𝑳𝑨 𝑭𝑰𝑳𝑳𝑬 𝑨𝑼𝑿 𝑭𝑳𝑬𝑼𝑹𝑺

୭̥⋆*｡✽ 𝐥𝐱𝐯𝐢𝐢.

november 7th, 2018
LITA

AUTUMN IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE SEASON IN NEW YORK CITY. Between the decorations in the city, the sweet atmosphere, the colourful foliage. I love the colours of the trees in Central Park and the atmosphere in the city at this time of year. The leaves of the trees change colours and take golden, orange and red shades, and the show is just... sublime! 

And of course, we can't forget about Halloween, even though it's over now we have to wait for next year. But with Thanksgiving around the corner, so the city is still buzzing with excitement.

The temperatures are a little cooler today, however I can still comfortably walk the streets of the city and for the first time in a little while I can soak up the New York atmosphere without suffering from the summer heat. That doesn't stop me from hurrying to get to Scarlett, I'm a bit late, and though I know they won't mind, it still laves me feeling uneasy. Nevertheless, this does not discourage me and I hasten to go up and ring the bell indicating my arrival. "Well hello hello Johanssons!" I greet the two blondes as soon as the front door to the apartment flies open to reveal the both of them. Well... to reveal Scarlett, and Rose who appears to be feeling a little shy on this fine day.

"See! I told you she was coming." Scarlett tells her four-year-old who comes out of hiding and crashes into my legs instead of staying hidden away behind her mother. I frown hearing her words of reassurance and Scarlett must've noticed the confusion of my face because she instantly explains to me what happened."Rose was a little bit worried you wouldn't show up when she noticed you were late."

"Oh, I'm so sorry peanut! I just ran into my neighbour as I was leaving my flat, and she just loves to chat." I emphasize, and fortunately it makes her giggle. The small pout and worried look she had on her face are immediately replaced by a small smile gracing her relaxed features.

They let me in while they finish putting their shoes on. I take that opportunity to give them what I brought them as I did not come here empty-handed. I hand Scarlett a bouquet, how surprising. "Mama? Are you going to put them in your special vase?" Rose asks, following her mother in a tow to the kitchen and not wanting to be left alone, I go with them. A bit like a mama duck with her ducklings following in line behind her.

"Yes, I am." She brings out the vase she painted a few weeks ago from the cupboard and handles it delicately. Rose watch as she fills it up with room temperature water, and and I pull out some tools to take care of the flowers to make sure they last as long a possible.

"Lita, what are you doing?" Rose curiously inquires.

"I'm taking care of the flowers, so they last longer. Wanna help?" Unsurprisingly, she nods.

The first thing we do is cut the stems. One of the most common mistakes people make after receiving flowers is forgetting to cut the stems. I use garden shears to trim one to two inches off and cut at an angle. Cutting the stems at an angle allows for better water intake since they aren't sitting flat on the bottom of a vase.

Then I pass them on to Rose and I let her remove any leaves below the water line. It will not only make the bouquet look better, but also prevent bacterial growth. Some flowers, like roses, have guard petals which are the two or three outermost petals of the flower. Removing these will allow the flower to open up fully.

The last thing I do is pour ¼ cup of soda in the room temperature water before adding in the flowers. The sugar in soda makes your blooms last longer and even smelling sweeter too. A magician is not supposed to reveal its secrets but for Scarlett and Rose, I'll make an exception I guess.

I have one last little thing for Rose as today I'm not only here for Scarlett, but also for her. I pull out a small box from her my bag, handing it over to her. "And for my favourite Johansson... Tadaaaa!"