All Is Well.

Welcome!  

This blog will, for the most part be about soap and soapmaking.  I’d also like to cover things such as properties of oils and what each oil adds to a bar of soap.  To me, that is insanely interesting!  I'd like to talk about what oils are good for your skin in balms and lotions.  And maybe even how to make some simple ones at home.  I’d like to share some of the behind the scenes fun I have with the wonderful art of soapmaking.  I could even teach a little about how it is done, for those of you that want to learn to make soap for yourself.  I think making soap is one of the best hobbies anyone can have.  And I like to share it with as many people as I can. 

Today, I’d like to tell you why I chose the Sego Lily to represent my soap business.  First of all, they are one of the most lovely little flowers I have ever run across in the wild.  The first time I saw a Sego Lily in nature, I was surprised at the delicate beauty the flower possessed, and how it seemed to thrive in the harsh, dry land.  I loved how it added elegance to our Utah desert landscape.  To me the Sego lily symbolizes life, strength, beauty and faith. 

The Sego Lily is a sacred plant in Native American legend. Sego is a Shoshonean word thought to mean "edible bulb."The bulb of the plant is between the size of a marble to a walnut.  It is said to taste like a sweet potato.  The Sego Lily helped the early Utah pioneers ward of starvation in the difficult period from 1848 to 1849.  The bulb can be eaten fresh or dried.  They can be prepared in various ways: steamed, roasted or baked.  They could be dried and preserved for winter use.  

In “Founding of Utah”, Levi Edgar Young tells this tale:

Many, many suns ago, the Indians lived in great numbers in these valleys of the mountains. They grew corn and berries in rich abundance. As they increased in yield, the Indians became jealous of one another and tried to see who could gather the most food for winter living, when the snows were deep and cold. Then they warred. The game stick was replaced by the tomahawk. Many Indians were killed. The Great Spirit was displeased. He dried up the corn and berries. The children were left without food. The sky became dark with great clouds for many moons; the earth refused to yield; the sands blew over all the land. The Indians sorrowed and prayed to the Great Spirit. One day the sun shone bright up on the hills, and the people saw a little plant growing everywhere, even in the canyons and far above to the very peaks. The Great Spirit had heard the prayers of the people. When the Indians tasted the root, they knew the Great Spirit had saved them from death. Ever after, they refused to fight where the Sego Lily grew. They called it the ‘Little Life Plant of the Hills’.

Although I think it would be fun to try to eat a Sego Lily Bulb, I am pretty sure I will never actually do it.  The Utah State Legislature designated the Sego Lily as Utah’s state flower.  So it is now against the law to pick, which is a good thing in my opinion.  They are so beautiful and wild.  I think these little life giving flowers are best harvested by taking pictures. 

I couldn't resist the title of this post.  :)  All this talk and thought about Sego Lilies kind of put me in a Pioneer mood.  And for me, All is very well.