need to add a fixative that is usually orris root, calamus root or gun benzoin. Fixatives are materials that activate, and preserve the fragrance of potpourri. It also retards the evaporation of the volatile oils in the herbs and flowers, releasing them slowly over a longer period of time thus sustaining the blend quality. Some fixatives have little or no scent of their own, they only absorb and set the scent of the blend. Fixatives that are scented add their own distinctive fragrance addition to your blend. The second step is to add the spices you have chosen, and any other dry ingredients such as citrus peel, all should be absolutely dry. Mix this all together gently and then separate into batches and experiment with adding your essential oils one drop at a time until you are satisfied with the scent. Then place each batch in a separate container and close tightly. Leave enough room in the container so you can gently turn it to keep the elements well mixed. The aging process will take about six weeks to be perfect, but the potpourri can be used after three weeks. After a week or so, you can open the containers and evaluate the fragrances. During this time, you can add a few more drops of essential oils or more spice if you desire.

Now you must select a container to displace your potpourri. Remember that your potpourri has considerable beauty, so you want it to be visible, and also that the fragrance needs to escape into the air to perfume your room. After time if your potpourri starts to loose its fragrance, return it to a container that can be covered and refresh it with the addition of some essential oils.

Here is a simple recipe for a rose and lavender potpourri:

4 oz rose petals

2 oz lavender

1 oz lemon verbena leaves

½ oz marjoram

½ oz rosemary

4 tsp orange peel

2 tbsp allspice berries

1 tbsp cloves, crushed

4 tbsp orris root

5 drops rose essential oil

3 drops lavender essential oil

In making moist potpourri you don’t have to be as careful in handling your materials as with the dry method. Some moist potpourris are said to retain their perfumes for an extended period of time. As far as containers, you can used any container with a cover as long as it is not transparent. Rose petals form the base of all moist potpourris, which are made by curing the petals and flowers with salt. Then dried herbs, spices and fixatives are added to the mixture and left to mature.

To make moist potpourris, pick the flowers as you would for the dry method. Then dry for only a few days until the flowers have a leathery texture, not crisp, just limp with their bulk reduced by about one-third. For a mixing vessel, you will need a non-transparent straight-sided container with a lid (a crock would work well), as the mixture needs to be stirred as it matures. The moist mixture needs to mature for at least two weeks.

Using one cup of salt (non-iodized) to every three cups of petals, arrange in lawyers, petals first, in your container. Weight this down laying a plate with something heavy on it and leave for two to six weeks. The mixture in the crock should dry out and cake, but it starts to bubble or ferment, stir it but do not add any more flowers. Excess moisture should be poured off. When all the petals have formed a dry cake, empty them onto a large clean surface and break them up. Add 6 tablespoons of dried herbs for every gallon of caked petals, plus no more than 10 ounces of mixed spices, fixatives and citrus peels, and store in a non-transparent container.

For a sweet potpourri add to one gallon of your finished petals:

2 tbsp sweet marjoram

1 tbsp thyme

1 tbsp bergamot

1 tbsp crumbled bay leaves

1 tbsp lemon balm leaves crushed

the peel of one orange

1 ½ oz orris root

1 oz gum benzoin

1 oz ground cloves

½ oz mace

½ oz all spice

½ oz sandalwood powder

The only thing that may seem difficult the first time you make any of these potpourris will be to learn to gauge what you are smelling and to take into account the initial rawness of your product. When the flowers first begin to dry they have a wonderful scent; halfway through they may smell as if they should be thrown away. Only after they are mixed, fixed and matured does the original floral odor return. When the raw odor is present there is a tendency to over perfume with oils, but have faith; hidden away is the perfume of your summer garden waiting to be enjoyed.

By Pat Myers

Walking in a Winterless Wonderland

It is starting to seem like we won't have a real winter here this year. Sure, sure, there are always variations in weather, but with the release of the USDA zone map the other day that moved the zones ever higher, I can't help but worry about this. On the other hand, my grandmother's favorite refrain of "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we all shall die" is well instilled in my heart. Hearing that often enough as a nipperkin will do that to you - once you figure out it isn't meant literally.
So the windows have been open for the past few days, I've been sitting on the deck wiggling my toes in the breeze, and yesterday my sister and I went down into the woods to see what is going on out there. Generally speaking, I was relieved to see that there isn't too much sprouting or budding there. The fish in the pond were happy to gather together near the surface and color the water gold and orange with the shimmery hides.
The sycamore tree still has some seed balls on the branches, and always looks so majestic against the sky.
Wandering along, we found a sprig of dried wild grapes that somehow escaped the birds, deer, foxes, racoons, and possums in the woods.
There are still a lot of whole nuts on the ground, and the shells left behind are from hickory on the one end of the woods,
and mostly black walnut on the other end.
A hyacinth is starting to venture through the soil next to some chickweed.
Moss is prolific and grows over this fallen tree, turning it a beautiful green. There is so much habitat on the forest floor from downed timber.
I need to ID this leathery little fern-like plant. Every year I see it in this bronze stage, and wonder what it is.
There are bindweed and morning glory vines still hanging onto seedpods everywhere.
One lone perennial poppy is oblivious to the time of the year.
The trilliums, ramps, and even the skunk cabbage are still sleeping soundly, much to my surprise. We can't have too many more days like this without seeing some serious budding on the trees and shrubs, but if it happens this early, they *might* have time to go back to sleep and start the cycle over. A couple of years ago we had no frost after the end of March. That gives us 2 months to have a winter. The suspense is killing me.

The Value of a Journal

The day after my daughter was born (21 years ago), my mother gave me a journal. It is a hard-cover blank book, 8 1/2 x 11 with a beautiful cover. I started writing in it the day we got home after her birth, thinking it would hold the wonder of her first year. Somewhere around her 15th birthday, I stopped, and there are perhaps 20 empty pages left.
This past weekend we both read it. I hadn't even looked at it for years. I am so grateful to my mom for that nudge. It is filled with so many things that I could never have remembered.
In the beginning, I wrote about the adjustments of going from a thoroughly capable mid-30's business woman to not having a clue what to do, how to manage around her schedule, and learning to cope with a lot less independence. I wrote about how deeply and completely I fell in love with her.
Later, I recorded all of her big days, the cute little things she said and did, and how all of her relationships developed. As loved ones came into the world, others left, and all of those emotions and reactions are on those pages.
Many, many pages talk about her developing personality and how we clashed from time to time. How the doctor told me that as difficult as her strong will might be, the day would come when we would understand how valuable it was - and his advice to let her own that, comforting her when she allowed it, but not punishing her (thank you, wise doctor).
Historic events are there too, and the way we thought about them at the time. The wall between East and West Germany coming down, 9-11, Katrina, and many weather events and happenings that were more local.
There are references to our struggles as a family, while both her father and I were involved in business start-ups at the same time, and the toll it took on everyone, eventually ending that marriage.
Her first experiences with gardening and herbs are in there, as well as her love of animals, music, and dance.

The thing that amazed me most reading over it was how valuable the information is to her now. It isn't just the history and how our lives played out with consequences she didn't understand (and now does), but how clearly she can see how real and sure her place is in my heart. My mother told me she loved me, but I didn't get it until I held my own child. Yet here is a book-long love letter, filled with pictures, hair clippings, details, nicknames, and all the back-story.
Over the years, I've written a boatload of words.
This is the one pile of words that means the most.

Warming Winter Recipes and Cold & Flu Care

Last year in the Jan/Feb '11 issue of The Essential Herbal, Betsy May wrote an article about some simple remedies that can help during the season of colds and flu. At this time of year, you can never have too many choices. Hopefully among those offered, there will be choices that you can make and/or have on hand. The most important thing is to have what you need before you get too sick to go out and get them. You also want to have what you need easily available before you feel that scratch at the back of your throat or that muscular ache in your arms and shoulders.

Warming Winter Recipes and Cold & Flu Care

Winter Bath
This recipe can be followed very loosely and you can feel free to adjust the amount of ingredients depending on what you have on hand. As you will see, while I did attempt to record my recipe as I formulated it, I didn’t weigh out the exact amount of herbs I used; instead I used the un-scientific method of measuring by volume. This bath works wonders for dry, itchy skin.
Infuse 2 quarts of water with about ¼ - 1/2 cup of Yarrow (leaves & flowers), ¼ cup of Comfrey leaves, 1 T St John’s Wort and a few dried Calendula flowers. Also add ¼ cup of powdered milk and ½ cup of oatmeal. Infuse for 15 minutes. Strain and put herbs into a stocking or muslin bag. Draw a warm bath and add the infusion, bag of herbs, and essential oils (I used 6 drops of Lavender essential oil and 6 drops of Patchouli). Be sure to rinse bathtub well afterwards as this can sometimes leave a yellow film in the tub).

Moisture Rich Winter Body Butter
Use after the winter bath recipe for lusciously hydrated skin. People I have given this cream to have also reported on its ability to aid in the healing of small cuts and scratches.
½ cup Almond Oil
1/3 cup Shea Butter
3-5 drops Vitamin E oil
1 tsp Beeswax
½ cup Yarrow infused water (strained and at room temperature)
1/3 cup Aloe Vera gel
6 drops Lavender essential oil
6 drops Patchouli essential oil
6 drops Rosewood essential oil
Heat oils & beeswax and cool to almost room temperature (oils will look thick and creamy like yogurt). Put the oils and beeswax in a blender and slowly add the Yarrow infused water, Aloe Vera gel, and essential oils. It may take a few tries to get this cream to the right consistency but the key is to have the temperature of the oils and the water at as close to the same temperature as possible. Note: You may want to have a special blender just for making herbal preparations because the blender may take on the smell of the herbs or essential oils you are using. If you are using your good kitchen blender, then do not add essential oils until you put the lotion into a container.
And now for the cold & flu care formulas…
For sore bodies and stuffy sinuses…

Achy Body Bath Salts
Feel free to adjust the amount or type of essential oils to your preference. I chose these particular essential oils because of their usefulness for achy muscles and congested sinuses.
2 cups Borax
2 cups Sea Salt
40 drops Rosemary essential oil
20 drops Wintergreen essential oil
20 drops Peppermint essential oil
Mix all ingredients and store in airtight container. Use approximately ½- 1 cup per bath.

For sore throats…
Sore Throat Gargle
This recipe originally comes from Rosemary Gladstar. I altered the amount of ingredients by adding more apple cider vinegar. The additional vinegar seemed to provide greater relief for my scratchy, sore throat.
1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 cup extra strong Sage tea (strained)
2-3 tsp Salt
Dash of Cayenne Pepper
Mix all ingredients and use to gargle every half hour.

Sore Throat Spray
Simmer the following in 2 cups of water for half hour:
2 tsp. Echinacea
2 tsp Licorice
Turn heat off and add 2 tsp Sage and let sit 20-30 minutes.
Strain and add:
10 drops Owyhee essential oil
10 drops Tea tree essential oil
Put into a spray bottle and spray throat every 20-30 minutes or as often as needed. The essential oils were recommended by Jeanne Rose and definitely improve this formula immensely, however, if you don’t have them on hand feel free to make the spray without them.

Ginger Honey
Slice one ginger root into thin strips and cover with honey. Let sit for several months or to speed up the process, heat gently over low heat for 20-30 minutes. Use in teas or take by the spoonful for colds and sore throats.

For chest congestion…
Mustard Plaster
This is an old fashioned technique that my grandmother would use on me when I was a small child and had pneumonia (much to the chagrin of my very traditional pediatrician). It is used to break up chest congestion and relieve the pain of coughing. I must stress though, to use with caution and keep a close eye on this treatment to avoid irritated skin or possible burns.
1 part Ground Mustard powder
2-3 parts Flour
two pieces of flannel cloth and/or a plastic grocery bag
Mix flour and mustard together (for very small children use less mustard). Add enough hot water to make a paste. Spread mixture on a piece of flannel, leaving enough room around the edges so that the paste does not leak out. Cover with the other piece of cloth. (My grandmother actually used a plastic grocery bag and put the mixture in that, I’m assuming because it made for easier clean up later. If you use a plastic bag I would also put a piece of flannel between the plastic bag and the chest to protect the skin from burns.) Place the flannel “packet” on the chest and leave on for approximately 20 minutes or until the skin becomes red. The plaster can be refrigerated and re-used several times, re-heating in the microwave.

Additional comfort care…By the time is issue reaches you, we will be well into the middle of the flu season. Already we are hearing reports of record numbers of cases of the flu. Chances are you or someone you love will be hit this year. Keep these additional supplies on hand so you are ready when the time comes. Not all of these little “grandmotherly” remedies will cure the cold or flu, but they will provide a welcome sense of comfort.
Hot water bottle for cold feet
Softest tissues available (I like the ones scented with Vicks)
A supply of freshly laundered sheets; nothing feels better when you’re sick than a nice clean bed.
Cough drops (preferably handmade herbal ones)
Diffuser and essential oils such as Pine, Rosemary, and Eucalyptus
Elderberry syrup
Echinacea tincture
“Nursery” food (Cream of Wheat, rice pudding, chicken noodle soup, or whatever childhood food means comfort to you).

Betsy May is a Certified Holistic Health Practitioner and Registered Yoga Teacher. She is also a graduate of Rosemary Gladstar’s Art & Science of Herbalism Home Study course and Sage Mountain Apprentice Program & Jeannie Rose’s Herbal Studies and Aromatherapy Studies Courses. She can be reached at betsy.may@hotmail.com

The TEH Mailbox Follies

Sometimes, going out to pick up the mail is all it takes to crack me up.
For the past two days, I've wandered back to the office smiling. Today in fact, I burst out laughing and haven't actually stopped yet.
Yesterday was a sweetly decorated envelope with an herb lady, whose skirt held my address, and a new book, just released from one our friends/writers, and fellow renaissance faire herb ladies, Sue-Ryn Burns (available from HillWoman.com). Sue-Ryn's envelope was also beautiful, decorated with stars and fairies - but I neglected to put it in the photo.
Today's surprise came from Debbie Stiffler, a fellow herbie from up north. I wasn't expecting anything, so imagine my surprise when, upon opening the box out popped Punxatawney Phil AND Phyllis, along with a wee glycerine soap in the shape of - you guessed it - a groundhog!
I've had an on-going "relationship" with the resident live groundhogs here, and perhaps have been a little too vocal about it. Could it have been the out-of-print Jan/Feb '05 issue of The Essential Herbal where I had my brother Photoshop a groundhog into an underground jail made of roots? Was it the golden marmot (that didn't fool me, by the way, it was a groundhog) hand-puppet that my sister brought me back from Colorado last summer that I promptly and accidentally managed to burn on a lightbulb? And who now rests upon a porch newel post as a warning to other "golden marmots" who may consider living too close to me?
I will have to THANK Debra for making sure I have new ones.
In any case, so often, the mailbox holds something that makes me smile. When someone goes to the trouble to write and mail me a note to tell me they like the work we do here, it somehow touches me in a way that an email usually doesn't (although there are many, many exceptions to that rule).
I will miss Saturday deliveries if they go away. We work on Saturdays, so we'd miss it. If the entire mail system went away, it would be a tremendous loss.
Consider writing someone a letter or note. I guarantee they'll enjoy it.

Marching in January

The Mar/Apr issue of The Essential Herbal Magazine is *this* close to shipping off to the printer (and we are so delighted with all the scrumptious stuff you'll find inside!), so I got on my wandering shoes the other day to see what was happening outside. No matter what time of year it is, Mother Nature provides us with some interesting sights to see.
This year in particular, the poor plants seem to be confused, but I'm relatively sure that they'll figure it out by the time spring arrives.
I'm ready for spring. Herb-wise, all the dried herbs are stripped and jarred, tinctures are strained and decanted, and the teas are blended. Soon it will be time to start over again! Well... not really soon, but time is flying.
Here's what I saw out there:
There are lots of beautiful seedheads to be seen. Monarda is a series of tightly bunched tubes.
The echinacea has been picked pretty clean by the finches.
Anise hyssop almost looks like a fat lavender spike in silhouette.
Evening primrose looks like long, thin golden trumpets, and if turned upside down, there are still seeds rattling around in there.
Goldenrod stems are still full of fluffy seeds, like winter white flowers blowing in the wind.
Hayseeds poke up through the reawakening lavender.
Around here, a variety of beautiful cones adorn the many evergreens.
I've been negligent about deadheading the oregano, and now have an enormous patch because of that. It makes the bees so happy that it's hard to cut it back.
The little cup fungus that managed to ride along with last year's mulch is going to have to be turned under this year. In the summer, little black spores shoot up from the cups and attach to whatever is growing above. Not what I had in mind.
The swollen tips of the dogwood branches stand against the sky.
And yet, in the sunnier spots, we have glimpses of spring.
Mugwort pops up between the budding daffodils.
Baby-blue-eyes are throughout the yard.
And one brave, bright dandelion blooms, happily oblivious to the fact that it was under snow last week.
It feels great to get outside and walk around whenever the sky isn't leaking. It's rejuvenating, reduces stress, and helps us to get some vitamin D from the sun. For me, I get the chance to see how all of my plants look at different times of the year, except those darlings that hide away completely under the soil. They'll be greeted like long lost friends in the spring!