A Rose is a Rose

Valentine’s Day is my least favorite holiday.  In fact, I didn’t remember it was Valentine’s Day until I heard it mentioned by a local morning news anchor.  I was sitting in the next room writing what was to be today’s post. 

Generally V Day is not acknowledged in our house.  First of all I think it’s a tacky holiday.  And secondly, I screwed it up years ago.  On our first Valentine’s Day I came home from work and found a dozen long stem red roses sitting on the living room table. 

I don’t remember if I realized it was Valentine’s Day, but if I did my response to the flowers went something like this. 

“Where did those come from,” I questioned.

“They’re for you,” C answered.

“For what?”

“Valentine’s Day,” he said calmly.

My reaction from that moment on was less than stellar.  “You wasted God knows how much money to buy a bunch of roses that will be dead in a few days”. 

And to make it worse, knowing me, I’m sure I didn’t leave it at just that one statement but went on for awhile about how poor we were. 

I know, I know.  It was a terrible response to a very sweet gesture.  There was no excuse, but understand that I was young, living from paycheck to paycheck at the time and completely broke.  So every penny mattered. And, I never claimed to be a romantic. 

C promptly informed me that I would never receive even a @*&$%#& single flower from him again and probably nothing else ever for Valentine’s Day.  That holiday was dead to him!

And for years we just ignored it.  But, time does heal all wounds.  Some years back he actually bought me another dozen roses.  This time it was a little different and I got the whole rose bush, twelve of them to plant here on the farm. 

We’ve never had a complete master plan for our landscaping projects.  So, all too often months after we’ve planted something we treat it like furniture and decide it needs to be moved to the other side of the house, yard or garden. Due to this bad practice and because I don’t know how to care for roses a few of the plants did not make it.  It doesn’t help when you move them once or twice year after year.  However, several of them made there way to the vegetable garden and in spite of me have managed to survive. These photos are from two of those plants. 

Morale of the story:  If someone gives you flowers accept them graciously, even if it means you can’t make your car payment that month!

Happy Valentine's Day!