Clover, Buckhorn Plantain, Lemon Clover (Rambling 1)
Clover. The pretty purple-pink ones my mother taught me to eat the nectar from. Bright memories of hiking with my siblings, and crouching down suddenly to pluck it into my hands, pick its petals, and bring those petals to my lips. Its very name draws up a smile. Then I only sucked on the petals, now I use the leaves in salads and soups. The petals steep in my tea and garnish my food. My mother was told about clover by her own mother. How glad I am that my mother told me about clover.
Buckhorn Plantain. I didn’t know its name for the longest time. Because when my father showed me how to wrap the stem and send the bud flying, he didn’t tell me its name. Moreover, it didn’t need a name, I just needed to use this new-found knowledge to attack my family members with my father by my side. We’d laugh together after a particularly good shot, and he’d give me advice to improve. I still use this. I’ll get into mini battles with friends or aimlessly shoot a bud on a while walk. I love my father for it, for showing me how to do shoot buckhorn plantain buds.
Lemon Clover. I collect it on mass when I can, to munch on. It was my sister who illuminated me to the fact that some random grass, to my little view, was so tasty. Back then, she was my partner in collection when we got peckish from playing. Of course, being older, she would get more (I can laugh at this now, but oh how it irritated me then). She learned about lemon clover from her friend’s mother (that friend is now my sister-in-law, married to my brother). We can disagree on the fundamentals in life, but we will always agree that lemon clover is delicious. Sometimes I want to make her a little bouquet of it, in a way to say “see this? You showed me this, and I’m thankful”.
Pass things down. With any luck it will continue to be passed down. Grand gestures are fine, but offhand displays—where you’d merely like to share something—dwell so much deeper in the heart. Even in any disagreements, I can’t help but look at these things (clover, buckhorn plantain, lemon clover) and feel gut wrenchingly fond.
(Bonus, my father had the entire family try coca-cola and peanuts while telling us it’s origins, and my brother demonstrated how to catch crawdads and salamanders.)
