For a variety of reasons, one of which, of course, is due to Valentine’s Day approaching, I have been dipping into my flower/florist/parks and gardens photos…and ahem…my photos of chocolates! January has scurried away, even though I am still trying to get used to writing the year 2022 when needed. And, even though my days during the pandemic are frequently of the repetitive style compared to what I have been used to pre-pandemic, I’m shocked at how the days, and even weeks, seem to disappear….poof!

Once upon a time…my choice of these words depicts how long it feels like to me since my days of spending my usual abundance of time in Paris or Nice or unknown locations…while making my way back home on a refreshingly cool, yet ethereal January evening in Paris, contentment and satisfaction overwhelmed me…you know, that feeling like I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else at that moment than where I was?

So when I came across this photo the other day, of the young Parisian woman selecting flowers, it brought back those same sensual feelings I had on that evening walk a few years ago!

These last few blocks of rue du Bac, before it butts up to Saint Germain Blvd. (in the 7th arrondissement yet sits on the border of the 6th), has everything one would need for preparing their dinner…butcher, fishmonger, grocer, charcuterie, fromager, boulanger and so on, with the exception of the candlestick maker…at least I don’t remember seeing one!

And, although this florist, almost more like a flower stand at a market in the countryside, was not pristine and elegant like you would imagine it to be in a city like Paris, I was confident it had that special bunch of flowers to spring up the look of one’s dinner table in February.

This stretch of my walk reminded me of how Paris has these pockets that are what makes its expanse feel snug and neighborly, almost like a village of its own. Once you get off Saint Germain Blvd., the streets are not perfect looking but tend to be cozy and intimate, lending a friendliness to them that makes it easy to claim them as ‘HOME’.

What bouquet of flowers would you select to be in the center of your table this evening and, then, with a minimum of arranging…Wa La!

Enjoy your evening!