Happy Candlemas (And Groundhog) Day

Dear Reader,

We hope you had as restful Sabbath, as did Frankie! We had the humbling, special experience of being able to help a dear friend whose daughter was suffering from RSV, and didn't wish to expose her to the cold air to go the doctor. We advised hot baths with sweating herbs and an onion poultice (as per Dr. Christopher's advice), and the little girl was much improved the next morning. Thank the Lord for His simple healing plants! I think the time is coming that we should all have a few preparations like these at hand, for emergencies, for if something were to happen and we could not get to a doctor, we would want to be prepared.

And now we begin a new week, a new day, and a new month. February is our saving grace in our part of the world, for it is the shortest month of winter, and we know (or hope!) that March will bring a change in the weather. We try not to think of the muddy, brown time that precedes spring, however!

"My fellow Americans. . . "

If girls can wear pants, how come boys can't wear dresses?

We have begun our Valentine card-making already (But forgot to take pictures of the proceedings), and will be decorating our parlor and front entry for Valentine's Day today. I used to be a stick in the mud about such things, before I realized that there could be nothing more beautiful than celebrating Love, for a whole season instead of a day. May we all show forth extra love to those whom we love, as well as those who are unlovable, in honor of St. Valentine, who lost his life because he loved the Lord. If you do not already have Tasha Tudor's book "All for Love", it is full of wonderful Valentine's ideas, stories, songs, and poetry.


We were just reading in the February 2007 issue of "Romantic Homes" about creating a Valentine's tree and decorating it with love notes, adding one a day for each family member until Valentine's Day, when all the notes are opened and read. We'll have to give that one a try, it sounds so lovely.

Now, off to pull out all the February issues of Victoria Magazine, and put away the Januaries!

May the Lord pour out His beautiful love upon you and your loved ones today,

~Marqueta

from "A Shepherd's Garland"

Love is my life,
life is my love,
love is my whole felicity,
Love is my sweet,
sweet is my love,
I am in love, and love in me.
~Michael Drayton