Friday, March 15, 2013

How to find a Four Leaf Clover

 

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So it’s that time of year again and my kids are super excited because they get to bring their Four Leaf Clovers to school and have everyone stare in amazement! It never fails that year after year everyone is so amazed at the amount of lucky clovers we seem to have on hand. I used to tell folks I just had an eye for it but the truth is…my dad taught me some great tricks when I was a kid and now finding them is easy!

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Most everyone I know says they’ve looked and looked for a four leaf clover and never found one. I can sympathize with that feeling since I’ve looked and looked for missing shoes in my children’s rooms and, alas, they elude me. However, with just a few simple tricks you may find yourself picking up some luck left and right!

How to Find a Four Leaf Clover:

1.  Bright sunny days are best because not only can you see better but the clover are usually opened up wide and facing the sun. If you stand with the sun to your back you may find that all the clover are facing you. Depends on the day and how much rain there’s been lately.

2.  Get down low and brush your hand across the clover to break them up a bit. There’s nothing more frustrating than the excitement of your first find only to discover it’s two 3-leafers stuck together. Sigh.

3.  Look for a SQUARE in a sea of TRIANGLES!! This, by far, is the most important rule and the secret trick that really helps you find that first one. The 3 leaves of the standard clover form a triangle where as the four leaves of our elusive luck bringer form a square. Don’t spend your time looking at each and every clover you find. Just glance around any given patch and look for that fantastic square! If you don’t find any within a moment or two, move on. Many patches don’t have any so don’t waste your time.

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4.  If you find one STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE because where there’s one there’s more! What ever the mutation is that causes four leaf clovers to form, it tends to grow in clusters. It never fails that after I find one if I just spend a few minutes looking around I start finding more and more and more!

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5.  Found a lucky patch? Well, it’s bound to stay lucky! So don’t forget where it is, but many patches rotate on their luckiness and what was a dry patch one year may be the best in the land the next.

6. DON’T GIVE UP!! This is the most important of all!! I find hundreds (yes, hundreds) of clovers each year but there are days, even weeks that I find NONE! Some patches, yards, fields just don’t have any. It will all be worth it the day you find that magic patch of luckiness and load up!!

 

Now, once you’ve collected your quabillion four leaf clovers make sure you keep them in shallow water until you’re ready to dry them. But don’t wait too long or they’ll rot.  Clovers dry well between phone book pages or on paper towels between book pages but just know that they’ll take on the texture of what ever your mash them between so paper is best.

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We laminate most of our clovers every year to share with our friends and neighbors on St. Patrick’s Day! I also keep a few in my wallet to share with anyone I find who just feels they are down on their luck. Brings a smile every time!

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GOOD LUCK!!

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