When you're 80, you get whatever you want.

[judecorp]

So it's coming on Mother's Day, and on this day, I especially celebrate the two women who can most easily be considered "mother" to me: the woman who gave birth to me, and my paternal grandmother. My mother and father broke up when I was three, and my smurfbrother and I are some of the rare instances of children who lived with a single-parent father. My grandparents lived next door, and a lot of the childraising was done by them.

Anyway, if there's one thing in the whole wide world that my grandmother likes, it's fresh flowers. Honestly, I don't think it would matter if I picked them out of someone's lawn, or if I ordered the most expensive delivery bouquet. She just loves flowers. She likes to set them on her table, and every time she walks by, she smells them. Every time. She gushes about them and thinks they are the most wonderful thing. It's great when there's something, that one gift that's guaranteed to make someone's day. With Grandma, it's always easy: flowers.

I don't really like sending flowers. Sending flowers bums me out kind of, because the flowers are just going to die and cost too much money. When I lived locally, I would bring her potted plants which would make me feel better, because they wouldn't die. But you know what? She prefers delivery flowers. And well, I love my grandmother with all my heart and if floral arrangements will do it for her, well, that's what she gets.

On holidays like Mother's Day and Valentine's Day, everyone jacks up the prices of floral arrangements. To save a little money, I had the flowers sent a few days early (today), and I picked a medium-sized arrangement. Just a simple basket with a bunch of brightly colored flowers. I figured it would be good to send them early because a) I would be the first gift, which could be kind of fun, and b) she would be surprised.

She called this evening to thank me for the flowers, and to tell me that she had been feeling kind of blue until she got the flowers. She said she was so happy, she cried a little, and even my grandfather was a little jealous. She said it made her whole day, and that she wasn't expecting it at all (even though I send her flowers at least twice a year, really, it's too easy to make her happy). She always says that she wants all the flowers now, while she's alive and can enjoy them, and doesn't want any when she dies.

Happy Mother's Day, Grandma. You get anything you want - you deserve it. Thank you.

Comments

[shadist.livejournal.com]

She always says that she wants all the flowers now, while she's alive and can enjoy them, and doesn't want any when she dies.

Wow. . .

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Grandma doesn't mince words. ;)

Re:

[shadist.livejournal.com]

Yeah no shit :)

[rizzo41.livejournal.com]

Delivered flowers rock the house down. They really really do.

Where do you normally order your flowers from? Don't hate me, but the best flowers ever come from www.marthasflowers.com. Last year I sent these http://products.proflowers.com/product/(tb5r32jaqu4jege3s5rkrwiz)/productdetail.aspx?pID=3839&lng=&REF=MSO&validAcc=&selectionTypeID=&COBRAND=MSO to my grandmother. She said that they bloomed for a month straight. There are under $40 bouquets that look like $60 bouquets and two dozen roses barely costs more than one dozen on other websites and they are really really nice quality. Ok. I'm done. Just my humble and superior opinion.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Those are beautiful. Really beautiful.

There are some people I send delivered flowers to (though I know you know that already), and I do it with good feelings and good intentions, but it always does make me feel a little weird. But I feel weirder actually /receiving/ them, like someone paid all kinds of money to send me something that my cats will eat. ;)

I've only been delivered flowers twice in my life - once from Aaron on our first wedding anniversary, and once from juliann after Aaron and I broke up.

Thanks for the tip! I'll check out marthasflowers. I usually use ftd.com, because they do all local florist delivery.

Re:

[rizzo41.livejournal.com]

I used to use local florist type deliverers, but then they kept calling me and telling me that the flowers I ordered weren't available locally and I needed to choose something else. Grr! I think Martha Fed Ex's her flowers. Always fresh as.. well.. dasies. I think 90% of getting flowers is the surge of joy you get when they are presented, whether it be by delivery or by hand, or just spotting them in a vase on your table. The rest of the time you get to appreciate their beauty, but you are also reliving that first moment of presentation. Didn't you ever see that movie Bed of Roses? So don't feel bad if people get you flowers and the cats eat them, you've already gotten the best part of them.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

So don't feel bad if people get you flowers and the cats eat them, you've already gotten the best part of them.

This is a very good point. Of course, I'm neurotic and I always get a little antsy when someone gets me a present... but otherwise, you're right. It's the thought of sending the flowers, more than the actual flowers.

And no, I haven't seen Bed of Roses. Was that Christian Slater?

Re:

[rizzo41.livejournal.com]

Yes it was. The reference was that he was some really rich guy who owned a flower shop, but he made all the deliveries himself because it made him feel good to see how happy people are upon being delivered flowers. It was actually a pretty decent movie for a rom/com if memory serves.

Whatever happened to him anyway?

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I had actually wanted to see that movie, because I love Christian Slater. I wish I knew what happened to him... he started to lose his cute as he got older (he was cutest in Gleaming the Cube), and now he's more like a Jack Nicholson rip-off. But I still miss him.