L'aura del Campo

Stop day and lavender

SPRING: 15 Jamál (12 May)

          Lavender          

Weather where I am: 63º and very windy.

Weather in Ottawa, Ontario: 57º

Weather in Rio Gallegos, Argentina: 54º

The penguins are having problems with oil in Argentina. Rio Gallegos is about as far south as one can go in Patagonia. It's autumn there.

Ottawa beat Buffalo in hockey last night, so no celebrating ... yet. Always think of Michelle Cline when Ottawa is mentioned. Lived with her family an age ago (1981).

Lavender

To me lavender is a 'color' not just a subset of purple or pink. I guess I learned my Crayola crayon colors too well! For me 'gold' isn't just yellow and 'copper' isn't an orange-brown.

My friend Don Brown was blind, but he had his bedroom painted lavender. Everyone who knew him knew his favorite color. After he died I wrote this poem:

"The sound of lavender"  (It could use four more reviews!)

What Wikipedia has to say about the color:

Lavender is a color that is a light shade of violet, particularly the color of the flower of the same name. It might also be described as light bluish or pinkish purple.

Under the Wikipedia article about the plant:

Herbal Remedies

Flower of cultivated lavender; Lavandula stoechas or Spanish lavender. Lavender has been extensively used in herbalism. An infusion of lavender is claimed to soothe and heal insect bites. Bunches of lavender are also said to ward off insects. If applied to the temples, lavender oil is said to soothe headaches. Lavender is frequently used as an aid to sleep: Seeds and flowers of the plant are added to pillows, and an infusion of three flowerheads added to a cup of boiling water are recommended as a soothing and relaxing bedtime drink. Lavender oil (or extract of Lavender) is claimed to heal acne when used diluted 1:10 with water, rosewater, or witch hazel; it is also used in the treatment of skin burns and inflammatory conditions (it is a traditional treatment for these in Iran). There is scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of some of these remedies, especially the anti-inflammatory effects, but they should be used with caution since lavender oil can also be a powerful allergen.

An awesome photo of lavender fields in Hokkaido, Japan:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Lavender_FarmTomita.jpg

Html "lavender" isn't exactly how I define the color. In my world lavender is a deeper hue.

Html lavender:

http://users.rcn.com/giant.interport/COLOR/LAVENDER.html

Html lavender blush:

http://users.rcn.com/giant.interport/COLOR/LAVENDBL.html

Lavender, like pink, has been used by the GBLT to self-identify, lavender more with the Lesbian community.

Minnesota's GBLT magazine is called Lavender:

http://www.lavendermagazine.com/

Went on a campus walk this morning hosted by Professor Emeritus Ted Johnson, "Perspectives on the Monuments of Mount Oread: A Stop Day Walking Tour of Kansas University". I went last year too. It lasts alllllll day long. A bit chilly and far too windy to really enjoy it, though. I have a headache and can't attend part of the afternoon program due to other foolishness, so here I m blogging. But not for too long!

IMAGES

Look up to the chirping of the birds. They have left their white frescoes on the lintels of Lippincott.

The quince no longer flowers red, but look ... a ladybug.

This is where the bees live, some sparrows nest, a pigeon's place to rest. This is where the knowledge's kept ... for all who enter.

One bent dandelion faces the dawn. The arbor shadows the path before me.

Above me, the red tinged peapods of redbud. Inside me, thoughts of chicken stir-fry.

A lime-green Mercury; a red Honda Civic. Do the birds that poop above them care?

Sketched and edited today:

Eleventh and Mass.

The traffic pauses on yellow,
         dawnlight dapples on purple sage,
waits on red,
         the crush of leaves
goes on green.
         lingers. [163.110a]

So I'm off to catch a coffee (they're slower than wabbits). And pray the headache goes away.