That I like flowers shouldn't be surprising if you've been reading my blog for a while. I'm always showing you pictures of my Garden after all. But I absolutely hate fake flowers. They hardly ever look real and they collect dust like nobody's business. I also hate dried flowers. Very bad feng shui, you know. To have lifeless things around you.
So I cut fresh flowers from my garden. These lovely cosmos made a great transition after being uprooted from my old house. I swear, this was the best packet of seeds I've ever bought. I've had years and years of repeatedly blooming cosmos with almost no work. They also made a great "welcome to the neighborhood" present for my old neighbor, who in the spirit of neighborliness, lent us their patio umbrellas for the the wedding last June.
Or if nothing's blooming, I buy flowers from the farmers' market. Not the elaborate bouquets that are pre-made. No, no. That's too much of a splurge. I buy a $2-$3 bouquet of whatever's in season. This month, it was marigolds. Maybe not the prettiest flower. Actually, my brother even asked lil' sis why I bought such ugly flowers. They're not even one of my favorites. And I'm not even fond of yellow as a color per se. But a long, long time ago, my ba noi (Vietnamese paternal grandmother) had planted a whole garden of marigolds, even though her favorite flowers were roses. And sometimes, if there's nothing else I like available, I buy marigolds because they remind me of her.
Oh, don't get me wrong, I've received flowers here and there. But mainly, I buy my own flowers because I occasionally do nice things for myself for no reason at all. And because it reminds me of this verse from "After a While" by Veronica A. Shoftstall, from "A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul: 101 Stories to Reopen the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit" by Jack Canfield.
...So you plant your own garden
and decorate your own soul
instead of waiting for someone
to bring you flowers...
Great verse, beautiful cosmos. I've been having a not so good week, and your blog has been distracting me from the not-so-goodness. Thanks!
ReplyDeletehey, that purple hippo really stand out among the flowers! :P Cute.
ReplyDeletethe flowers look lovely. brings "life" to a room!
ReplyDeleteHi Anon,
ReplyDeleteI hope things get better! Here, have another virtual bouquet of cosmos. :)
Tigerfishy,
You like? His name really IS Purple! Hehe. :)
Daphne,
I agree! That's why I like to have fresh flowers around.