Monday, June 02, 2008

In the Clover

In almost 61 years, I had yet to discover a four-leaf clover, but the other day when I was doing some garden work, I looked down and there it was. Unlike the two in the photo below, it was a pretty doggone perfect specimen. However, since I was busy attending to chores, I placed it on the hood of the car and continued to weed and water. Of course it stormed mightily before I again thought if that good luck charm, and of course it was long gone by the time that I did think of it again.

In the two days that have since passed, I have searched for another — to no avail. However, as I was finishing today's version of outdoor chores, I was contemplating writing a blog asking whether it had been good luck to find the clover or bad luck to lose it so quickly. But as I was about to climb up the back stairs into the house, I looked down again and thought that I saw another.

However, when I picked it up, it was actually, believe (beleaf?) it or not, a five-leaf clover. It's the one on the left in the photo below. I've numbered the leaves because it's almost impossible to spot the fifth without looking at it in three dimensional real life. Beside it on the ground and also in the photo, I found the other clover: just a plain, ordinary, humdrum, regular, run-of-the-mill four-leafer. It's a rather ratty specimen, so you'd be excused for doubting whether it is indeed a clover. But indeed it is.

Questions abound. Was the original finding and losing good or bad luck or no luck at all? Have you ever heard of a five-leaf clover, and if so what does it portend? Does a ratty, tired and worn four-leaf clover count for good luck? What the heck is going on in my tiny yard to produce three beyond-three-leaf clovers when I have never discovered even one in my previous 61 years?

I eagerly await your educated and elucidating responses. Thank you very much.

Sincerely, ACAC (All Confused AnvilCloud).

10 comments:

dabrah said...

My story won't please you very much. Many years ago my husband decided our lawn needed some attention because it was full of weeds and clover, so he applied some weed and feed stuff to it. The idea was that it should kill off the weeds and encourage the grass. After a few months, I noticed that the clover was back, but that it was mostly four, five and six leaf versions. In other words they mutated. Since then I haven't used any sort of weedkiller or fertilizer, and my lawn just grows naturally and from a distance looks very green (because of the clover, which I'm happy to say is now back to normal 3 leaf mode ).

Woman in a Window said...

Ah, sorry dabrah but I'm gonna ignore that and suggest this instead: when we open our eyes bigger maybe we see clearer. I notice it in a lot of aspects of my life, when I give pause and really look at things, new things sprout. Maybe even clover.

Anonymous said...

http://www.fourleafclover.com/5fact.html
Deborah is right of course but if you want to believe my link is says it brings better luck! :o)

ChrisB said...

Ahh I see daffy has already beaten me to giving that link~ I'd like to believe the more leaves the better the luck!

Heather Plett said...

Hmmm... got any neighbourhood scientists messin' with gmo's?

Anonymous said...

I have no reference here but my gut intuition.. and that is ecstatic about your find. First a four leafer.. then lost.. then refound!! Astounding. Followed by a five leafer.. good luck must abound. :-)

Donna said...

The four-leaflet clover is an uncommon variation of the common three-leaf clover. According to superstition, such leaves bring good luck to their finders, especially if found accidentally.

Clovers can have more than four leaflets. The most leaflets ever recorded is eighteen.
Many believe that these are "four leaved" clovers which is not true as these are the "leaflets" and not "leaves"; usually clovers have 3 leaflets.
According to legend, each leaflet represents something: the first is for hope, the second is for faith, the third is for love, and the fourth is for luck. Legend also holds that if a lady hangs a four-leaf clover on her door, the next man to come in will become her husband.
It is debated whether the fourth leaflet is caused genetically or environmentally. Its rarity suggests a possible recessive gene appearing at a low frequency. Alternatively, four-leaf clovers could be caused by somatic mutation or a developmental error of environmental causes. They could also be caused by the interaction of several genes that happen to segregate in the individual plant. It is possible all four explanations could apply to individual cases.

LOLOL...just thought you might want to know.....hughugs

Janet said...

I used to actively hunt for 4-leaf clovers in our yard when I was a kid. My mother still has one that she found at age 10 and wrapped it in plastic wrap. I found a number of them, and a couple of 5-leafed ones. Lately I haven't looked. Of course, we don't have grass . . .

Amanda said...

I believe alot of luck is coming your way!
Coming to think of it, don't think i have ever spotted a four leaf clover before:(
By the way we stayed in horseshoe resort in/near Barrie. It was fab. We were visiting family and they stay in Queensville near Newmarket, i love Canada and can't wait to go back!

cocoaflik said...

what does the 6 leaf clover stand for?