Sunday, March 14, 2021

A Big Tulip


Hi everyone. Hope you had a nice weekend.  And a nice Mothering Sunday/ Mother's Day for you ladies in the UK.  Also I hope maybe you had pie on pi day. I had a piece of take out pie on Saturday when we got take out for dinner from a restaurant that has the best desserts. I guess I should have waited until Sunday to enjoy my slice.  Smile.

March has so many interesting days in it. March 4th- the only day of the year that sounds like a spoken command (at least in English), pi day, spring ahead with your clocks (at least in the US), British Mother's Day,  St. Patrick's Day, the first day of spring (or fall if you live south of the equator), the Ides of March, as well as sometimes even Passover and Easter. This year the Hindu holiday of Holi also falls in March. And here I thought March was just a slow month watching the snow melt.

Monday, March 15,  is the ides of March. I looked up ides  because I knew it had a Julius Caesar reference (thanks Shakespeare), but wasn't exactly sure why the 15th was the Ides of March. I discovered it really means the first full moon of any given month. This usually occurs between the 13-15th of March, at least according to the History.com website. Not so very sinister as the Bard implied, but I guess for Caesar it was since he was murdered on this day.


My actual digital photo of the spot Caesar was murdered has disappeared into the ether someplace.  I will find it one day. This photo is a re-post from my blog in 2007. IGNORE the printing on the photo about visiting Rome last April. That surely didn't happen with covid going on. I published this photo back in 2007, and it was from something I needed it for in 2006. Our trip to Italy was in 2005.
And even in 2005, I was amazed there were still flowers being placed for the fallen Roman leader.


All that chatter leads up to my journal page from my Secret Garden book. I used this hand drawn, colored and fussy cut tulip on my page. This makes it fit into Sheila's single flower challenge at Art Journal Journey.
The scenic route for this vintage lady must be a giant field of blooming tulips. Some of you may have them blooming or popping up out of the ground; maybe it is just a tad too early for them other places. A trip to see fields of blooming tulips or fields of blooming lavender is on my very very long travel wish list. (I check off 2 or 3 places and then I add another 10. Yikes!)
I have no idea where the old photo came from, but I liked it. I think it works well on my page. The TH quotes also help tell the story. I like to think this independent lady has fields of blooming tulips and fields of purple lavender on her travel bucket list too.

Hope everyone has a great start to the new week. And thanks for visiting too.







 

14 comments:

Valerie-Jael said...

Fun post, Erika! A very interesting mix. Love the beautiful flower for your secret garden book and sheila's challenge. Have a great week, hugs, Valerie

sheila 77 said...

Lots of fascinating information here, Erika, about all the dates marked in the March calendar. It's a while since I read about the Ides of March and there is something very poetic about the very words, and how good that some people even now commemorate the Julius Caesar Ides day as your photograph shows.
That is a very spritely tulip and it looks all ready to go out and about.
It will almost certainly be thumbing a lift from the lady with the car and going to see its relatives in the tulip fields. I hope you get to see them one day too.
Thanks very much for another great piece for our challenge at AJJ.

Iris Flavia said...

Brutus was just here - job-offer declined, not even inviting me for a talk. Cause I´m not willing to move away.

Yes Always take the scenic route!!! But not for a job...

Ella said...

Yes, you are right on March 15, 44 BC. Julius Caesar had been murdered.
It's surprising that people don't forget that, and they still put flowers there!
Your diary page is beautiful!
Have a nice week!
Hugs!

Divers and Sundry said...

We note the Ides of March every year. I was grown before I realized there was an "ides" in every month lol

R's Rue said...

👍👍👍

CJ Kennedy said...

I knew the Ides of March as March 15 and according to Shakespeare, Caesar was warned Beware the Ides of March a month before during the Feast of the Lupercalia on Feb. 15. How's that for more trivia. interesting that flowers are still left at the site.

Wonderful bold tulip and great advice. Too cold for the tulips at the moment. Hopefully warmer at the end of the week.

craftytrog said...

A gorgeous page Erika!
Our clocks spring forward the last weekend this month, we'll be taking our morning walks in the dark again for a while.
Alison xx

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I am so lucky to have remembered PI day, I totally forgot the Ides of March. What a fun look back, dear.

Thankfully you are looking ahead with that beautiful entry you goave us of the tulip and vintage car. Thanks for the fun look honoring Sheila's theme at Art Journal Journey.

pearshapedcrafting said...

March is a busy Month and one of my favourites - my Mums birthday was on the first day of Spring and when I was little a local farmer used to let us go and pick Snowdrops in his orchard. Definitely too early for Tulips where lived! I hope you lady gets to see her flower fields. I love this page with it's good advice and pretty Tulip! The Tulip fields of Holland are on my travel list. Hugs, Chrisx

Jeanie said...

Interesting about the Ides of March and Brutus' spot. LOVE you page. Those colors work together so well, some of my favorites together.

Elkes Lebensglück said...

Your posting is very interesting and your journal page has become very nice.
Have a beautiful week, hug Elke

Empire of the Cat said...

I have always known about the Ides of March as it is my birthday "beware the Ides of March" is not the usual birthday wishes you might expect to get lol. Mother's day used to always be the third Sunday in March but then they moved it because of Easter and it's never a set date any more, and probably because they could make more money from it making sure it was never a joint celebration with something else, but that might just be my cynical view lol Elle xx

nwilliams6 said...

Always love your history tidbits! That is amazing that people still leave flowers - maybe because tragedy always touches are heart. We all can identify with being attacked by those we thought loved us and for being a bit disillusioned by ourselves. Could just be giant lovers of Shakespeare too - lol! Great page in your fab journal too. I need to get more paper dolls - you have the best ones! Hugz