Peonies

We were in Meier's this past Saturday grocery shopping when my eyes spied these beautiful bunches of peonies. Instantly, I was back on our house on Garlow Drive. It was a tiny little ranch with a gravel driveway that sloped fairly steeply to the garage, backyard and big creek and woods behind it. At the end of the gravel driveway, acting as the divider between the driveway and the steep drop off of the woods, my dad had planted a long row of peonies. I remember them being pink and white. I remember that they didn't bloom often but when they did, that row of plants was just a sea of those poofy flowers. I remember that the flowers were so heavy when they opened that they made the stems of the plant bend over like an inverted umbrella. I also remember the incredible amount of ants that were attracted to the peony flowers - they fascinated and freaked me out. I remember my Dad's Volkswagon Beetle parked right in front of that row of peonies and I remember him out there every weekend, washing his Beetle and Mom's station wagon. I miss my Dad. I missed him this Father's Day. I miss him everyday but I am grateful for bunches of pink peonies that I can take home to remind me of him. Thankfully this bunch has no ants. :)