May is my favorite month of the entire year. Everything is fresh, new, and green. The days are warm, but not hot, and the nights are cool and pleasant. My favorite flowers bloom in May too. One of those is the magnolia tree. Is there anything prettier, anything more aromatic, anything more southern than a stately magnolia in full flower?
My grandparents had magnolias in their front yard and I spent many happy hours of my childhood playing in the shade of those trees and climbing high among the branches. I also used to make Indian headdresses with the leaves and that is what I am going to share with you here.
First, collect several green leaves from the branches and several dry leaves from the ground.
Next, snap the stems off the dry leaves. Discard the leaves and hang onto the stems.
Use the stems from the dry leaves to pin the green leaves end-to-end.
Continue to pin the leaves together until they form a circle that can fit around your head.
For the last step, pin a couple of leaves to the finished headband for feathers.
Now all I need are some poke berries or charcoal for warpaint and I’m all set to scalp a few cowboys.
Melody sure makes a pretty red-headed Indian.
[Childhood is a paper boat borne along by a lazy breeze on a summer day.]
PORTER VALLEY FARMS 