Friday, January 12, 2007

Let the Sun Shine!



Yellow has always been my least favorite color. It's just too bright and bold and glaring for my taste. Until I snapped a picture of Althea sitting on top of one of our camping containers. When I saw that picture, I couldn't help but smile. Seeing those white feet against that bright yellow background immediately brightened up this rainy, gray Tennessee day. And then it hit me.....


I'm a gardener. How many of the plants that I work with have yellow in them? I don't dislike any of them. The season kicks off with daffodils. What's not to love about them? Plant them once and watch them grow and multiply. Ours are actually coming up already. Too early, but you can't stop them from pushing through the leaves and pine needles. I love sunflowers. My garden isn't complete until I plant sunflower seeds, although they do come up wild all over the garden from the previous year. That makes the goldfinches extremely happy! And then there are the mountains of yellow squash that keep growing and growing and growing. Don't they taste wonderful the first dozen times that you eat them?


I'm an herbalist. Lots of yellow there. I couldn't imagine my garden without chamomile. It's another plant that comes up wherever it wants to. I've seen it push through the gravel in the driveway. Many of the tinctures that I make are golden yellow. Hold that jar up to the light and tell me that's not a pretty sight!


I'm a jewelry artisan. Sometimes a piece just isn't complete without a splash of yellow. I have a healthy stash of yellow beads on hand. And I have the nicest yellow vintage givre glass beads that I keep for myself. There must be a reason for that. Remember, I don't like yellow.


So next time I look at something and start to think "I don't like it because it's yellow", I'm going to remember Althea and those sweet little white feet. Here's to sunny skies ahead. Until next time.....