A Love Letter to Dandelions

Dear Dandelion,
You must have been the first flower I knew by name.  I remember making crowns of your blossoms, and wishing on your seeds, as my breath against their feathery parachutes launched them to unknown adventures.

Growing up, I didn't know your properties or constituents, or that you could nourish and support.  But you were always welcome in our yard, because you're cheerful and friendly, and we're all better off with more cheer and more friendship.

Now, I can't get enough of you.  Every time I see dandelions pop up where they're unwelcome - without angst, or resentment, or any ill feelings - I'm filled with hope at the sight of such good-natured tenacity.

When people pull you up and throw you away - or poison you - I think they must be mad.  A lawn without dandelions looks bereft.  Don't they know how you can help our bodies take up nutrients and let go of toxins?  Don't they know how tasty you are?  Don't they know you'll come back anyway?

I made a lot of wishes last year, and I'm watching them come up already.  You're the first flower that's bloomed in my yard this spring, in a crack between front stoop and driveway.  I'm enjoying chai brewed with last year's roots.  I'm looking forward to my first salad with dandelion greens, and I think I'll pick some tomorrow.

Yours always, with many thanks,
Kristen

PS:  I'll vote for you.  #dandelionlove

The Green Man and the Lady of the Seasons

I think it was about a year ago that I was lucky enough to win the Green Man pictured below during a giveaway over at Confessions of a Country Witch.  Nydia of Carioca Witch and Bringing Up Salamanders makes these beautiful hand-embroidered felt god and goddess figures.  She put her etsy shop on hold a while back, which is why I put this post on hold, but I've noticed some new designs over at the Carioca Witch Facebook page, so I thought it was about time to post this thank-you.

I really can't say enough how much I love Nydia's creations:  They're beautiful, made with obvious care and skill, and stunningly creative.  Persephone (also pictured, and the aforementioned Lady of the Seasons) was the first that I ordered for myself, and I absolutely the balance of light and dark elements on Persephone, and how subtly the face appears out of the leaves on the Green Man.  Until recently, the Green Man has been living with my jars of herbs, but since our house has been in a bit of a to-do lately, I've had them together.  I think they like each other's company :)

Stonecutters Kitchen, Doolin, Co. Clare

If you're on your way to Doolin or the Cliffs of Moher, be sure to stop by Stonecutters Kitchen.  It's right on the main road between Doolin and the Cliffs, and has some of the freshest and tastiest food I've eaten in Ireland.  One of my favorite ways to pass a day on holiday in Doolin is to walk from the Rainbow Hostel, past Fisherstreet, uphill to this restaurant, enjoy some soup and tea and dessert while reading or writing, and stroll back downhill.

The owners and staff are very friendly, as is the resident sheepdog, and the views can't be beat.  Their plates and teaware are made by a local potter (who, sadly, has moved out of the country) and are a pleasure to use.  Plus, the desserts are absolutely scrumptious.  My favorite is their banoffee pie - a wonderful concoction involving caramel, banana, a graham cracker crust (actually made of digestives), and chocolate.

Learn more and make sure to check out their hours (which vary by the season) at http://www.stonecutterskitchen.com/,  and keep track of their delectable specials via facebook here.  I wish I could stop by for lunch now!

Waking the Wild Spirit Tarot

I recently had the most wonderful thing arrive in the mail:  a tarot deck.  What is a tarot deck to me?  Seventy-two works of art.  A source of endless inspiration for storytelling.  A tool for tapping into my intuition and for finding new perspectives on life's opportunities and challenges.  An object useful for tapping into magic?  No doubt, as not only do I believe that there is a sort of magic intrinsic in any evocative work of art, but I'm also confident that "there are more things in heaven and earth...than are dreamt of in [my] philosophy."

I've seen many tarot decks that I like and admire, but so far only two have spoken to me immediately, and then also stood up to my pet peeves.  I was entranced as soon as I saw Poppy Palin's artwork.  The colors are vibrant and the sense of movement and flow in her cards is irresistible.  The artwork is detailed and evocative, and gratifies both my love of nature and my love of storytelling.

One of the first cards I look at when considering any tarot deck is the Fool card, and not just because it's usually the top card in the deck.  The Waking the Wild Spirit Fool has been renamed the Wandering Minstrel, which suits my sense of story.  Most Fool cards that I've seen, following the Rider Waite Smith (RWS) tradition, show the fool about to step blithely off a cliff, with a dog either nipping at his heels or trying to pull him back.  Poppy, though, has depicted her Wandering Minstrel - in harlequin-diamond pants, a jester's cap, light but sturdy boots, and a patched purple cloak - leaping off a well-trodden footpath.  The sense of movement - up and to the right - is absolutely infectious, especially since the dog is leaping right along with him.  Will the Fool's leap result in good or ill?  We can't tell, since his momentum will soon take him right past the edge of the card, but the day is bright and the sun smiles down on him.  I've always felt somewhat ambivalent about the image of the Fool at the edge of a cliff, which seems bound to end badly, and I much prefer this interpretation.

Vaguely Bohemian Angels

My sister has a knack for getting me presents no one else would have thought of.  For my high school graduation, she filled a small wooden chest full of everything from smudge sticks to a fountain - in short, a complete kit to make a boring old dorm room into a home.  For my twenty-first birthday, she bought me a mini waffle maker.  Not a traditional choice, but I lived on whole grain waffles under various toppings for the next two years.  For my most recent birthday, she commissioned custom cookies.

'Custom cookies?' you might ask (though you know that custom-made creations are indeed near to my heart).  Yes, when you know Angelica Howland of Scrumptious Angel.  This woman is - as my sister put it - the Vienne Rocher of cookies.  (If that reference doesn't ring a bell, read or watch Chocolat.)  I can easily see Angelica setting up shop in a stiff little puritanical town and bringing out everyone's best and most joyous traits with her deliciously original cookies and brilliantly creative self.

My first taste of Scrumptious Angel cookies came when a box packed full of Elegant Angels, Drunken Angels, Sparrows, and Streaks of Lavender arrived for my birthday.  Holy deliciousness, Batman.  I've had a lot of good chocolate chip cookies, but Angelica's have the richest and most indulgent texture I've come across yet.  Plus, they're not chocolate chip cookies; they're chocolate chunk cookies, and dang good chocolate too.  Plus, they're not just chocolate chunk cookies, but cookies with the most creative and balanced of flavorings and wonderfulness.  Just try these, for example:

Rainbow Hostel, Doolin, Co. Clare

In front of the Rainbow Hostel.
Photo by Kasia.

The first time I stayed at the Rainbow Hostel, I meant to come for a weekend and stayed for over two weeks.  I've been returning as often as possible ever since.  This past June was my most recent visit.  It had been four years since my last visit to Ireland, but when the bus dropped me off at the Rainbow Hostel, Carmel gave me a warm welcome, and I felt like it had been no time at all.

The Experience:

Hostel guests on Mattie's tour.
Photo by Kasia.

Everything about this hostel is great, but Mattie and Carmel Shannon really make it a home away from home.  They're both so welcoming, and wonderful resources if you have any questions about the area.  Carmel runs the hostel (and the B&B next door) beautifully.  Her delicious, fresh-baked scones are often available in the hostel dining area in the mornings.  Mattie leads fun, informative (and free) walking tours of the Burren.  He points out prehistoric and historic sites, geological features, and wildflowers and plant life that I never even would have known to look for.  They both go out of their way to help.

I've had some of the best conversations at this hostel and met an impressive range of people:  This last

Written in one of the many guestbooks
in the Rainbow Hostel's common room.

year, I met a Polish couple who stood with me at the bus stop for twenty minutes - in the rain - even though they weren't leaving that day.  I'm still in touch with them, as well as with a Japanese photographer, a French dancer and archeologist, and an American sculptor I met there, just to name a few.  Families, couples, individuals, and even the occasional big group all seem to settle right in at the Rainbow Hostel and become part of the ever-changing community there.  I know I'm not alone in my enthusiasm for this hostel:  The guest books (dating back to the mid-nineties) in the common room contain much the same message again and again:  The Rainbow Hostel is a home-away-from-home, a place where you'll instantly feel welcome and at ease, someplace you'll be eager to return to.  I know I am!

Book Review: The Woman's Handbook of Healing Herbs

Click on image
to buy from your
local indie bookstore.

I'm a big fan of this relatively new title by Maine herbalist Deb Soule. It strikes a wonderful balance in tone and depth: accessible to someone with little or no experience in herbalism, but specialized enough to contain valuable info for even experienced herbalists. It speaks from both the intellect and the heart, and is a nurturing and practical book for any woman interested in natural health to own.

The Woman's Handbook of Healing Herbs covers a range of topics, and contains a true wealth of information for women who have specific health concerns as well as for women who just want to stay healthy.  Herbal formulas (with clear instructions) are set apart from the text, which makes them easy to find and follow.  The book is a trade paperback on good, heavy color, with lovely black and white illustrations by Susan Szwed.  It also contains an extensive list of resources, full citations, a Latin-to-Common-Name glossery, and a general index as well as an index of formulas and recipes.  A wonderful book to start with, these details make it all the more usable.

Author Deb Soule is the founder of Avena Botanicals.  A gardener, she teaches and consults with women and health care providers around the country.  She lives in Rockland, Maine.

Book Review: Kid's Herb Book: For Children of All Ages

Click on image to buy
at your local bookstore.

Okay, I'll be honest:  I don't have any kids, I'm a youngest child, and I don't babysit for love or money, so I'm not your obvious first choice to review a kid's herb book.  But I will say that, while I purchased this as a gift for a young acquaintance, I want a copy for myself!  The recipes are not only fun but very, very useful.  The songs are a little silly, but are great learning aids for helping young and old remember which herb helps with which conditions.  The stories are absolutely charming.

If you're buying this for a little one and not yourself:  Very young children will need some help with the text, so you get to share in the fun.  Middle grade children will be all set with the text, but will need some help with many recipes.  All children will need your help in either safely IDing and wildcrafting plants, in growing an herb garden, and/or in buying dried herbs from the store.

I totally recommend this, for young and old.  And just in case you'd like some advice from someone who knows all about children, no worries:  I asked my mom to take a look at the book, and she recommends it too!