Fire

Strong wind has been making eerie sound all day long, and it has been gloomy since the morning.  It turned out to be an intensely sad day in Boston.

A fire at a brownstone.  Who could imagine a daylight fire at a narrow four story building calls for nine alarms and takes away lives of two firefighters?  

I am no expert, but for me, today's fire was a worst case scenario with many unfortunate conditions.  What if the low pressure took a little more western route and we had had massive wet snow or treacherous rain in the morning?  What if wind had not been so strong in the way I have never experienced?  What if wind had blown from the south rather than blowing straight from Charles River so it would not have fueled the fire with such a distructive intensity?

My thoughts extend to the families and friends of the deceased and the injured, and those bravely fought against the fire today.  I wish the residents who lost their homes get back normalcy as soon as possible.  We run into all kinds of disasters while we live.  We must not take it granted to have people around who are devoted to the public safety.  

Thoughts on Flowers

I used to feel guilty about buying flowers.  Flowers do not last; wasting money, period.  But on the other hand, flowers do make me happy and enjoy a season which we are in. 

 

 

One of the positive aspects of wasting my time watching Downton Abbey is being inspired to keep fresh flowers at home (I actually drool on gorgeous bead work on ladies' dresses, and I really want to try to make one of those, but I have to try really hard to pull myself back.)  This season, tulips what florists carry are astonishing.  Not mentioning good old ones (my favorite), those wacky ones with wavy petals are so pretty.  I would love to take all home.

 

I wish I could afford to buy flowers from, let's say, Winston Flowers, weekly, but I know it will end as a dream.  I have to confess that I have to be economical and buy flowers not even from less expensive florists but from supermarkets (of course, for special occasions, I go to pricy florists,  I am saying this for my defense). Often, ones from supermarkets are just good enough for every day use.  Getting fresh ones is hit or miss.  If I am lucky to go home with not fresh looking dead ones but genuinely fresh ones, they last for quite some time.  Last year, a cheap bouquet of hydrangeas lasted a little shy of one month.  Because they lasted so long, I called them lovingly "my monster hydrangeas".

 

It has been smelling heavenly at home since I brought back a bouquet of lilies and roses from Trader Joe's two weeks ago.  Warm days are almost here.

 

 

 



Tulip Vase

I do not remember when I learnt about tulip vases, but I wanted one for years and years and years...  Tulip vases were first manufactured in the Netherlands in the 17th century in the form of Delft blauw.  Nowadays, we could only find those in art museums.  I came across the below three years ago at Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA.

 

Every now and then, I looked for one that I could afford, but needless to say, they were so expensive because of their historical value.  I quickly learnt that I was expected to spend at least $5,000. 

 

The other day, my inner soothsayer whispered me, "You shall find what you have been looking for long enough.  The tulip season has just begun.  Hint, hint."  And I found one and got it from Mystic Lily in MN through Etsy.

 



It is not Dutch but Italian.  It is not an antique but a vintage piece.  Although I feel the spouts are too few (only eight), I love it.  I cannot believe I own one.