Summer Cherries
Summer’s here – time for swimming, napping in the hammock, catching lightening bugs in a jar, and yum! fresh, warm cherry pie. If you subscribe to the legend of George Washington chopping down the cherry tree as a boy, then this hankie is about as all-American as you can get. It practically says church picnic and patriotism all rolled into one. The beautiful embroidery combined with the formal white border render it elegant and timeless – equally appropriate for the wife of a President or the girl next door. . The kelly green border on this stunner makes those red cherries zing! It’s...
Read MoreInsects
Having lauded the glories of gardens and the virtues of vegetables, it’s time to acknowledge those who make it all possible…no, not gardeners….think smaller………..infinitely smaller………yep, insects. Those most beautiful pollinators – butterflies are frequently featured on handkerchiefs. “Butterflies are not insects… they are self propelled flowers.” Robert A. Heinlein, The Cat Who Walks Through Walls Their inspiring metamorphosis from crawling creature to winged wonder has led several cultures to imbue them with the symbolism of rebirth and new beginnings, which is why butterfly images are...
Read MoreFruits and Veggies
Is there anything better than fresh corn, asparagus or vine ripened tomatoes in summer? Fresh blueberry, cherry or strawberry rhubarb pie? Fresh peaches in August? We’re approaching the season that is truly “ripe” with pleasure. You can tout all the highfalutin’ flash freeze phenomena you want; nothing beats the real deal ripe off the vine. “The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all…Without proper care for it we can have no community, because without proper care for it we can have no life.” Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America: Culture and...
Read MoreKitchen
Whether you love to cook, or employ the Cuisinart and Kitchen Aid only during the holidays, now is the season for sauce sorcerers, celestial bakers, and cuisine virtuosos. Who among us hasn’t relished rushing home through sleet, snow, rain or wind to savor a stovetop simmering with delectable delights? I recall one frigid evening I was caught in a Denver snowstorm with a flat tire! I had assembled spaghetti sauce the night before, and left it to simmer in a crock pot while I was at work. I arrived home – freezing, exhausted, and very late to find neighbors from across the hall outside my...
Read MoreStolen Kisses
From Shakespeare to Tennyson, Byron to Keats, Sheridan to Swindberg…all authors of passion have something to say about love. When it comes to matters of the heart and romance, we learned in Pucker Up and Under the Mistletoe , that a lady + a handkerchief create a formidable duo. Every girl needs at least one red hankie. A foolproof flirting foil, the crimson hankie doubles as a nimble wing man, attracting admirers from across the room. Our first handkerchief displays a plethora of romantic aphorisms framing the temptress in the center. It’s the perfect contrivance to initiate a conversation...
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