Fond Farewells

A last look before the rain knocks most of the peony petals to the ground.

Dry brown edges only serve to accentuate the beauty in a sort of "forgotten bouquet" sort of way. You know the bouquet from a special occasion that you just hang onto a little longer than you should. You just can't let the day go. In this case it's a saying goodbye to the lushness of Spring, the flowers that won't hold up to the harsh temperatures and unrelenting sunshine of summer.

When they say, "Take time to smell the roses," it's not only a call to daily quietude but an acknowledgement that days are fleeting and can't be retrieved from the dust and dirt of the earth below. Appreciate what you've got now for it will be different, changed before you know it. Smell the roses. Like memories, pressed roses petals and photographs cannot replace the actual thing. Live in the present and take it all in.

And don't despair, another day is dawning and it may look the same as the last but it's different. As one petal falls, a new blossom is getting ready to open. As the wind shakes the bow, yes, the petals fly, but the stem, the branch are strengthened. The rain brings down the old and dried and creates new life with it. The tinge of color is there in the green, promising new and vibrant fullness of life. You can practically watch it happen before your eyes.

Rainy days and Mondays are days for fond farewells and promised tomorrows. 

Let it rain, let it pour. It's all good.

 Sure enough, the wind and rain took out the peonies and brought down some old branches.

It wreaked havoc with many tall stems but all in all rejuvenated the garden!

***Ready for the heat? These tough guys can take it!***