Short Stories From 10 Years Ago – February 3, 2004
Fresh Cut Flowers & House Plants
Short Stories From 10 Years Ago – February 3, 2004 – I can’t think of a better way to lift my spirits mid-winter than to bring home some flowers or tend to my house plants! Fresh cut flowers don’t need to cost a lot of money. They come in all shapes, sizes, colours and varieties.
For $4.99 you can buy a few sprigs of greenery and some flowers and put them in a small vase in your kitchen, beside the bed or on the vanity in your bathroom. Of course, $8.99 gets you a bigger sampling but not necessarily a more pleasing effect. For $25.00 you can go wild at the corner store. If the flower shop at Avenue Road and Davenport in Toronto is your destination the sky is the limit!
Fresh flowers in February can’t help but put a little spring in your step (no pun intended – although not a bad one) and a smile on your lips. They bring back memories of summer gardens, sunshine, delicious, warm days and sultry evenings. The scent of flowers can also be intoxicating to the senses and lighten a dark mood.
Flowers speak to us of celebration, soothe us in times of loss, gladden a sad heart, add colour to a room and brighten any special occasion. There is simply no better way to acknowledge a kindness or say thank you for an unexpected gift. Men and women alike enjoy giving and receiving plants and flowers and I don’t know anyone who gets flowers and says, “Why me”?
If I had buckets of money I’d have flowers in every room of the house. In the absence of said buckets, I have house plants in several rooms. My office has a wonderful brass pot filled with a variety of plants. It cheers me during the long hours I spend working here. I also have a wonderful collection of plants in my third floor bathroom, safely under lock and key. Augie has a habit of chewing on them whenever he gets the chance and them promptly being sick – always on the closest carpet. This must be one of Murphy’s doggie laws – ‘time to be sick – locate carpet’.
Another wonderful addition to a home or patio at any time of the year is a collection of small cactus (or is that cacti) in clay pots. They don’t require much attention, no need to be a ‘green thumb’ gardener to ensure success, they’re inexpensive and can be moved from room to room. Better yet – have some in a number of rooms to bring the great outdoors inside, especially in cold weather. Of course, cacti must also be under wraps in my home, so Ziggy the cat can’t play floor hockey with them when I’m out for the day.
Flowers and plants have a way of keeping us connected to nature and the earth. They enhance our homes, offices, shopping malls, libraries and public places. They sit on fireplace mantels, hang in windows, enhance empty corners, beautify kitchen and dining room tables, cascade down from staircase planters and add seasonal colour to our festivities at Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Think of the amazing significance of the Poppy on Remembrance Day!
If you’re looking for a simple way to pick up your day – do it with fresh cut flowers and house plants. I’m grateful for their splendour in my life and happy to share this simple gift with friends and family. I remember many times I’ve felt truly appreciated when someone thought to give me flowers or a beautiful plant as a ‘thank you’ – or even better – for no reason at all.
Pass this special present along to someone you care for and just watch their eyes light up. It’s worth the trip to the flower store every time and it can’t help but make you smile too. And by the way – while you’re there put a rose in your own lapel or pick up a daisy for your desk. You won’t regret it.
