Green Monday: Feather roses?

I had a real treat this weekend, watching a quartet of 4H kids perform a short play that I wrote for them. In spite of the fact that we'd had very little time to prepare, the group won the top purple ribbon and will be going on to the regional competition.

While this group was the youngest I've ever directed, they were also the most enthusiastic. They were unstinting in their appreciation of my help, too. How often do you get flowers and chocolates from nine- and twelve-year-olds? Even the two older teen girls were giggly.

I took a close look at the long-stemmed red rose wrapped in yellow paper. It was made of feathers! Talk about tickling my fancy.

(Click here for an image of a feather rose. Feel free to ignore the sales pitch.)

I love the idea of feather roses. They're beautiful, they last for ages, and they don't use any water. They also don't need to use up tons of money and fuel in shipping to and from international greenhouses. Heck, if you have your own poultry flock, you can cut out the manufacturing side altogether. It might take a while before your birds molt enough for a pillow, but roses take a lot fewer feathers.

The next time you have an occasion to give flowers (Hmm, there must be some reason), slip a feather rose into the middle of your bouquet. See how long it takes folks to notice. Not only will you have a little fun watching the double takes, your special someone will have a lasting memory long after the real blooms have faded.

Happy Valentine's Day!