Whimsical Wonderful

Ah, sweet, sweet Cindy of Cindy Adkin's Whimal Musings. Every time I am on her blog, she has something new she is giving away. I swear,  she lives only to give! At the beginning of Mardi Gras, I won this darling tag in a give-away on her blog. I love the black and white harlequin, partially because it reminds me of Cindy. In most of her art, she has some area of black and white. It really adds a lot to her designs. Cindy is also one of the most prolific artists I know.  I am amazed at how much she creates! She seems to have something new to show us every day and sits on two design teams. 

This gift came entirely out of the blue. Fava beans are thrown from some of the floats in the Irish/Italian  parade in New Orleans. The fava beans are also known as miracle beans. On St. Joseph's Day, altars, holding blessed fava beans,  are erected by Sicilian settlers in the Louisiana area.  The altars are created to honor St. Joseph, patron saint of Sicily, and mark a miracle which happened long ago. At that time, the Sicilians were starving when they were suddenly blessed with a huge crop of fava beans. 

Today the fava beans are blessed before being put into the floats. Some people believe that if you carry them in your purse, they will bring wealth. 

 I was so pleased when Cindy wrote to me, told me the story of the beans and offered me one. She said that she had long wanted to catch one and this year she was lucky enough to catch several. My bean is now residing in a little cloisonne box, on the altar area in front of my bed. 

Thank you so much, Cindy. You are a generous person and a lovely woman!