It's Saint Francis's Feast Day

 Today is the Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi. He is the patron saint of animals and environment and many web-sources concur, he could "be viewed as the original Earth Day advocate. Francis' devotion to God was expressed through his love for all of God's creation."

Monday's Musings_2 Saint Jude

I can't let this day end without paying homage to Saint Jude on his feast day (which is always observed on October 28th). I have a small statue rendered in the likeness of him above my desk.

The figurine of him can be seen in the photo atop this entry and in the picture, he is the second one from the left, standing between Saint Francis (to his right) and Saint Joseph (to  his left).

In bygone years I've written about each one of them on Blogger, if you'd like to refer to any of my entries, please click on their names.

Fyi, the other three statues (to the left of Saint Joseph respectively) that are included in this picture, are renditions of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Saint Anthony, and Saint Lucy.

If you'd like to refer to any of my entries, please click on their names. Each of them have separate feast days, but this Friday, November the first, they will be honored together with all the saints in the annual, world wide celebration of All Saints Day.

The Fourth Day of Christmas 2018

IMAGE CREDIT

It's The Fourth Day of Christmas, the day (according to a song) when someone's true love gave to them four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.

Re calling birds, I referenced them on FB a couple of days before Christmas when I mentioned the issues I was having with my landline due to Verizon's cable out age.

I'm still having that issue and it looks like I will until January 23rd 2019, but as of yesterday I can join the calling birds in terms of using a phone in my home.  I now have a temporary one for making calls. Time will tell if I can receive calls on it, but people can leave a message on my voice mail which is not affected by the cable outage, and I'll return their call on my temporary phone.

In terms of four calling birds mentioned in the aforementioned song, I've come upon a blog post (in The History Of Ornithology) where the author (Bob Montgomerie) states, "The CALLING BIRDS of day 4 are the most interesting to me as the original said ‘colly birds’ and subsequent variants said the birds were ‘canary’, ‘collie’, ‘colley’, ‘colour’d’, ‘curley’, ‘coloured’, ‘corley’, and finally ‘calling’ by Austin in 1909 published with his new tune. I am surprised no one ever suggested ‘collared’. The original ‘colly bird’ was the European Blackbird (Turdus merula) as ‘colly’ meant ‘black’ as in ‘coaly’, and is why border collies bear that name. The subsequent versions are undoubtedly the result of mis-hearings and misinterpretations."

Another web reference to the meaning of four calling birds states, "The 'four calling birds' that we sing about today were, at different times, 'four canary birds' and 'our mockingbirds,' and before that they show up as 'colly birds' or 'collie birds,' which is the archaic term for blackbirds. There were however, for some reason, always four of them."

I never heard of mockingbirds being associated with the song so that may or may not be fake news!

Be that as it may, here's one more "blurb" that I came upon re the four calling birds mentioned in the song. A Catholic-based web-page states, "The four calling birds are associated with both the four evangelists and their gospels–   Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; and the four major prophets– Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel."

And that's it for today dear reader, after all, there's only so much one can, or should say, re four calling birds!

3 Weeks in the 2017 Season for my Crocuses (among other things)

Today, March the 19th, is the eve of the onset of the Spring season for 2017. March the 19th is also the day many observe The Feast of Saint Joseph. I have a small statue of him on a shelf above my desk.

It can be seen in the picture atop this entry in the company of Saint Francis and Saint Jude, who are standing to his right (or lefthand side of the image).

Wednesday's Wisdom: YES-es in November!

No sun - no moon! 
No morn - no noon - 
No dawn - no dusk - no proper time of day. 
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease, 
No comfortable feel in any member - 
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees, 
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds! - 
November!

The poem atop today's blog entry is by Thomas Hood, and I've written about it a few times here on Blogger. If you'd like to reference my posts on Hood and his poem, please click here. Hood's poem is on my mind today, because it's All Souls Day, the day which always follows All Saints Day. On a number of occasions I've written about folks who have died as well as a few saints, but honoring those who have gone from this life is one of the big yes-es in the month of November.

Tuesday's Truths WK 16: "A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter....."

Hello. Welcome to week sixteenth of Tuesday's Truths, which happens to coincide with the day after Halloween. For those of you who follow me here on Blogger, Facebook, tumblr or hometalk, you know that I've discussed I use Halloween decor in my rooftop garden. And you know that I've also created many story-lines re the whimsical characters who have visited both my indoor succulent garden and main living area during the time of Halloween prep; the Halloween holiday itself; and Halloween aftermath. Today's Blogger post content touches on Halloween aftermath among other subjects. The photograph atop this blog features a partial view of what hangs above my kitchen stove.

October is Here!

Happy October! As the bulletin board in the background of the photo atop this blog entry states, "LEAVES FALL IN OCTOBER," so enjoy the foliage while you can. Oktoberfests also occur in this month, which ends with Halloween. During this time of year, a cast of characters usually come to spend time in the succulent garden that I have in my kitchen, as well as the armoire that I have in my main living area.

Today's the last Saturday of October 2011! Question: Will it be Halloween's Last Stand?

If you have been following my blog, then you are probably aware that some of the things which I grow in my urban (New York City) terrace garden have taken it upon themselves to express their thoughts and opinions by authoring blog entries and posting them within this blog.

This "hoopla" — which has caused one of the Halloween pumpkins that I currently have in my garden to be overcome with laughter as seen in the image to in the upper lefthand corner —  all started in April of 2010, when my blog was only a little over four months old, and one of the flowers from my Paeonia suffruiticosa (Tree Peony), posted a photograph of herself with a short narrative. (If you would like to refer to this, please click here.)

As time passed, word got out among the plants, vines, flowers, herbs, trees and shrubs — which totaled a little over eighty when I last took a census — that the flower from my Paeonia suffruiticosa had done this, and many of the things which I grow began authoring entries on my blog. (This fact has  caused another one of the Halloween pumpkins that I currently have in my garden to also be overcome with laughter as seen in the image at the right.)

Friday Follow-Up: bees in bonnets can be good (Follow ups on bees and SAINTS)

According to one source, when one has "a bee in their bonnet," it means that they are "being preoccupied or obsessed with an idea."

And when it comes to the "visiting bees" in my rooftop garden, I have been preoccupied, actually mesmerized, by the bees which have been feasting on my Hyssop plants. This is evident in the array of blog entries I have made on this blog regarding them, including ones that you may refer to by clicking here as well as here and here. 

Additionally I authored a post related to my "visiting bees" for nybg's (New 
York Botanical Gardens) tumblr that you may refer to by clicking here and then scrolling. 

Even though there are two "visiting" bees that are "captured" in the photograph directly above, the bees which have been coming to my terrace garden are now fewer in number and they appear to be much smaller.

Celebrating Texture

Since last Saturday's posting of honoring the days of November and beyond, I've been reminded that November is the month of remembrance that began with All Saints Day on November first. 

This feast day is followed by the solemn celebration of All Souls' Day on November second, and for the remaining days of November, special homages are made for all who have died. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted," is a consolation of November. With it getting dark earlier due to going back to "standard" time, and the apparent focus on the dead, it is good to recall that November is a textured month, and so while people honor the dead during this time, it is also a month very much intended to remember the living.