Lambs ears & Happy Ides of March ~~~

Ides of March

It's one of Shakespeare's most memorable phrases...

Shades of High School Latin class…

The Ides of March is the first day of the Roman New Year.

It also marks the first day of spring in the Roman calendar.

Celebration Ideas here!

How to Cook a Roman Sweet Cake

What is fabulous about the Ides of March?

It was my Latin teacher in High School…to this day I attribute what I have retained in part to her.

Thanks to Ms Laughlin.

As SPRING is showing herself around here we all breath a sigh of

"OH YESsssssssssssssssssssssss how wonderful this is."

On a recent walk about I was taking pictures of this and that and ended back at the gate to our Deck… My Lamb’s ear is greening up quite well. The plant is at the base of my Garden Buddha…

Canada, one of our cats was warming in the sun while my Garden Buddha was pleased not to be covered in Snow…

On down in this post they talk about the medicinal qualities of this plant. I will add a story… One time when I was mowing the “Back Forty” a ground wasp came up through the opening where the gear shift is located and stung me on my finger… YIKES

Knowing that the mowing HAD to be finished, I stopped the tractor, went to a near by MUD hole, slathered the mud on my finger then went back to the house to gather some Leaves from the Lamb’s ear. Using it like a “Band aide” I finished my mowing @ an hour or so later. Daffodil ALMOST opened

Got in the house took the leaf off and MUCH to my surprise…the swelling was greatly reduced and the ‘HEAT’ from such a sting had as well diminished… Forget Me Knots

Bottom line here, in my thinking, Great Grandmother KNEW her stuff! Tulips

Latin Name: Stachys byzantina (syn. S. lanata; Lamb's-ear or Lamb's Ear) is a species of Stachys, native to Turkey, Armenia, and Iran.[1][2] It is cultivated over much of the temperate world as an ornamental plant, and is naturalised in some locations as an escape from gardens. Plants are very often found under the synonym Stachys lanata or Stachys olympica. Lamb's Ears is a low growing spreader with very fuzzy, pale, silvery gray-green foliage. They are grown primarily for the color and texture of their foliage, although the species does have flower spikes early in the season. Lamb's Ears are often recommended for children's gardens because of their soft feel. Crocus

Description and more Click Here

Nature’s Teddy Bear and Band-Aid

During this time (pre-industrial revolution), cloth was a pretty scarce commodity. A woman (and it was mostly women) could spend weeks, even months making a single piece of clothing. Would you waste such efforts binding up a minor scratch or arterial wound? Heck no! That’s what Lamb’s Ear is for, as any sensible woman from the 1700s would have told you.

Long ago, it was used as a bandage for minor and major wounds. Supposedly, it has some antiseptic properties, but because it is no longer used in it’s original herbal manner, there is no supporting proof of this beyond the fact that other plants in the Stachys family have been proven to have antiseptic properties.

But for the same reasons Lamb’s Ear made a great Band-Aid back in the day, are the same reasons we use it in our garden today. Soft, furry (absorbent) leaves that just make you want to give the whole plant a great big hug.

Wild Turkey across the Creek Ahhhhhhhhhhh Spring is upon us ;)