135/365 Pentecost Plants

Something more red, the message told me. In the craziness of the day, with weather and getting the car looked at and worked on all morning long down in the county at the dealership, I made it to the floral wholesaler while my mother waited in the car with Leo sleeping in the carseat. I had 10 minutes, tops, in order to make it in time to pick up Maeve.

I went into the cut flowers cooler, thinking maybe gerber daisies in a clear glass vase might be different, maybe two sets on the side altars? I looked: nothing. The only things with red in them were towards the pink, and Pentecost isn't pink. It is red. Orange would be better than pink.

So I abandoned that idea and went to the greenhouse looking for flowering plants. Nothing jumped out at me. Geraniums? Ugh. Double impatiens in a hanging basket meant I'd be paying for the basket more than the plant. Lantana, same thing. There were some reddish leafy things--crotons, caladiums--and those went onto the cart. Gloxinia was red, but I was never too confident around Gloxinia. They were my first experience with church plants--Dolores left me with two of them to take care of. Why we only had two, and where they went, I don't recall. I just remember they didn't fare well under my care.

But then again, no plants fare that well under my care, unless they're tomatoes living in the garden cage in the backyard.

A couple of other red plants on the cart, and I head out to the front counters. I give them my account name. "The church, not the high school," I always have to explain. Does no one understand Roman numerals these days?

I carry them out to my mom's car and wedge them between the car seat and the side window. One plant on my lap. And Sr. Hildegard calls on my phone.

"We have so many plants here," she begins. I think she's about to tell me not to bother with picking out more red. So I tell her what I've just done. She says it's fine then, and she'll see me later that evening.

Although it would have been ok, right? I mean, the plants looked so lovely and full on my front steps. If there are too many plants in church, I could always deck out my yard with them...but I don't, obviously. I bring them up that evening and stand there saying "that looks good" as Kinnera and Hildegard arrange them. Too tired to even care at that point.