Awful

Awful describes how I feel right now. After two weeks of hacking, post nasal drip and general lethargy, I thought I was on the upswing. A trip to urgent care after a couple of nights of wheezing, antibiotics and an inhaler(that I have been reluctant to use) should have done the trick, right? I thought so. I felt great for a total of four or five days and then bam! I am hit again with the "toddler pre-school heebeegeebees" as my girlfriend calls it. It does not matter that my son goes to daycare very sporadically, if the "heebeegeebees" are present, he picks them up and subsequently shares the "love" with me. At the moment I am struggling to breath through my one nostril that is not clogged (and yes I have taken a decongestant) and listen to a conference call but my focus is cloudy. Despite my current struggle with disease I can appreciate the little things. A moment ago I answered my door and found a box filled with flowers from the California Cut Flower Commission (CCFC). They are really quite beautiful and bring a smile to my face. The flowers were vase ready, I merely needed to trim an inch or two and place them in water. They were in pretty good shape considering they travelled across the country and it is hot as Hades in Georgia. Sadly, I must admit that my husband has never purchased flowers for me and so I count myself lucky that these flowers arrived with "hint cards". These little cards can be placed in strategic spots to remind a husband or significant other that flowers can bring joy. This one is my favorite and I know I will placing them around the house when I need a special pick me up. The CCFC sent me some interesting facts about their flowers:

• 75% of all US grown flowers come from California, however they account for only approximately 25% of all cut flowers actually sold in the United States. The remainder is imported from South American countries.

• California’s cut flower industry generates $10.3 billion in economic impact for the State of California (I must add - Lord knows they need the help!).

• The cut flower industry overall generates 121,950 California jobs and $3.3 billion in wages for other industries.

And when you buy California flowers they were most likely in the field 24 hours before you purchase them and are freasher and will last longer than other flowers. Sounds great to me. Especially since buying US grown flowers cuts down on the carbon footprint left by buying imported flowers.

Although the flowers did not miraculously cure me of my ailment, recieving them made my day a little brighter.

If you'd like to leave some "hint cards" around your home just leave a comment and send me an email (cutiebootycakes at gmail dot com) with your mailing address. Please be sure to put "flowers" in the subject line. You never know, leave a few "hint cards" around your home and perhaps you will receive some flowers too!