We have seen in this space many postcards reminding you of the value of a good day’s work. The virtues of elbow grease in keeping one’s nose to the grindstone, or something like that, was extolled in card after card. AND we have seen cards which complained about tough bosses, long hours, short vacations,Continue reading “Another Day Older and….”
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Ranunculus to You, Baby’s Breath to Betony
B *BABY’S BREATH “Reserved” BACHELOR’S BUTTON “Celibacy” Celibacy, strictly speaking, means the state of being unmarried, if you were giggling. All bachelors are by definition celibate, no matter how many of them go along with the popular alternate meaning for this flower, “I With the Morning’s Love Have Oft Made Sport”. I don’tContinue reading “Ranunculus to You, Baby’s Breath to Betony”
Say When Again
Not long ago in this space, we considered postcards suggesting that what the average drinking male wanted from his alcoholic beverage was more. Another load of postcards has come in suggesting there is an aspect of this we did not consider. Anthropologists, as I have mentioned hereintofore, have split the western world intoContinue reading “Say When Again”
Ranunculus to You, Angelica to Azalea
ANGELICA “Inspiration” This struck me as an easy one: angels carried inspiration to humans, right? Claire Powell, a floriographer who has no truck with easy answers, says it derives from the custom of poets in Lapland to sniff it before reciting their latest work. Really great Laplander poets were awarded a crown of angelica. Continue reading “Ranunculus to You, Angelica to Azalea”
Ranunculus to You, Almond to Angel’s Trumpet
ALMOND “Indiscretion, Heedlessness”* ALMOND, FLOWERING “Hope” The problem, see, is that the almond blossoms way too early in spring. If there’s a late frost, the blossoms are killed, and there will be no almonds. Optimists, therefore, see the almond as a symbol of constant hope, while the pessimists make it represent indiscretion, stupidity, andContinue reading “Ranunculus to You, Almond to Angel’s Trumpet”
No Cowherd Soul Mine
We have dealt, in this space, with certain animals and their roles in postcard cartoons. We have considered dogs and their job chasing suspicious characters, as well as for their enthusiastic urination habits, each heavily covered by our cartoonists. Cats, we have seen, spend a lot of time yowling on back fences. One day,Continue reading “No Cowherd Soul Mine”
All Purpose Vehicles
Mere months ago, we considered the postcard possibilities of canoodling in a Cadillac or fooling around in a Ford. We looked at a number of postcards chuckled at by our ancestors which dealt with the uses of an automobile for a little romance on the road, and the perils associated with it. That heroicContinue reading “All Purpose Vehicles”
Ranunculus To You: A to Allspice
A ABATINA “Fickleness” Despite its appearance in eight of the flower language books consulted, abatina is still a mystery to me. The best io can tell you is that once upon a time, the conifers, or trees with cones, were referred to as “abietinae”. But see the next entry. ABECEDARY “Volubility” AlmostContinue reading “Ranunculus To You: A to Allspice”
Vegetation Vocabulary
Now that we have sent two blogs on the introduction and foreword and such, that flower language can settle into the Monday slot previously occupied by the glories of my Old Joke Quizbook. Those of you who have been yearning for postcard pictures can resume their regularly-scheduled program today, while those waiting for moreContinue reading “Vegetation Vocabulary”
Ranunculus To You, Pt. 2
OWNER’S MANUAL AND LIST OF PARTS An average entry in this book consists of two to four parts and looks something like this: BANANA BLOSSOM* “Old Jokes A” B C D Slipping on a banana peel is one of the oldest jokes in the book. It may or may notContinue reading “Ranunculus To You, Pt. 2”