[envy emoticon]The area your grandmother is from and the things she used to say that made everyone in your new hometown go huh?
My nana used to say she was born under the shadow of the rock of cashel. but since she live in dublin, and i in NY, we, it was rare we heard her say anything!
dogwood are lovely flowering trees.
there are several christian myths about them.
one, that the dog wood tree was once a tall straight strong tree, and was used to make masts, and other heavy timbers, and it was a proud tree.
but one day, its wood was fashioned into a cross. and used to crucify the lord.
the tree beg god to strike it down, and rid the earth of dog woods, that the part the tree played in the crucifixion was more than it could bare.
but god was unwilling to destroy his own work, and told the tree, I will refashion you, and never again will your wood be used to harm people.-- and i will mark you, so all can see your part in the crucifixion.
so, now, the dog wood is small tree, with small branches, and it bear every year at easter tide, thousand of flower, each has four petals, an they are tipped red, stigmata, and the center is peirced red too, like the lords.. and all who look at the tree see beauty
less prosaic, dog wood is (was) used to make dogs..a mechanical part of of a mill, (an home sewer knows dogs.. in the throat of you sewing machine, are two feed dogs..)
printers and copiers use feed dogs too, but i don't know what property of the wood makes it good for mechical dogs.
