Cut Flowers for January

Even though my mother isn't a huge flower fanatic like me (I inherited that from my dad), she always buys herself some cut flowers in January. She says it's cheaper than a session with a psychiatrist and just as helpful for the mild depression that's hard to escape during a grey Washington January.



Last week I took her advice and picked up a bouquet of roses from Costco. Only $15 for two dozen roses, and they perked up my mood nicely. I put them in a ceramic bowl that my grandmother passed off to me. What a family affair.



Roses don't last nearly as long as carnations, which is why I brought my grandmother a vase of carnations in her favorite colors: coral, hot pink, and a bicolor carnation that brought the two colors together.



If you're battling the January greys (which are even worse than the blues, by the way), I hope you have enough left in your budget to pick up a few cut flowers to bring home. If not, you can enjoy these pictures instead. No matter what others say, I think eye candy is good for the soul.