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

[Lady Jag]

I’m pretty much that way with the meats I eat, preferring to avoid thinking too much about the process.

[Lady Jag]

Does this mean your mother had a cow AND an axe?

[Soaring Feather]

Yes, she had the necessary tools to finish off a chicken, and a milk pail and stool for the milking.

We had barn cats, too. She would feed them fresh milk.

[Lady Jag]

Lol! The farmer taught us how to milk and later, using cats and kitten as willing volunteers, taught us how to aim. We drank raw milk for years.

[Soaring Feather]

Yup aimed the stream of milk to the cat’s mouth and they would lap it down. People drinking raw milk was common, even in the sixties our kids drank raw milk from the dairy farm, we could get a gallon for .50 cents, have your own container.

[Kathy in Alaska]

The maternal switcheroo: A zookeeper hand-feeds a Humboldt penguin chick whose parents weren't providing enough sustenance for the hatchling at Chicago's Brookfield Zoo. A penguin plushy serves as a surrogate mom.

[Kathy in Alaska]

We have a Community Garden and the moose love it!

[Soaring Feather]

LOL, we have deer garden lovers here. They eat everything in site flowers, young garden seedlings, young trees. They have a rich diet.

[Lady Jag]

Our town had a co-op and Farmer had some of those quart-sized glass bottles. I don’t remember the cost.

[Soaring Feather]

The maternal switcheroo

Ah, so cute. Thanks.

[Soaring Feather]

I read somewhere that people want to buy raw milk again. I don’t know, don’t think it will happen.

[Lady Jag]

People want to buy raw milk again? I haven’t heard that in decades. What’s the reason this time?

[Soaring Feather]

Well I would guess people think it is more pure. Really can't say for sure as I skimmed over the article.

[Lady Jag]

I hope the baby thrives. They aren't at all like the penguin parents I know.

[Soaring Feather]

LOL, so cute.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.......

[Soaring Feather]

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