The Dragonflies'Lair ~Thread XVIII~ Valentine's Day 2008

Poets of The Dragonflies' Lair | February 13, 2008 | Soaring Feather

[Soaring Feather]

Origin of Valentine's Day

Find out how this special day originated way back in the 3rd century


Valentine's Day originated way back in the 3rd century. Saint Valentine was a priest in Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius II. It seems the Emperor was having trouble recruiting members for his army because the men didn't want to leave their wives and children for the long military expeditions which would last for months and even years. Claudius then decided that banning marriages in Rome would solve this problem. The Emperor had Valentine condemned to death for defying his order and marrying couples in secret.


As Valentine awaited execution, his admirers would come to the jail bearing notes of support and flowers. As luck would have it, his most ardent admirer turned out to be the daughter of the prison guard. She would visit him for hours. The day of his execution, February 14 in the year 269 AD, Valentine wrote her a note expressing his gratitude for her love, support, and friendship and signed it "Love from our Valentine".


As it turned, out, the festival of Lupercalia (an ode to the god of fertility and a celebratoin of sensual pleasure) followed close after Valentine was executed.



During the festival, boys would draw the names of girls and they would pair up for the festivities. The name Valentine was linked to this romantic festival.

In 496, Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honor Valentine as a saint.

I gave my love a cherry
That has no stone,

I gave my love a chicken
That has no bone,

I gave my love a baby
That's no cryin'.

How can there be a cherry
That has no stone?

How can there be a chicken
That has no bone?

How can there be a baby
That's no cryin'?

A cherry when it's buddin',
It has no stone.

A chicken in the eggshell
It has no bone.

A baby when it's sleepin'
Is no cryin'.


Old Appalachian song

The Apple Dumplings and a King

"Very astonishing indeed! strange thing!"

(Turning the Dumpling round, rejoined the King)

"'Tis most extraordinary, then, all this is;

It beats Penetti's conjuring all to pieces;

Strange I should never of a Dumpling dream!

But, Goody, tell me where, where, where's the Seam?"

"Sire, there's no Seam," quoth she; "I never knew

That folks did Apple-Dumplings sew."

"No!" cried the staring Monarch with a grin;

"How, how the devil got the Apple in?"

Dr. John Wolcot


The Cow

The friendly cow all red and white,

I love with all my heart:

She gives me cream with all her might,

To eat with apple-tart.

She wanders lowing here and there,

And yet she cannot stray,

All in the pleasant open air,

The pleasant light of day;

And blown by all the winds that pass

And wet with all the showers,

She walks among the meadow grass

And eats the meadow flowers.

Robert Louis Stevenson

[NY Attitude]

We had a Victory Garden as well. WIth all of the current landscape being torn up to place houses literaly on top of one another, I do not think that Victory Gardens would be common place like they were should they be needed. Sad!

[Soaring Feather]

Our city has set aside an area for Community Gardening. I think cities are doing more of this as people wish to grow their own-well some do.

I can garden in pots, but don’t.

[Lady Jag]

Everybody needs a break once in a while and actually to me the fact you are indecisive about staying in the States or going back to Iraq is good news about Iraq.

You’ve been over there for how long now, five years or more? Do have an assessment to offer about life and progress in the area?

The first good sign that happened here was the rapidity at which Iraqi males changed into western dress after Hussein was hanged. That changed must be an expression of an attitude adjustment . . .

[NY Attitude]

In this day and age, there are too many vandals that do not care about other peoples hardwork or belongings.

[Soaring Feather]

Yupper, so true.

Years ago, in the Italian part of town, there were huge gardens straight up to the curb -they were behind chain link fences for the most part. Those folks had beautiful gardens and grew a huge amount of crops in the little space.

[Lady Jag]

Was the cow part of your mom's dowry?

[MEG33]

I can understand why Father’s Day is hard..God bless your mother for being so hardworking and resourceful for you kids. Those war years aand the Great Depression were difficult times..I cannot imagine the added hardship of being without my dad.

[Soaring Feather]

More or less yes, my grandparents gave the cow to mom, we had chickens, too, and raised some pigs for butcher.

[Soaring Feather]

My beloved Mom was an angel with Iron Gloves. She was tough as nails and soft as velvet. She was beautiful, her laughter sounded like bells chiming. She remained beautiful until the day she died. She was a good woman.

She had what the Finns call SISU, it means guts, I have my share too. ;0)

[Lady Jag]

I am a little warped today.

And that makes you different today than any other day?

[Soaring Feather]

Oh my, I didn’t think you noticed! LOL

[Soaring Feather]

Paging Tomkow6, are you out there lurking, huh, huh??

[MEG33]

I guess the open spaces around newer developments would be turned into community gardens in an emergency. Having a garden was always common in the small towns where I grew up..My husband and I had one at our last home. There was a space out of sight behind the garage we dug up...a tough go in that black clay soil N of Dallas. The plum tomatoes spoiled me forever. My DIL ate them like grapes.

[Lady Jag]

I grew up between two dairy farms and spent a better half my childhood at one of them. Loved it. Lots of fun and no responsibilities.

[MEG33]

Indeed!

[Allegra]

You’ve been over there for how long now, five years or more?

More than four years now. (YEEEESH!)

Do you have an assessment to offer about life and progress in the area?

I have finally begun writing my book. There is so much material to cover - bad times and good times. I believe there will be a happy ending. :-)

The first good sign that happened here was the rapidity at which Iraqi males changed into western dress after Hussein was hanged. That changed must be an expression of an attitude adjustment . .

It took a while, since they had been pretty much a brainwashed society for decades, but they finally realized that we are the good guys. That was the turning point and the progress has accelerated since then. Once the coalition and the Iraqis had a common goal, it became much easier to achieve this.

It's chugging right along now and if we can keep the Democrats from derailing this, it will be quite the amazing success story.

[Lady Jag]

My parents were city sorts of folks who moved to the country because of me, wanting to raise their kids there for some reason, so they didn’t know much about rural living when they bought two acres way out in the boonies.

Parts of the family moved into our neighborhood and one decided to try raising chickens. That began coming to an end when he tried to kill his first one with a bunch of us little kids around. Some of us were grossed out before we started chasing the headless bird while unc looked on completely dejected.

[Soaring Feather]

The Cubbies Catcher is very nervous.

[MEG33]

I tried not to watch what it took to get them from the chicken yard to the point of plucking the feathers..The chickens were my responsibility to feed and water.

[tomkow6]

WHY?