As a child we had a pussywillow tree in the back yard. I loved, loved, loved that tree, as did my mom.
What I didn't love was when she would cut branches and deliver them to the neighbors saying, "Look what I have for you! Aren't these just the prettiest pussywillows (minus the word willow) that you have ever seen? Look how full the pussywillows (minus the word willow) are this year!"
Made me want to crawl in a hole and die.
Today I don't have a tree, but I do have artificial pussywillows in a steel tub in my dining room. We were talking about them the other day and the kids couldn't remember exactly what they were called:
Jake: Oh yeah! Pumpernickels!
Molly: No, they're called Periwinkles.
Jake: Uh...Puggly Wuggles?
So very close. When I told them what they were, they weren't embarrassed in the least, which made me oh so happy... because in a week of TMI, I'm glad there is one "colorful" word they still haven't heard.