I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Daffodils have to be the happiest flower in creation ~ and don't they make you happy, too? I can't help but smile when I see them, lined up in a less than precise chorus line along a fence or in a random patch sprouting up in the woodside.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
Daffodils, jonquils, narcissus ~ are they all the same? In one sense it doesn't really matter (to me, they are all simply beautiful springtime flowers), but when your mother attempts to define the difference, you take note. So, daffodil is the common name for many of the species of the genus Narcissus.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
I was lucky enough to roam through England's Lake Country where Wordsworth spent so much time, where he and his sister Dorothy hiked and became inspired to journal and compose ... as an English major, that trip was major to me!
Did you memorize his poem in school?
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
~ William Wordsworth
Daffodils, like few other flowers, seem to have continually popped up here and there through my years, so when I discovered the stamp set You're Inspiring featuring these trumpeting blooms, I knew it would be on my wish list. I have just started playing with it; stamping and coloring the images is almost as joyful as the flowers themselves.
The delicate lined images are perfect for coloring with our Blends, the Watercolor Pencils, Stampin' Write Markers, plus added interest using Blender Pens and Aqua Painters.
There truly are dozens of varieties of this happy bloom, but generally the blooms are yellow or white, often with a touch of orange - not that I am the expert, just what I have observed and found from google - so reach for Daffodil Delight, Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, Tangelo Twist, Garden Green.
When I bought my very first home in October 100 years ago, I was immediately struck by the towering oak trees and maple trees in the front yard; what beauty! I honestly believe I bought that house on Sunny Lane for the trees. After that first gorgeous autumn and then a Midwest blizzard-heavy winter, the backyard fence burst into hundreds, HUNDREDS of daffodils! I had no idea they were there ~ such a delightful surprise!
Several years ago when I sold my mother's home, which was my childhood home and the home in which I raised my girls, it was March and her jonquils were up and in bloom. The last item packed after I locked the door was a handful of her flowers to take to our new home.
Are you familiar with the Greek myth of Narcissus?
Echo and Narcissus
John William Waterhouse
1903
The stamp set is incredibly easy to work with, let's stamp!
