I like flowers in the house. They brighten things up for a few days. I prefer a small bouquet for a first date--nothing flashy like roses.

When we lived in Nurnberg, every chance I had I'd go to the downtown Marktplatz *just* to buy flowers. They had "meadow flowers" there, that you could purchase by the stem. So you could put together a random bouquet for literally pennies, and it would last all week, with some culling, stem trimming, fresh water and container downsizing.

Farmers markets here don't have that feature, and mostly all you get is gerbera daisies, statis, babies breath, and carnations. I miss market day flowers probably more than any other one thing about living in Nurnberg. Though there are many things I do miss.

I miss the Hillcrest farmer's market in San Diego for just that reason. Loved to pick up flowers and always have them around.

I have both been given and given flowers to/from the SO and both directions seemed to go over well. But we haven't in a long while, mostly because they're so damned expensive!

I had a boyfriend who didn't believe in flowers for "occasions", but would buy them for me randomly. I remember once, I opened my door and thrust a trash bag at him and said "can you throw this out", only to realize that he was standing there with a dozen roses. For a random tuesday.

What with Jason being A. very allergic and B. colorblind, flowers are not a gift given or gotten around here. He had flowers sent to my office when he was away on Valentine's Day this year, which was a lovely surprise, but that was a one-off. He gives wonderful and thoughtful gifts all the time, though, so no flowers is nothing. I miss having green things in the house, but we have a whole front and backyard.

Yay for no freaking out! Yay for completion of grading!

Boo on flowers on the first date unless you know the other party actually likes receiving cut flowers. I like living plants, and find it upsetting to have to toss out dead flowers that remind me of a certain guy. Like throwing away the date. Seems like bad juju to me. At least one date i ended up leaving the gifted flower in the guy's car. My Dad used to randomly bring home a single rose for my stepmom and then count how many days each one lasted, like it was some kind of prophetic indicator of the future of their relationship. Which ended not well.

I love getting flowers. For almost any reason, from just about anyone. Flowers, yay!

(Of course, that's my reaction to being given cupcakes, books, hats, shoes, jewelry ... okay, fine. My reaction is Presents, yay!)

I'd rather have cut flowers than the responsibility of trying to keep a live plant...alive. The gift becomes a burden, bringing with it a sense of failure and shame.

Nope, already dead flowers, please, colorful and fragrant, and guilt-free.

than the responsibility of trying to keep a live plant...alive. The gift becomes a burden, bringing with it a sense of failure and shame.

I am currently losing a lovely bamboo that between my letting the water go and Puppycat trying to be helpful is just not going to make it. It was a gift over a decade ago from an aunt and uncle and I feel I should call them to confess.

That said, I've loved it and kept it going in two states. So it was a fantastic gift because they knew I'd like it. I just felt a stab of guilt when I read this.

I need to step up and get rid of it tomorrow. It was all pretty and five curly stalks and three of them are absolutely dead and I guess I shouldn't wait for all of them because this is a mercy thing. If plants have feelings. Or I want to end my guilt trip.