Direct counter-programming to this wintry entrance into February is found in these photos from a recent foray to Faddegon’s. F-this and f-that in a fiery floral foundation of alliteration! Yes, we are at that point in winter where we all go a little mad. I remember a trip to the Cape to see JoAnn and her crew several years ago – actually, well over a decade ago, which feels like more than several years – and on that trip her brother Wally took me out and about and described how people survived a winter on the Cape, a place well-renowned and beloved for its summer enchantments, and not known for winter thrills. Basically, it was a lot of drinking and some cozy dinners. Back then, it was exactly what I wanted and needed, and we passed many a winter weekend in such happy tradition.
These days the manner in which we trudge through the winter has evolved and matured, with warmer resonance found in subtle and quieter joys, such as the simple appreciation of the earliest spring blooms that recently appeared at the local greenhouse. For the first of February, this is a very good sign.
There will be jonquils and tulips and hyacinths soon in every supermarket, their delicate fragrance a delicious reminder that we are well on our way through the winter – over a third of the way done in fact. Do I seem anxious? Well, I am. We are craving the longer days, the extended period of light, and we are starting to feel the gentle elongation of the brightness.
It’s time for a few bouquets in the house, and more flowers on this website. Let’s go full Mrs. Dalloway and buy them ourselves.
