Am heads down on the book. Worked into the night last night on some skulls...and some skulls with roses. St. Valentine's skull (he was martyred by being beheaded) is pulled out of safekeeping for his saint's day, and surrounded by roses. The imagery is big...along the lines of italian saints' bones all wrapped up with golden bows in their reliquaries...wierd and wonderful.
Here's something interesting:
In the account which says the saint was the one who sent the very first valentine, he falls in love with the beautiful jailer's daughter who studies scripture and prays with him in prison. She had been blind since birth, but one day during their prayer time she is miraculously cured of her blindness. The night before he was beheaded, he sends a note of affection to her, asking her to always remain near to God and continually thankful for her healing miracle. The note is signed "From Your Valentine."
Geoffrey Chaucer's 'Parlement of Fowles' (Parliament of Fowls):
For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne's Day
Where every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.
Valentine is often pictured in icons as a bishop with a crippled or epileptic child at his feet, a bishop with a rooster nearby, a bishop refusing to adore an idol, a bishop being beheaded, a bishop overlooking a betrothed couple, and a priest giving sight to a blind girl.
He is the Patron Saint of affianced couples, bee keepers, engaged couples, epilepsy, fainting, greetings, happy marriages, love, lovers, plague, travellers, young people. He is represented in pictures with birds and roses.
Lets Go!
Amazing Amanda saw the Shady Grove portraits and is requesting a few of her Nota and Sequoia. Took some pictures this am with the hope something is there. I feel that these doggie pix will be additive with my Dog client. May need to do a random cat, llama/alpaca, horse/ hinnie...to round out the group.
Beautiful cloudless evening last night with shooting stars and flickering stars that waiver and twinkle from red to gold to green and back again. Given how exciting the stars have been recently, it wouldnt surprise me if we actually had a shot at the Northern Lights this year.