The wine shop and the florist's shop on my favorite street in my home town, remind me on Fridays, of "The Days of Wine and Roses" - the title of both, a movie about a married couple who fell into alcoholism, and that of the romantic song from the same movie, composed by the famous Henri Mancini.
Friday is the day of 'relief' in a five-day work week .People don't have to go to work so they invade the streets, , the coffee shops, the restaurants, and have a good time. Friday is also a day of intense shopping for Sabbath (the rest Day). Wine and flowers are among the chief items people buy for this day - to celebrate its holiness and to beautify the house.
There's truth in the parents' claim , and yet.... I'm not in favor of closing the place. I like the sight of people (who seem to know each other ) drinking wine from elegant glasses ,chatting and enjoying themselves. It all looks very classy, and there are no drunkards among them; they probably know how to taste and drink wine.
And yet.....I love giving and receiving flowers on various occassions. The beauty of flowers (especially that of roses) says everything better , clearer than any words spoken or written. It inspires hope and optimism; it expresses symphathy and love.
And so... we go on living with the contradictions. Life is full of them.
Oh yes they do. There is just nothin' more beautiful as my flower gardens in full bloom but as a gardener I realize when I cut off a bloom stem to make an arrangement for the house, that stem splits and two buds grow in it's place. Ta~da...twice the blooms next round.
ReplyDeleteMaybe people need to gather and blossom too, especially if that is part of the culture. The gathering you mention sound quite charming.
Your photos are amazin' girl.
God bless you sweetie and have a magnificent weekend. I'm off for a 'date' night! :o)
they do!
ReplyDeletehave a wonderful weekend!
That is so true - the contradictions of life. Nice post. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteVery nice pictures, the wine with the yellow rose...would like to drink it some at the snug street...
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen the movie, but I will soon.
ReplyDeleteDUTA:
ReplyDeleteThe last line of your post, "And so... we go on living with the contradictions. Life is full of them" sums many things in life. Even the post showed these contradictions. You don't favour drinking but love the sight of people hanging out in front of that bar and though you value the life of flowers, you like to offer and receive them. I am glad we realise that we are all humans with a bundle of contradictions and paradoxes.
Cheers to life.inc.
Joy always,
Susan
I love flowers! To buy them, to grow them and to paint them:)
ReplyDeleteAbout seeing people drink with wine glasses I have no opinion. In the USA in restaurants both water or alcoholic beverages are served in wineglasses. My married kids serve juice in their children's wine glasses on holidays, but the kids know wine is for adults, not for kids.
Have a wonderful week, Duta:)
Time magazine said of this movie: " Remick on the rocks with a twist of Lemmon, an effective temperance lesson. " Mancini as usual is spot on!
ReplyDeleteBring on the roses!
It's nice to know that there are still places where flowers and wine are treated with respect. Thanks for sharing this thought provoking post about contradictions which will no doubt create a bit more comment and reaction here.
ReplyDeleteIt's educational for children to see people drinking wine in a calm and pleasant social environment, surely. It would be different if they were badly behaved or rowdy.
ReplyDeleteI feel some regret when I pick flowers in my garden, it seems mean to deprive butterflies and bees of their nectar. But picking annuals encourages more to grow - as you say, the whole thing is contradictory.
Another pensive post, which I have really enjoyed. Perhaps not so much living with contradictions (which we definitely do), but living responsibly, and with moderation in all things, including moderation! Too much of anything - wine or roses - is not a good thing.
ReplyDeleteMy mother maintained her Depression attitude toward cut flowers--that they were a waste of money--long after we could well afford them. But growing up, we had some magnificent lilac bushes and one brave little magnolia tree in our backyard. They all withstood Chicago's punishing winters to bloom each year, which I found nothing short of a miracle.
ReplyDeleteI would agree about flowers: I don't ever pick a flower from the garden, preferring to leave it in its natural environment, but if a bunch of flowers is given to me I have been know to get quite tearful with thanks. Contradictions, as you say!
ReplyDeleteI love getting flowers! But I understand the feeling that they should be allowed to grow in their natural environment. It's a conundrum all right.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful roses and good wine, what else we need? Kind regards.
ReplyDeleteLove your post again, DUTA. I understand where you're coming from with the flowers, and I agree that they're the most beautiful uncut, but I've never turned down cut flowers :) (When you talk about contradictions, you remind me of me).
ReplyDeleteI like flowers because they feed my soul with beauty and remind me of the promise God made that as long as the world lasts spring will always return:
ReplyDeleteGen 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
Blessings, Duta!
Nezzy,
ReplyDeleteYour comment sounds very poetic. I believe you're in love with the flowers in your garden.
Thanks for your warm words.
Design Elements,
Welcome to my little blog!
I suppose by "they do" you mean the flowers, and what their beauty does to us.
Trevor Woodford,
Isn't it? Life presents us with a lot of contradictions, and we have to deal with them as well as we can.
Thanks for your kind words.
nomore,
Yes, it seems red wine and yellow roses go well together. The cup of wine and the bottle do look 'inviting'.
Vert Ange,
It's an old movie from the sixties, starring Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick.
Susan Deborah,
Exactly. I'm glad you see my point. We're humans and we have to deal with life's contradictions almost on a daily basis.
jeannette,
ReplyDeleteYou belong to the vast majority of people - those people who like everything about flowers.
How cute - the kids' knowing that the wine in the glasses is for the adults only.
Angelina,
Thanks for the quotation. What a good memory you've got!
J on tour@jayzpaze,
Indeed, wine and flowers are treated here with respect. I hope that's the case in Britain too.
Z,
Thanks for mentioning butterflies and bees. The thought of them needing the nectar of flowers, hasn't occurred to me.
Susan,
You're perfectly right. "living responsibly and with moderation" - this is the key to good living.
TallTchr,
Your mother was quite a character!
"one brave little magnolia tree" - I like this cute sentence. There were times I used to say "I wish to resemble a magnolia not a doughnut" and refused the doughnut which was offered to me.
Vera,
ReplyDeleteI'm like that too, almost "fearful with thanks" when I'm given a bunch of flowers.
The Bug,
What about giving flowers? Anyway, I think most people do feel kind of sorry to take the flowers away from their natural environment.
Phivos Nicolaides,
What else do we need indeed,except the beauty of flowers and the elixir of wine?
Bica,
Thank you for your kind words.
Well, contradictions exist both within a person and in the life around him.
Dimple,
Thanks for mentioning the verse from Genessis. It sounds beautiful!
And you're right about "flowers indeed feed our soul with beauty".
Love these photos! I do love Flowers, they are gorgeous...
ReplyDeletekim
I am with you. Infact I am sick and tired of people complaining about everything. They should
ReplyDeletego back to bed and get up on the rite side. I love sidewalk cafes, they have been around forever. Next it will be their kid is allergic to roses. Don't like it go somewhere else.
yvonne
Stuff could always be worse,
ReplyDeleteThanks Kim for loving the photos. Of course, you love flowers. Who doesn't?
La Petite Gallery,
What can I say? You're right, Yvonne. People should always see the nice side of things; sidewalk cafes and bars do have a nice side.
Hello Duta. The flowers are lovely! And nice resto.Wine is okay once in a while.
ReplyDeleteI like food and coffee break.
Enjoy a great weekend. Happy Sabbath.
Regards.
I hope they don't close the wine bar, Duta. I hesitate to say this but I do think we make a mistake when we cater too much of the world to children. There is nothing wrong with the consumption of alcohol as long as it is done responsibly and it is part of the adult world. The adult world those children are being groomed to join.
ReplyDeleteThat's the goal of having children. To raise responsible, autonomous adults. We don't really serve anyone when we make the world around children too rarefied. Clearly there are things that have no place in a child's life but drinking is a legal activity (again, when done responsibly).
I think we forget what the goal is in raising children. That they will grow to join our world, not the other way around, that we should shrink to fit theirs.
Regina,
ReplyDeleteWe all enjoy food and beverages. I would enjoy drinking wine too, but a drop of wine makes me drop my head. LOL. Have a great weekend too!
Land o Shimp,
You're so right!
The goal of raising children is "for them to join our world, not the other way around, that we should shrink to fit them". Great insight!
Your comment about contradictions is so true DUTA.
ReplyDeleteThe other day, in the dead of winter, on a super cold and foggy day I looked out my kitchen window and saw a single yellow rose. I called to my mom to come see it.
She came and said, "yes, I saw it there earlier today and I thought, should I cut it and bring it inside or leave it there to beautify the world."
We left it there to beautify the world until it died on its own and the petals scattered to the wind.
Alicia,
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely story, Alicia! I would have done the same - leave the rose in its place, so that everyone should enjoy its beauty.
About the flowers... we think alike..! Flowers, animals and human beings must live in their environment!
ReplyDeleteI never thought about the flowers that way, but you are right. It made me think of a dream I had a few days ago. It was a dream of my mother and I, in a garden, she was telling me she had trimmed the rose bushes for me. The images and fragrance from the roses were so vivid. That could make a good story to write, now that I think.
ReplyDeleteDoris
robert,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad we agree on such an important matter.
Hold my hand: a social worker's blog,
Then go write that story of your mother trimming the rose bushes for you. I'm sure it will be a successul one like all your stories, and it will be a delight to read it.
I use to think buying flowers was a waste of money until I tried to grow them myself. :)
ReplyDelete