Friday, January 22, 2010

What's in a name anyway?






Just in case you are all wondering, "What the heck is up with the name of Lori's blog?".  Here is the story behind the name.  Anyone who went through Alexandria Senior High School in Louisiana, needed Mrs. O'Quinn's senior english to graduate.  One of her assignments was the memorization and recitation of a poem.  I chose "Daffodils" by Williams Wordsworth.  To this day I still have it memorized and every spring or randomly throughout the year, I will recite the poem for the enjoyment (haha) of all those around me.

The craziest thing that has happened was when Lynn and I were staying at the Carnagie Castle in Scotland.  The drive towards the castle was lined with you guessed it... daffodils.  At dinner that night we were seated around the table, all strangers, except for Lynn and I.  Dinner here was a formal affair and all guests had dinner together in the main dining room. I mentioned the daffodils and immediately proceeded into the first line of the poem.  The a Scottish lady seated across from me recited the second line, I the third and so on.... I don't know who was more shocked.  I think the Scottish and English visitors were the astonished ones that someone from the other side of the pond had that poem memorized.  Thanks, Mrs. O'Quinn, I did feel very scholarly! 

So, I have been patiently waiting to write this post.... Here is the first picture of daffodils (below) that I have seen this spring (Tom Thumb- none in any yards yet) and below is the famous poem.  Notice the now historic blog title last line...

"Daffodils"  by William Wordsworth

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.

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.

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 thougth
What wealth the show to me had brought:

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.


PS - As I have gotten older it takes a lot less to fill my heart with pleasure.  And guess what?  It never runs out of room!



See more yellow.... Mellow yellow Monday..
Mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com

3 comments:

  1. Lovely poem and what a delightful story about it. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Lori, my mother-in-law found my whipped cream dispenser at Williams Sonoma (you have to buy C02 cartridges to go with it and they only sell those behind the counter). They also sell the dispensers at Crate and Barrel Outlet (I saw them there last week) and Target online.

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  3. What a nice story. Daffodils already - still to early here.

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