Passion

There's a lot of passion in the air, as Valentine's Day approaches. What better time for me to show off my beautiful passion flower vine that I have grown for the last two years. I took these three pictures on different days late last summer.

My friend Randy grew it from seed and gave me the inch tall seedling two years ago. I was especially happy to receive this species, because my Mother grew them during my childhood. I remember as a little boy being so fascinated by this flower.





















I am passionate about flowers; that is how I make my living. In my spare time at home, I also enjoy a little gardening. The passion flower (passiflora) is one of my favorite plants to grow.

Until I looked it up on Wikipedia (the title link), I never realized that the Passiflora are a genus of about 500 species of flowering plants, the namesakes of the family Passifloraceae.

They are mostly vines, with some being shrubs, and a few species being herbaceous.

Nine species of Passiflora are native to the USA, found from Ohio to the north, west to California and south to the Florida Keys. (for more information, click the title link).



















pas⋅sion (from Dictionary.com)

1. any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.
2. strong amorous feeling or desire; love; ardor.
3. strong sexual desire; lust.
4. an instance or experience of strong love or sexual desire.
5. a person toward whom one feels strong love or sexual desire.
6. a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything: a passion for music.
7. the object of such a fondness or desire: Accuracy became a passion with him.
8. an outburst of strong emotion or feeling: He suddenly broke into a passion of bitter words.
9. violent anger.
10. the state of being acted upon or affected by something external, esp. something alien to one's nature or one's customary behavior (contrasted with action ).
11. (often initial capital letter) Theology.
a. the sufferings of Christ on the cross or His sufferings subsequent to the Last Supper.
b. the narrative of Christ's sufferings as recorded in the Gospels.
12. Archaic. the sufferings of a martyr.

Origin: 1125–75; ME (<> late OE passiōn), special use of LL passiō suffering, submission, deriv. of L passus, ptp. of patī to suffer, submit; see -ion

Shopping Tips for Valentine's Day Flowers

I have been working in the floral industry for over twenty years. During that time I have learned a thing or two. Today I want to share some of that knowledge with you, the customer. I was really torn about this post, because certain words will generate an ad for one of these companies that I am trying to warn you about. If you do see an ad for flowers on this blog or any web page, please read this article first!

I am grateful to my friends at Florist Detective for putting together such a comprehensive site. I urge all of you that are tempted to order flowers online to please educate yourself first. Please visit their website (http://floristdetective.com/ ). It will save you money!


Shopping Tips for Valentine's Day Flowers

Before you order a picture...but really get sent a puzzle,

Read this:

What you see isn't always what you'll get.

Looking for the perfect rose arrangement to send your sweetheart this Valentine's Day? Before you hit the 'buy' button, stop and read the entire product description or you may be in for a surprising disappointment.

Instead of sending an impressive, professionally designed, hand delivered vase of romantic roses that's the envy of the office, you might be buying a cardboard-wrapped grower's bunch delivered in a box - a gift that requires your own special Valentine to clean, condition, re-cut and arrange it.

When no one's home, these FedEx, UPS and DHL delivered flowers may be left at the door despite February's below-freezing temperatures in most of the US.

For the freshest presentation of roses this Valentine's Day, trust your local florist to professionally arrange and personally deliver not only roses, but a wide variety of romantic flowers like tulips, orchids and lilies to delight that very special someone.

Just how much 'WOW' do you want to send?

Website flower arrangement images can make size comparisons a challenge - especially when shopping for roses and rose arrangements. Pages display designs in the same format and image sizes, generally fill each frame with the product, and may give the impression that the overall dimensions of adjacent photos are similar in size.

While many florist sites include approximate arrangement dimensions along with the product descriptions, some do not - and leave you to guess.

For metrically-challenged US consumers, there is a simple conversion chart that displays roses in both centimeters (the way they are often sold) and inches for easy flower size comparisons. Click on the title link to see that chart. Please note that these sizes and descriptions are based on average measurements and that no floral industry-wide grades and standards exist for terms like 'medium stem' or 'long stem' roses. It pays to ask each merchant directly for specific dimensions if overall appearance and size matter.

* Bud sizes and flower heights will vary between varieties and colors. We recommend you contact the florist direct for specific details about their available varieties for the Valentine's Day holiday.

When, How and Where to order Valentine's Day Flowers

Order early. Many florists offer incentives or discounts when you book your purchase in advance of the holiday. Early ordering also means the shop has ample time to find your Valentine's special favorite variety. (Note: It is probably too late already to expect a discount...sorry)!

Buy direct from your local florist and save. Why pay on average extra $10 - $25 to a wire service broker or middle man when there are so many great professional florists ready to assist you directly and tell you about their special services and featured holiday designs? They'll be able to tell you about the real flowers they have in their real flower shops, not just show you photos of arrangements and then pass your order along to another company with the hope it can be made 'sort-of' like the picture.

For additional information about comparing prices and the benefits of buying direct from your local florist, see our section of summaries and links to national articles about buying Valentine's Day flowers.

Order online, by phone or in person but know how to tell the real florists from the weeds. We've assembled several pages of tips to help you find real local florist and avoid being fooled by fake local flower shops, fraudulent advertising, and deceptive online ads and yellow pages ads.

While your sweetheart delights with your fresh flower gift, your wallet will appreciate the savings.

If you have any Valentine's Day flower questions, any at all, please ask--just leave a comment and I will answer.

Thanks, John

Grammy Buzz

The Grammy Awards are live on Sunday, February 8th on CBS. You don't need to know what time. Just know it will be on after the day long (yawn) red carpet fashion shows on CBS, E!, and TV Guide Channel. You may want to have your computer on during the Grammys with the web page Urban Dictionary handy. Some things you will hear and think you know the meaning, but you really don't know the true meaning.

So what can we expect this year? We might see a baby pop out on stage, as MIA is set to perform. Her baby is due tomorrow, but hey, the show must go on! Who's MIA? Don't you have a radio? No worries, it's your lucky day, here's the song AND the lyrics.

This song, "Paper Planes" is nominated for Record of the Year, and I wouldn't be surprised, if it won. If you have kids, you absolutely must watch this. It sure is a catchy tune, but OMG, the lyrics! And just think, they are embedded in your child's head for life. On a happier note, it doesn't get played as much now. Oh, and you will probably need Urban Dictionary to interpret these lyrics, as well as many of the other lyrics you will hear during the show. You're welcome!



The biggest nominees are Lil Wayne, who is up for eight awards; Coldplay, with seven nominations; and Jay-Z, Ne-Yo and Kanye West, each with six. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’s album of country and rockabilly covers, “Raising Sand” (Rounder) is up for five awards.

The performers include Paul McCartney, U2, Miley Cyrus with Taylor Swift, Kid Rock, Coldplay, Jennifer Hudson, Rihanna, Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood and the Jonas Brothers. Jay-Z, T. I., Lil Wayne and Kanye West will perform their single, “Swagga Like Us,” with M.I.A. — pregnancy permitting — whose song “Paper Planes” (up for record of the year) is sampled in it. (NY Times)

Madea Goes To Jail - I thought I was looking forward to it

I loved all the previous Tyler Perry movies! This one, "Madea Goes To Jail" has been advertised for a long time, and it debuts in a couple of weeks. In the previews it looks so funny. I thought I was looking forward to seeing it...until I went to youtube and saw the other trailers. One trailer is almost three minutes long, and it seems like Madea is only a small part of the movie. Thanks, youtube! You saved me $9.25 (plus popcorn, etc). I'll just wait and rent it or watch it on HBO, Starz, or Showtime.

If you get the curiosity bug about the Tyler Perry "movies" that are already out, just beware that some are not movies. Some are just plays, if you want to call them that. The plays aren't bad, but they are, shall we say, done on the cheap side. Ok, I admit, the plays are bad!

Wow, I can't believe this happened in WYOMING

I knew there were a lot of wonderful people in Wyoming, because I have dozens of family members in Rock Springs that are some of the nicest people you could ever meet. I suppose after the whole Matthew Shepperd tragedy years ago, Wyoming got a bad rap. But, the winds of change of are blowing in Wyoming! Believe me, it's windy there too!

This great article appeared yesterday in the Hays Daily News by AP writer Ben Neary:

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- The Wyoming House of Representatives voted down a bill on Friday that would have allowed state voters to decide whether to amend the state constitution to deny state recognition of same-sex marriages.

Supporters of the "Defense of Marriage Act" argued that passing it was necessary to reconcile conflicting state laws. But opponents said the bill was an assault on the rights of Wyoming gays and lesbians.

The bill, House Joint Resolution 17, died by a vote of 25-35 after an emotional debate on the House floor that lasted about an hour.

Rep. Owen Petersen, R-Mountain View, was the bill's main sponsor. He and his co-sponsors introduced it in the House after a similar measure stalled in the Senate last month.

Petersen said Wyoming law dating from the 1870s already specifies that marriages must be between a man and a woman. But state law also requires the recognition of marriages performed in other states, some of which allow same-sex couples, he said.

"This is a society policy decision that needs to be done," Petersen said as he urged lawmakers to put the amendment before the state's voters. Peterson said that recent polling conducted by WyWatch Family Institute, a lobbying group, found that a majority of people in the state favor a vote on the issue.

Rep. Pat Childers, R-Cody, urged the House to vote against the bill. He said he has a daughter in Montana who is gay. He said she isn't married to her partner because the law there doesn't allow it. "Folks, to my dying breath, there's not anybody in this country who can say that she is a terrible person, or some person who has to have her rights restricted," Childers said. "She lives a quiet life with her significant other. Most people wouldn't even know she's gay."

Childers said he grew up in Texas when it was still a segregated state. He said the marriage bill reminded him of the injustice he saw black people suffer in his youth.

Rep. Patrick Goggles, D-Ethete, said he has constituents who are gay and lesbian. He said he had asked them for their vote when he was running for office and was representing them in opposing the bill. "I look upon this state as the equality state," Goggle said, referring to Wyoming's nickname. " And I urge you to maintain this status as the equality state."

Rep. Ed Buchanan, R-Torrington, co-sponsored the bill and spoke in favor of it. "If you can have same sex couples married, can you have three individuals marry?" Buchanan said.

Rep. Sue Wallis, R-Recluse, said it appeared that the anti-homosexual sentiment behind the bill was based on biblical interpretation. However, she said there are similar biblical admonitions against charging interest for a loan, sowing a field with mixed seed or eating shrimp.

Rather than calling the bill the "Defense of Marriage Act," Wallis said it should be called, "The Defense of State-Sponsored Religious Bigotry Act."

Becky Vandeberghe, chairwoman and lobbyist for WyWatch Family Institute, had lobbied in favor of the bill. Her group worked with Focus on the Family Action, a Colorado Springs-based evangelical group that made calls to Wyoming voters encouraging them to contact lawmakers to vote for it. She condemned Friday's result.

"Basically 80 percent of the registered voters just got the right to vote on an issue that's dear to their hearts taken away from them by an elite legislative group," Vandeberghe said." And I hope the citizens will rise up in the elections and pay attention to who voted for this and who didn't."

Wyoming Equality, a group that works on gay, lesbian, transgendered and bisexual issues in the state, lobbied against the bill. Spokesman Bob Spencer said he was pleased with the outcome.
"I was not expecting it to go like it did, but it's a good feeling," Spencer said. "I think it tells me that there are people willing to listen and learn more about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered issues.