After the summer solstice celebrations, our home always feels a bit enchanted, filled with lingering scents of wilting birch trees – meijas (in Latvian), drying flower crowns, and wildflowers & grasses slowly fading in every vase. This year, my bouquet of Jāņu zāles brought a little extra magic I hadn’t expected.
I had carefully gathered wild grasses, clover, daisies, and other meadow treasures on the day of Līgo. They stood proud and festive on our dining table, nestled in a big pot in the center, radiating that special Midsummer energy. Like every year, I laid out a handmade table runner underneath — more for tradition than protection.
Helmī came to me and asked what was going on with the flowers! I touched the bouquet and a soft poof! of pollen rose like golden dust into the air — a tiny, weightless cloud of sun-coloured powder. And there it was! A perfect, delicate pattern of pollen had settled onto the black surface of the table, like a nature-made mandala. I couldn’t help but smile. A silent reminder of the power and beauty in simple things. It was too pretty to wipe away immediately, so I left it there for a day, to enjoy it.
Sometimes, the mess nature leaves behind is more beautiful than what we expect. This one felt like a tiny Midsummer blessing.
Have your Jāņu zāles ever surprised you?
Ilze
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a day in the life of a latvian mom 
Perfect 🙏 happy Midsummer 🌼
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Thank you, Ashley!
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We don’t celebrate here but it looks so fun.
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Have you ever brought flowers and grasses (not sure how you call it in English) inside, and grass starts to bloom and cover everything in pollen?
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No, I haven’t. I actually cut the inside of Lilllies out because they make such a mess on everything. We are both highly allergic to pollen and other things. 😦
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That is so pretty! a bonus!
Mandy.
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Thank you, Mandy! I love it.. and thinking about ways to preserve it… But no luck… so I guess – photo and this blog post is what’s left 🙂
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Still very pretty!
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It sure is!
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Enchanted is a magical place to be.
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It sure is!
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😊❤️
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That table runner is gorgeous.
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Thank you 🙂 I put it in the wash and tried to store some pollen 🙂
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