flowers

Céire Kealty 2-11-2022

Valentine’s Day gifts are displayed in New York City on Feb. 14, 2021. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

Valentine’s Day is the day of romantic love. If we take our cues from advertisements, it’s an opportunity to purchase and consume flower bouquets, candies, chocolate-covered strawberries, and frilly negligees — gifts we bestow upon our beloveds to show the depths of our love. But many of the gifts we give on Valentine’s Day are made available for our consumption through the exploitation of others; they convey romantic love at the expense of love of neighbor.

Mallory McDuff 5-15-2020

At the end of the semester, I snipped an iris at its base, the luminous purple petals reminding me of our history as resilient people in diverse places. During my closing online class, I showed the students a vase of flowers, which my daughter and I had arranged on the wrought-iron table on my deck. Maybe I was subconsciously using perennials that return each year as some obvious metaphor for persistence as they peered at me from their childhood homes in California, Texas, South Carolina, and Maine.

Carrie Adams 5-08-2012

Mother's WeekReminder: Mother’s Day is this Sunday. 

Gift giving can be hard. It’s understandable that you’re putting it off. You’re sure flowers are too cliché but don’t have a clue what to buy. Maybe some brilliant idea will come to you while you’re playing World of Warcraft or while waiting for the pizza guy at 2 am. Right? You still have a few days, but let me tell you, you will wait too long. You will have nothing good for your mommy. Panic will set in. And you’ll go to the Internet in a tizzy of fear. Buy whatever you want, but just stay away from these 10 Terrible Gifts to Buy Your Mom for Mother’s Day. Stay away, and you’ll be fine.
 
This list brought to you by SkyMall, where good gift ideas go to die.
Jack Palmer 2-14-2012
Saint Valentine of Terni and his disciples. Via http://bit.ly/deGE9S

Saint Valentine of Terni and his disciples. France, Paris, 14th century via Wiki Commons, http://bit.ly/deGE9S

Chances are you feel one of two ways about Valentine’s Day — you either love it, or your loathe it. For you, it’s either the time to shower that special someone with extravagant gestures or it’s a hyper-commercial day that doesn’t mean anything because you should show someone how much you love them every day.

Sound familiar?

If so, why don’t we agree to put the debate aside for a moment and get to know a little better the man who’s name to see on cards and teddy bears and chocolates but once a year: Interesting-Things-You-Probably-Didn't-Know-About-St. Valentine.

Find out what they are inside the blog...