FOR-GET-ME-NOTS
Nancy Herman
9" x 12"
oil on canvas board
This spring the garden has been glorious. Everything is blooming its heart out and the aromas are intoxicating. For-Get-Me-Nots have, unbidden, taken over large parts of what was once my formal garden. I don't mind a bit as they have been blooming for weeks and even as they fade have a certain elegance.
This from Wikipedia:
In a German legend, God named all the plants when a tiny unnamed one cried out, "Forget-me-not, O Lord!" God replied, "That shall be your name."
In 15th-century Germany, it was supposed that the wearers of the flower would not be forgotten by their lovers. Legend has it that in medieval times, a knight and his lady were walking along the side of a river. He picked a posy of flowers, but because of the weight of his armour he fell into the river. As he was drowning he threw the posy to his loved one and shouted "Forget-me-not." It was often worn by ladies as a sign of faithfulness and enduring love.
