My sister says that blue is sad
Like a lonely song.
But my blue is happy
Like my favorite jeans
And a splash in the pool on a hot day.
“Yellow is cheery,” says my mom.
“Like the summer sun.”
But my yellow is worried
Like a wilting flower
And a butterfly caught in a net.
The boy next door says red is angry
Like a dragon’s burning breath.
But my red is as brave as a fire truck
And my superhero cape.
. . .
I guess colors are how you see them
And my blue is happy.
from: My Blue Is Happy
by Jessica Young
illustrated by Catia Chien
Candlewick, 2013
On National Crayon Day, March 31, 2017, Crayola announced it is retiring dandelion from its line-up of yellows. This is big. After being introduced in 1990, the dandelion crayon is going the way of the Monopoly iron, and thimble..
According to www.crayola.com. the new color will be in the blue family and we can all participate in choosing the new name. Instructions will follow its unveiling in May.
I am one of very few people I know who didn’t outgrow my love of dandelions, although I do admit to a love/hate relationship. Those hearty and hardy tufts sprout up in the nastiest conditions. I smile to think of the resilience of a dandelion in a patch of dry, grassless soil, bravely tossing its bright cheer toward anyone willing to acknowledge it’s anything more than a common weed. And that’s where the hate comes in.
They brighten up the endless span of suburban lawns. But they are the excuse many people have for using poisonous weed-killers.
The beautiful dots of color become puffs of seeds ready to disperse and proliferate with a wish. When I find them, I pick the flowers before they have a chance to set their puffy seed heads.
What is cheerier than a child’s bouquet full of dandelions? I love those for many reasons. First, the color makes me smile. Next, there are fewer in the lawn. Lastly, a picked dandelion bouquet won’t last very long, no matter how quickly it’s placed in a beautiful vase of fresh water.
I’ve collected bouquets myself and given more than I can remember to my mom, my gram, my grown-up friend who lived next door. My friends and I made bracelets and crowns by weaving the stems together. We wore them proudly.
My gram didn’t like dandelions in the grass. My mom didn’t like to see her bent over almost double, pulling them from the lawn. They compromised. Gram got a folding lawn chair from the garage, her pronged garden digger and got to work, dragging the chair from place to place. Gram insisted she liked pulling those nasty weeds. She might have been the happiest to receive my bouquets.
Meanwhile, the dandelion crayon will be available in the box of 24’s until the end of April. Why replace a yellow? Some people in high places don’t like dandelions? or blue is better? or a re-balancing of primary colors is in order? But no matter. I’ll just have to stock up on the 24’s for my grandkids. Oh!
--stay curious!
Like a lonely song.
But my blue is happy
Like my favorite jeans
And a splash in the pool on a hot day.
“Yellow is cheery,” says my mom.
“Like the summer sun.”
But my yellow is worried
Like a wilting flower
And a butterfly caught in a net.
The boy next door says red is angry
Like a dragon’s burning breath.
But my red is as brave as a fire truck
And my superhero cape.
. . .
I guess colors are how you see them
And my blue is happy.
from: My Blue Is Happy
by Jessica Young
illustrated by Catia Chien
Candlewick, 2013
On National Crayon Day, March 31, 2017, Crayola announced it is retiring dandelion from its line-up of yellows. This is big. After being introduced in 1990, the dandelion crayon is going the way of the Monopoly iron, and thimble..
According to www.crayola.com. the new color will be in the blue family and we can all participate in choosing the new name. Instructions will follow its unveiling in May.
I am one of very few people I know who didn’t outgrow my love of dandelions, although I do admit to a love/hate relationship. Those hearty and hardy tufts sprout up in the nastiest conditions. I smile to think of the resilience of a dandelion in a patch of dry, grassless soil, bravely tossing its bright cheer toward anyone willing to acknowledge it’s anything more than a common weed. And that’s where the hate comes in.
They brighten up the endless span of suburban lawns. But they are the excuse many people have for using poisonous weed-killers.
The beautiful dots of color become puffs of seeds ready to disperse and proliferate with a wish. When I find them, I pick the flowers before they have a chance to set their puffy seed heads.
What is cheerier than a child’s bouquet full of dandelions? I love those for many reasons. First, the color makes me smile. Next, there are fewer in the lawn. Lastly, a picked dandelion bouquet won’t last very long, no matter how quickly it’s placed in a beautiful vase of fresh water.
I’ve collected bouquets myself and given more than I can remember to my mom, my gram, my grown-up friend who lived next door. My friends and I made bracelets and crowns by weaving the stems together. We wore them proudly.
My gram didn’t like dandelions in the grass. My mom didn’t like to see her bent over almost double, pulling them from the lawn. They compromised. Gram got a folding lawn chair from the garage, her pronged garden digger and got to work, dragging the chair from place to place. Gram insisted she liked pulling those nasty weeds. She might have been the happiest to receive my bouquets.
Meanwhile, the dandelion crayon will be available in the box of 24’s until the end of April. Why replace a yellow? Some people in high places don’t like dandelions? or blue is better? or a re-balancing of primary colors is in order? But no matter. I’ll just have to stock up on the 24’s for my grandkids. Oh!
--stay curious!
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