I come by it honestly
I recently wrote about Valentine's Day and made a point that I thought it was extortion and that having a day when people feel obligated to shower their loved one with affection is silly. (See Sow There! 2-23). Romantic gestures should catch us off guard, not feel like a chore.
Dad had some spontaneity on his own when he wrote me this e-mail.
FROM DAD:
It’s actually becoming clear that you are being pressured at the risk of your life to pooh-pooh valentines and its positive effects on the flower industry.
I understand the disdain for the card people who ruthlessly destroy our "woody" friends in the name of romance, but I do not understand how a committed "gardener" could eschew the growing of roses and other mythically romantic flowers.
I assume that the "parking lot" lobby has sent you the severed head of an orchid, accompanied by cryptic notes inferring fish and sleeping. Or perhaps it is that group building those slick, high-density condo complexes who need the arable land occupied by our green friends.
While pointing out the frivolity of 5-inch heels, and navel cut dresses, one should remember their "roots" .... so to speak.
A concerned gardener
(Dad)