*A quick note on the header photo; That's Autumn's head in the jar. Believe or Not!
I dropped Noah off at Civil War Camp this morning
and snapped a few more pictures of the Dodge Turner Mansion.
I've been noticing that many old house's veranda ceilings are painted a light blue color.
So, of course I needed to know why.... I did some research.
One reason is; in the south before the Civil War the slaves believed that
a shade of blue they called Haint Blue would ward off bad spirits.
The word Haint means spirit, haunt or ghost. So the color is "Spirit or Ghost Blue."
Now the blue could be different shades from light blue to a brighter turquoise.
It all depended on the pigments that was available to make the milk paint.
Many cultures around the world actually think of blue as a very spiritual color
especially in the deep south.
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Now there are a few other, more boring explanations like bugs won't land on the color
blue, Right!!! and it makes you think of the sky, well OK. But I prefer Haint Blue
as a matter of fact, I'm going to paint my porch ceiling Haint blue very soon!
I do want to keep away bad spirits and bugs! Hmmm... my blog color is sort
of haint bluish. To keep away evil bloggers! heeeheeehe......
The rose arbor and the music room.
6 comments:
A blue story:
In the early 60's, my parents bought an adobe house in Espanola, a very hispanic town in northern New Mexico, in a neighborhood that had just moved from farming to residential. Our address was Rt. 1 Box 15, but there were probably 50 houses between us and the highway, so it had filled in.
My mom painted the outsides of all the window frames with blue enamel. One of the older women in the neighborhood came by to introduce herself and chat. She asked my mom why she was was painting the windows blue, and my mom said the wood was really dry and she thought it was pretty with the dark brown stucco. When the woman understood that my mom really was a clueless foreigner (my mom was a Texan), then it was fine.
My mom asked another local friend, who had grown up in that house, who explained that blue is the color used to keep out brujas--witches. My mom had inadvertendly insulted the neighbors by witch-proofing the house before she'd even met them.
I don't know how widespread that belief was then. There are many oddities of northern New Mexico because Spaniards started settling there in 1598 and didn't have much contact with or influence of Spain, nor later Mexico, and their culture developed some unique streaks.
That is a great story Sandra! Good to know not to insult the local neighborhood brujas!
It's really fascinating to learn about different cultural beliefs on the color blue. It really seems all linked to warding off evil of some sort or another. I am all for that! lol...
Oh if only it were so easy!!! Maybe you and I should go paint the White House haint blue!!!!
Thanks......I love the idea of haint blue, it'll be floating about in the back of my head all day. :)
And I really like Sandra's story too!
Sharon, Oh what a great idea to paint the White House haint blue! lol...very funny!!!
Then we could get rid of Bush a little bit early!:)
Love the blue connotations...Gotta do what ever we can to keep the boogie man away!!!
so I am here just to swoon over the amazing rose arbor...
Hi Gwen, Gee... I planted my climbing roses 2 years ago. I only have to wait about 98 years or so until they look like that! Aren't they gorgeous?!
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