"I must have flowers, always, and always." - Claude Monet
Yesterday was the perfect Autumn day: 48 degrees, bright sun, clear skies, little to no breeze - perfect day to drive with the top down. In my little slice of the world we're at the tail end of Autumn. The gorgeous fire-hued leaves are still on tree branches but they also profusely cover the ground - so lovely. Yesterday, I had a particular destination in mind. And to get there I had to drive through my beautiful tree lined neighborhood to and through a town that looks like it stepped out of a Norman Rockwell painting.
Every Friday I make the 20 minute drive to Trader Joe's to stock up on my favorite hard-to-find-foods. Trader Joe's is known for that and for their amazing flowers - daily deliveries, high quality and amazing variety of blooms has created a loyal following of customers who gladly make the trek from a half dozen or so of the surrounding towns and I'm one of them ;-}
Fragrant blooms nestled in the backseat of my convertible
'My' Trader Joe's occupies a small cozy space; white tiled floors, tall ceilings, wide aisles, a wall of windows that floods the space with light. My routine is always the same: I grab one of their signature red carts, put my purse in the child's seat (with my steaming cup of coffee securely tucked into one corner) and head straight for the flowers. When I get my bounty home…
Delicate Pink Gerbera
(the flowers I carried on the day I married Mr. Gorgeous)
for my glass desk in Sanctuary, bien sur.
Bright orange Tulips for the living room
Pale green Alstroemeria and succulent oranges
for the kitchen island.
There are always enough leftover tidbits
for a tiny arrangement for the downstair's powder room.
In the Spring, Summer and Fall, flowers infuse the best of those seasons into one's home - a simple inexpensive luxury. But in the Winter, flowers in the home become a necessity. When the ground is cold and hard, the trees bare and black, the sun's light and warmth obscured by clouds and snow. In Winter flowers inject light, color and the soul reviving vibrancy of warm climes and sunny days - chasing away the cold, the dull, black and gray canopy. Les fleurs sont tellement une tres bonne chose - Parisienne dans tous les sens ;-}
Vivre! Rire! Aimer!
Temple
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| A beautiful Autumn's day. Top down, music blasting, a steaming mug of Dunkin' Donuts in my cup holder, fragrant, vibrant, colorful flowers filling my convertible to overflowing, Coco curled up on my lap - hell yeah! |
Temple, thank you so much for remembering me on your drive! I wish I could have been there. The photos of the flowers are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI can't help but contrast your Trader Joe's with mine. My Trader Joe's is at 72nd and Broadway on Manhattan's Upper West Side. More often than not, it is daunting, because the line to pay wraps around the entire store. The store occupies the basement of a building, which is not unusual for bigger stores on the island, such as Bed Bath and Beyond and Home Depot. Honestly, I have never noticed whether there are any flowers there at all, but Whole Foods has a good variety, not that I ever buy any, because the cost of the apartment makes life's little niceties such as flowers impossible to fit into the budget! Because space is at a premium, it is hard to shop at Trader Joe's, because the aisles are narrow and it is always so crowded. It's a hassle! What is cool about my Trader Joe's is that it is just up the block from Central Park and the Dakota where John Lennon lived. Cyndi Lauper lives nearby, too. And that is the magic of New York... the possibility that you might run into Yoko, or Sean... or maybe Cyndi at the grocery store!
I'll take you to my Trader Joe's as soon as you get back. In the meantime, if you see Cyndi tell her I said hey girl! ;-}
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