It’s the end of July. It’s hot, even under the Garden’s sprawling trees. Too hot to get too worked up about things. What we need is a refreshing, easy-going drink that suits the weather. Planter’s Punch, it is.
Monthly Archives: July 2014
Kiss. It’ll improve your relationship.
I know: This is so obvious that it hardly bears saying, right? Yet this most obvious fix to so many problems goes unused much of the time. In fact, it’s treated like the eventual prize for getting things going properly again, or an optional activity you can do just fine without.
It is nothing of the sort.
Love’s Philosophy
The fountains mingle with the river,
And the rivers with the ocean;
The winds of heaven mix forever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In another’s being mingle–
Why not I with thine?
See, the mountains kiss high heaven,
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister flower could be forgiven
If it disdained its brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea;–
What are all these kissings worth,
If thou kiss not me.
(Percy Bysshe Shelley)
Burdock: Aphrodisiac?
The root of either great burdock (Arctium lappa) or common burdock (Arctium minus), is listed in several old herbals as a mild aphrodisiac. It’s long been used worldwide as a tonic for the liver and kidneys and to cleanse the blood. In Europe it’s been combined with dandelion and made into wine for many generations as a restorative, and the Romani (Gypsies) add a decoction of burdock to regular wine for similar purposes. It’s also used for skin problems such as psoriasis and acne.
The healing properties of burdock are due to several useful chemicals that apparently do help the filtering organs as well as the skin. While the liver and kidneys are considered to be related to sexual health in Eastern medicine, burdock is not an aphrodisiac on its own merit.
Fog Cutter
One of Victor Bergeron’s (of “Trader Vic’s” fame) many creations, the Fog Cutter has a fair ingredient list but is a nicely balanced drink for those who like their tiki-style blends refreshing and citrusy. If that’s a word.
A View To A Kill
It’s not uncommon for someone to say that they most enjoy the hunt, that being a metaphor for the complex social dance people engage in before any actual amorous activity happens.
I must admit that I have never been among them.
Beauty XXV
And a poet said, “Speak to us of Beauty.”
Where shall you seek beauty, and how shall you find her unless she herself be your way and your guide? Continue reading
Betel Nut: Aphrodisiac?
The seed of areca palm (Areca catechu) is called a betel nut . It’s usually sliced or shredded for use like snuff or chewing tobacco, and often mixed with burnt lime and spices, and wrapped in a betel vine leaf (Piper betle, related to black pepper). Or just mixed with local spices or tobacco to improve the incredibly bitter flavor. Yes, both the nut and leaf, from different kinds of plants, are called “betel”. Confusing, but here we are.
Brandy Alexander
Our traditional “June gloom” has arrived a couple of weeks too late for June, here at the Garden, but it has at last arrived. The warm, overcast humidity always puts me in mind of several new directions for mixing. Today I think I’ll do something cool and creamy; tomorrow, perhaps something tropical. I’ll tell you about it as soon as I’m done with the shaker.
Acrostics: Susan
This one, I have enough that, with additions, they could be put together into a single story, a tale of love and loss and hope told five lines at a time. Perhaps some day I will. Not a bad idea. For now, here are some examples of a very easy name to write for.