first come the peonies

Did you realize that Summer has arrived?  It crept up on me with little cat feet, quietly, slowly. Standing silent and waiting for me to notice.

And just like a fluffy little kitten I am delighted and charmed to see that it is here. Ready to play.

But first come the peonies.

I thought maybe I wouldn't be able to find some this year but my top secret source came through for me. My top secret source is Trader Joes. It just makes it feel more special if I think that I'm the only one who buys my peonies there.

Peonies come home looking like pink golf balls. They are bound so tight one wonders how they will ever become waffy frilly flowers.  But given a few days and a long drink of tepid water they just fall right open. Like magic.

Summer arrives the same way.  The end of the school year is so bound up with things to do and places to be.  You wonder how you will ever have any time to relax. And then over the course of just a few days the Summer opens up to you.  It rolls out like a long plush carpet. And you realize that the days are longer and there is less to be done. Voila! There is time for loafing and art projects and rocket pops in the sunshine.  It's magic.

I think I can probably get one more bunch of peonies before they vanish from the market.  Just like Summer, their season always feels way to short.

perpetual pull to procrastinate per the presence of peonies

secondsister

Did I mention to you that it's peony season? Well it is.

And that's a big deal for me. I do love my peonies. They are my favorite right after hydrangeas. As a singular blossom, they are singular. They make a person feel pretty just looking at them. Wouldn't you agree?

secondsister

Yesterday, instead of washing and packing and getting the house generally in order for Sugar Daddy to take up the post while I'm gone for the weekend, I took photos of peonies. Because it made me happy. And you know what they say about momma being happy.

So I took some photos and fed the babies and ate a handful of pecans. Then I looked at the clock and I only had an hour before I had to start dinner and the laundry needed to be cycled and the dishwasher needed to be unloaded and I still hadn't found those thingamajigs that my sister asked me to bring with me.

So I sat down with my watercolors and pens and doodled more peonies.

Birdie plopped down at my feet on the floor of my studio and ate animal crackers. I keep them handy for times when I need to bribe small children.

This is how the day went. And this is why I was still packing and doing wash into the wee hours of the morning and why I hope that no one asks me any hard questions today. I'm too tired to think.

All I know is it's peony season and that's a big deal.

secondsister