My eyes were twinkling with reflections of love bouquets

As I look out the kitchen window I can't get excited about a Ground Hog's prediction. It is February in the Nebraska garden and it is cold and, except for birds at the feeders and cats playing in the backyard, it's pretty bleak in the garden.

Despite the lack of color, I did get my fix of fresh flowers on Valentine's Day. I was asked to be the driver of a fresh flower delivery van.

The day started early and when I entered the flower shop, it was a blur of activity. The three flower designers had worked the previous day preparing bouquets and they were back at it. Buckets of roses, greenery and filler flowers were set by each designer. A wall board was filled with red premade bows.

My first job was to fill 20-some bud vases with a bit of flower fresh and water. The vases were then easy for the designers to grab and fill when needed.

It was amazing to watch how efficiently they worked plucking flowers out of the buckets, preparing the roses and stripping them of leaves and any thorns.

It was time for the van to be filled and my partner for the day jotted down addresses and names as she made the route for the first load. Three other vehicles were also delivering that day.

Stars danced in my eyes at the sight of beautiful vases of flowers. There were roses in numerous shades, carnations, delphiniums, Gerber daisies and more. I was in heaven. The aroma of the fresh-cut flowers was intoxicating to me.

Some of the arrangements included boxes of chocolates and balloons.

As the delivery person was greeted at each door, the recipients were always wearing a smile. Some even expressed that they were anxious to see who the flowers were sent from.

What a happy job. We didn't even complain when we couldn't find the correct address for a delivery.

With each return to the flower shop, it amazed me how the designers were still in constant movement. They stood all day, even while munching on pizza for their noon break.

It was the same for the rest of the staff who answered a phone that rang endlessly and the clerk who waited on lines of customers who had an order to pick up or those who had last minute orders.

I had the inclination to sweep up the petals from flowers that had drifted to the floor during the arranging but there was no time for that or to interrupt the designers.

Delivery routes stretched out about 20 miles in all directions. It's great to think of the smiles that are still on those flower recipients faces as the days following Valentine's Day click away through the week.

I was lucky and one of the flower arrangements had my name on it. I appreciate the thoughtfulness of my sweetheart remembering me.

I have a new total respect for the labor that went into the bouquet. It starts way before the flower shop with growers, wholesalers, delivery vans on down to the flower shops and their staffs.

Even though I haven't been excited about the cold temperatures, stepping into a flower shop cooler is always a positive experience for me. It was on Valentine's Day, too.

Helping deliver valentine arrangements was a sure way to beat the colorless days of winter. Back at home I might just be smiling a bit more as I look out my kitchen window and then turn to see my Valentine flowers on my table.