The Seed Industry ~ Part 1

This is the time of year, for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, when Seed and Plant catalogs begin to arrive in the mail. How easily we can be mesmerized by the gorgeous palette of colors and the luscious greens. Especially when we look out our window and see snow and ice covering the landscape.


The varieties of plants seem to be endless in those catalogs - but if you will notice, the catalogs are all beginning to carry the same plants. The diversity of plants and seeds that are available to the public is dwindling. Why?

Because the top seed companies now control about a third of the worldwide seed trade. As these giant companies buy out smaller companies, only top selling plant varieties are kept. It is the open-pollinated, heirloom varieties that are most often dropped from the sales list. These companies only want to sell the plants that they own. And yes, it is possible for a company to own a plant.

Laws were passed in 1930 and 1970 allowing certain plants to be patented on the basis of their genetic coding. Now anyone who grows a patented variety without holding a license from the patent holder can be sued.


Farmers and Gardeners traditionally saved seeds to grow next year's crop. But if the plant variety is patented, then the seed saving is illegal. And seeds collected from hybrid plants do not always grow true to the parent plant. A throwback to a genetic ancestor may grow from one of the seeds. Fresh patented seeds must be purchased every year. Thus causing the cost of seeds to rise. And quite frequently a Farmer must raise a certain type of plant because the cannery they sell to requires it.

Tomorrow, what we can do to Save Our Seeds.
If you would like to read more on the Seed Industry, Click Here.

La Befana ~ A Holiday Witch

A friend, Suzie of Cat in the Pumpkin Moon, recently wrote of La Befana. I, too, would like to share with you the history of this Holiday Witch.

La Befana is a character in Italian folklore who delivers presents to children throughout Italy, in a similar way to St. Nicholas or Santa Claus. The character may have originated in Rome, then spread as a tradition to the rest of Italy.

A popular belief is that her name derives from the festival of Epiphany, but there is evidence to suggest that Befana is descended from the Sabine/Roman goddess named Strenia, who presided over the new-year's gifts which were called 'Strenae. Strenia's presents were of the same description as those of the Befana—figs, dates, and honey.

In popular folklore La Befana visits all the children of Italy on the eve of the 6th of January to fill their socks with candy and presents if they are good or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad. Being a good housekeeper, many say La Befana will sweep the floor before she leaves. The child's family typically leaves a small glass of wine and a plate with a few morsels of food for the Befana.

She is usually portrayed as an old lady riding a broom through the air wearing a black shawl and is covered in soot because she enters the children's houses through the chimney. She is often smiling and carries a bag or basket filled with candy, gifts, or both.

Christian legend has it that La Befana was approached by the Magi a few days before Christ's birth. They asked for directions to where the baby Jesus was, but she did not know. She provided them with shelter for a night, as she was considered the best housekeeper in the village with the most pleasant home. They invited her to join them on the journey to find the baby Jesus, but she declined, stating she was too busy with her housework. Later, La Befana had a change of heart, and tried to search out the astrologers and Jesus. That night she was not able to find them, so to this day, La Befana is searching for the baby Jesus. She leaves all the good children toys and candy, while the bad children get coal or bags of ashes.

Another Christian legend takes a slightly darker tone as La Befana was an ordinary woman with a child whom she greatly loved. However, her child died, and her resulting grief maddened her. Upon hearing news of Jesus being born, she set out to see him, delusional that he was her son. She eventually met Jesus and presented him with gifts to make him happy. The infant Jesus was delighted, and he gave La Befana a gift in return; she would be the mother of every child in Italy.

Also, popular tradition says that if one sees La Befana one will receive a thump from her broomstick, as she doesn't wish to be seen. This aspect of the tradition may be designed to keep children in their beds while parents are distributing candy (or coal) and sweeping the floor on Epiphany Eve.

A Valentine Swap

The Prim and Whimsy GirLs are hosting a Valentine Swap.

Anyone can join in! This Swap is open to all Artists and Crafters.

You’ll be creating a heart shaped Valentine item - using any medium, any art style, two dimensional or three dimensional - as long as the finished piece is no larger than 5 x 5 inches.

Deadline to sign-up is January 15, 2010. Check out their website, Prim and Whimsy GirLs for more details!

Predicting the Weather ~ With an Onion?

I can remember my Mother using this old method of predicting the weather for the upcoming year.

On the 6th of January, late at night after everyone's gone to bed, cut an onion in half. Separate the rings and place twelve of the 'cups' in a row - January will be on the far left, then February, and so on with December ending on the far right. I personally like to place the cups on a large cookie sheet.


Place 2 tspn of salt in each onion 'cup'. Leave overnight. The next morning look at the salt. How wet or how dry the salt is predicts how wet or how dry that month will be.

** DO NOT talk to anyone from the time you cut the onion until the next morning. **

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Another way some folks predict the upcoming year's weather is to make note of the weather for the first 12 days of January. What those days hold in the way of sunshine, temperatures, & precipitation foretell what the upcoming months will be like.

Wanna compare notes in June???

Orb update

Remember these?


I ask an amateur ghost hunter, MarZal of The Play of Light and Shadow, about the Orbs which appeared in the pics I took on Christmas Eve. (Spirits are known to visit favorite locations on auspicious dates)
She told me that in her experience, she usually does not see Orbs with her camera except where there might be spirit activity. But she was concerned about the air movement caused by the fireplace stirring up dust. MarZel went on to tell me that when wondering about the validity of Orbs as Spirit Energy, I need to keep in mind the 'feeling' of the House and if there has been any other sort of activity there.
The paranormal experiences in this house are more subtle than in many houses we've lived in. We find coins in odd places, shadows or movement can be caught out of the corner of your eye, and the most noticeable is the feeling of comfort that people get upon entering our house.
Personally, I like to think of these as Spirit Orbs and not dust particles. And that maybe we had visitors on Christmas Eve.

January

A New Year has begun. And along with the turning of the calendar page comes the turning over of a new leaf for many folks. New Resolves. New Habits. New Hopes.

I have no resolutions for this year. I try not to make them. If I see that I need to change something, I try do it then. I don't wait till New Year's Day to begin.

Though, I do have hopes for this year. Hopes that Hubby continues with his straight A's in school (so very PROUD of you ♥). Hopes that art sales pickup. Hopes that everyone we know and love continues to have good health.


Hubby and I took a walk down to the creek behind our house this afternoon. The weather was glorious. The sky full of sunshine. The air filled with the songs of nature. The creek was running high from the recent rains. And it roared over the rocks. It felt so good to let all of last year flow down the creek with the water. A cleansing you might say. A washing away of the old, the stagnant; making room for the fresh new beginnings that await us.


Anastasia of Deep Inside My Broom CLoset has ask what one little word we would use to make an impact on our life for 2010. I know many of you in Blogland have written about this or at least seen posts about this. So please bear with me while I share my one little word for 2010.

ACTUALIZATION. Meaning to make real.

This is the year that so many of the things that I VISUALIZED last year will become real. For it is not enough to wish and dream and visualize about what one wants. But a person must take action to achieve those goals and I have already begun. I have a feeling that it will be a busy year. But busy is good. (keeps me out of trouble!)

Blue Moon ~ Magickal Ending for the Year!

A blue moon is a full moon that is not timed to the regular monthly pattern. Most years have twelve full moons which occur approximately monthly, but in addition to those twelve full lunar cycles, each calendar year contains an excess of roughly eleven days. The extra days accumulate, so that every two or three years there is an extra full moon. The extra moon is called a "blue moon." The term "blue moon" is commonly used to describe the rarity of an event, as in the expression, "once in a blue moon." This year's Blue Moon occurs on New Year's eve, December 31, 2009.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
May the coming year bring you health & wealth, love & laughter. ♥

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