Tuesday, June 15, 2010

red roses

they call it june gloom, the fog that hugs the coast here at this time of year. the world is all shades of gray for most of the day. all except my red red roses. there is a sweet story behind these flowers that i've been thinking about, and it goes like this...

once upon a time, there was a boy and a girl (who were actually quite grown up, but were feeling like kids) as they planned their soon to be wedding. the event was most uneventful, in that there would be no fussing or stressing, on that they both agreed. they decided together, every last bit, except he wanted to choose the food and she the flowers. he chose mexican and she chose Rose Story Farm. it was the one indulgence, these gorgeous old fashioned and antique variety organically grown roses. after many delightful trips to the farm the perfect flowers were chosen, fair bianca (ausca) a heavenly white~creme~blush rose. because they had to stick to budget (even in fairy tales) only a certain number of these gorgeous potted rose bushes (and bouquets) were ordered, the remainder of flowers would be provided by farmers market.





day of wedding~the house was full of family and friends, everyone doing something to help, the time is almost here. the girls were drinking mimosas while putting on their makeup and dresses, she alternating between utter calm and giddyness. the eldest son, had a very important job. his job was to set the rosebush's in place along the walk to the wedding place, with a hand painted sign stuck in one, directing the guests. so he smiled and dashed out the door, with his new girlfriend on his arm, to take care of his v.i.j. (very important job).


hours later~ not really, it only felt like it to the girl, her eldest son came back. beaming with joy and a sense of accomplishment, he said the job is done. the girl was thrilled, since she really loved the flowers of the fair bianca best and this was really her favorite part, the flouncy flowers and the sign and all.
but...her son said...there was a problem. the flowers were not there. he said we looked everywhere and your roses were gone. (small panic feeling here). but...he said, we fixed it! he said he and his girlfriend raced over to a nearby nursery and purchased a new rosebush. a red one. and when he said this he was telling her (me) that they looked at every bush and chose the most beautiful and most best and that he was sure of. and while he was talking she was thinking a million thoughts, like first how she hated red, maybe hate is too harsh, but red is not a favorite. and how her dream of billowy creme roses had suddenly disappeared two hours before her wedding.



but mostly her thoughts were of her son standing there in front of her, wanting to please her, he'd done so much, driven all around, looking and searching and choosing and not to mention having to buy a new rose bush with his own money. and at that moment instead of feeling like crying, she beamed back up at him and told him how much she loved him and how grateful she was for him and mostly how very much she loved...


red red roses.
the end.


♥ lori


p.s. if you're wondering whatever became of the fair bianca's, it seemed that the kind and generous owner of the home we were married at, had not only left us with the keys before she took off for a fishing trip in patagonia, but she also left instructions to her gardeners to polish up the place before our big day. when the gardeners found the rose bushes in pots they did what any good gardener would do, they planted them. which we didn't see until the following day when we went back to clean up, and then had a good laugh.
and so my fair biancas live happily ever after at the home we were married at, and the red roses are happy here.

25 comments:

  1. Such a great story! I also love how you told it... very fairy tale-ish but in a real sort of way. June gloom is definitely an apt description for how it looks around these parts too :)

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  2. Lori, how romantic! What a moving, splendid tale to have around your wedding day. I love your tender hearted reaction.

    You really do look like a mermaid!

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  3. Even things that don't turn out as planned become wonderful memories...especially at weddings!

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  4. And everyone lived happily ever after, even the roses, how beautiful! This wedding with such a slender, lovely, blonde bride - and her FIVE grown, beautiful children, not to forget the most handsome bridegroom - it is a fairytale of its own! The Royal Wedding next Saturday cannot be any lovelier.
    I love roses in any color. Mostly yellow, perhaps.

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  5. Lori, your son is a winner! What a loving thing he did on your special day. I'm sure you were beaming with pride.
    The roses are gorgeous, especially now knowing how they came to be ;)
    I love the telling of the tale!

    One of the things I do NOT miss is that thick blanket of summer fog over Monterey Bay. I froze every year. I'd always laugh when visitors came with their bikinis even after my warning them that it's not a tropical place. haha!

    I hope yesterday's quake didn't come close enough to rattle you.

    Thanks for telling your fairy tale in such a romantic way.♥

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  6. Hi Lori

    I loved your story and these are the stories that our family memories are built on...a great moral to your tale too...

    Happy red rose days

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  7. Oh, I love this story! So beautiful and so romantic with a great dose of humor! Love it!! And I remember the June gloom from living near San Francisco for several years - somehow I always enjoyed it... I'll have to get caught up on your blog, I've been gone so long!! Much love, Silke

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  8. This is such a cute story! What I love the most is how patient and loving you were with your son on your wedding day because that's what it's really all about - so many people miss that and end up being cranky or stressed. You had a perfect day because your attitude made it so :)

    And June Gloom...yeah, we're getting it even here in LA.

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  9. Lori I love this story so much.
    It's really very beautiful and says a lot about you and your ability to see the world from a wonderful perspective.

    Gray days don't sound like fun, but I'm sure because of their brief time in your area you make the best of them.
    They are rare here too and in this little city it is extremely rare to see fog. Actually to see fog is a bit of a treat.

    We have rain right now which is a little bit wonderful. Everything is getting a good clean and the gardens are singing.

    I can smell your roses and I love them.

    xx Robyn

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  10. Hi Lori,
    That is such a wonderful story...loved the mystery and happy ending. Thanks for brightening up my evening!

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  11. OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Fair Biancas, how lovely. The story is precious, every detail, every twist and circumstance. Enjoy the red red roses on gloomy days.

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  12. I'm with Rosaria.....OOHHHHHHHHH!
    What a lovely fairytale and so well told! Made me go sniff,sniff. :)♥

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  13. Aaaah! This is a lovely story. A happy ending after all.

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  14. so....you take these wonderful photographs.

    you jubilantly find sea glass (but not yet blue).

    you visit snakes and lizards.

    you send sweet messages and precious pogos to your friends.

    and now...you spin a fairy tale.

    a better fairy tale could not be told. the girl was destined to have red roses. her son knew.

    love love love!

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  15. Vicky,
    Thank you for your kind words, these roses greet me everyday when I get home now, and they make me smile every time.
    I actually like the fog, as long as the sun peeks out now and then!

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    Lyn,
    :) Thank you very much, everytime i think about the rose mixup it makes me smile.
    The dress does look like it, but i felt like a butterfly!

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    Wanda,
    That's very true. A saying i love is Plan to be surprised. Sometimes, often times, things turn out even better than we planned. My roses mean more to me because my son chose them. :)

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    Geli,
    ♥ i would love to be there to watch the royal wedding with you. I would even watch tv for that, i love weddings. and i LOVE yellow roses too.

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    Lolo,
    thank you, that's very sweet. i do love those roses, so much now, they have my sons face all over them.
    It's funny you say that about the fog. The tourists that come here will sit shivering on the beach, or walking through town with only bathing suits and sundresses on! I have sweats uggs and beanies!
    the earthquake was in San Diego, hundreds of miles from us, whew!

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    Delwyn,
    thank you, happy days to you too.

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    Silke,
    i do love it too, i think i was misleading. My favorite part about the fog is the softness to the air, and i really love the foghorn that blows out over the ocean.
    I'm glad you and Daniel had such a good time!

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    Tracy,
    oh foggy days down there too?
    thank you for your kind words. It is the best part of getting older, what's important becomes clearer. Only love is important.

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    Robyn,
    thank you my friend. i am so glad this story was well recieved. i worried it would make me sound petty worrying about some roses, oh dear. But everyone understands and I am so grateful.
    I'm sorry i wasn't more clear, i love the fog, not days on end, but it's usual for june. It's cozy when we're wrapped in it.

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    Nan,
    I'm really happy you enjoyed, i love remembering!

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    Rosaria,
    thank you dearly for the compliment. enjoying the roses for sure!

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    Natsy,
    :) it's those kids of ours, always pulling at the heart strings... thank you dear friend.

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  16. That's a lovely lovely story Lori - just beautiful.

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  17. What a wonderful and sweet story. Being able to write and tell stories like this is wonderful and so very powerful. It's so nice to meet you Lori. The picture you have chosen are also beautiful and prefect. Thanks so much for stopping by to introduce yourself. Thanks so much for you kind words. Have a wonderful week and we will keep in touch. Take care.

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  18. What a wonderful story, I love it, love that your sweet son played such a special part. It reminds me that gifts come often in such unexpected packages!

    As a total aside, I miss June gloom...have been aching for my California a lot these days.

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  19. A perfectly beautiful story. What a wonderful son. And how wonderful that he has a mother that see's that and was able to see the beauty in his actions.

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  20. Great Story ...
    Nicely written!!
    Have A Great Time!!1

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  21. This is one of the most beautiful love story I´ve ever read, Lori! and your words make everything so perfect and your kindness will always be the special touch in your life with your family . Thank you for sharing this romantic story with us! I love roses, yellow ones are my favorite!

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  22. Great story about the roses! I think i've finished catching up now, and I see I missed your birthday, so a belated happy day for then!I absolutely loved the virtual visit to the desert with you, too.. the fauna, flora and the whole atmosphere was brought alive through your post!

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  23. Lori - what a wonderful story about your wedding day and how you made what could have been a big disappointment into a now-cherished memory about your son's love and his effort to save the day - i loved this --- and so nice to learn the flowers weren't stolen but only planted into the earth.

    so now, both roses and love can bloom eternal, yes?!♡♡

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  24. What a beautiful story and one that proves, once again, how special you are. Lucky son. Lucky husband to be.

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  25. Ohhhhh, Lori, I've melted. What a beautiful story, and you told it JUST like a romantic fairy tale. How wonderful that you have those roses year after year. Happy Anniversary!

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xoxo lori