Bucking Tradition

Tammy likes peonies.  So, we have some peonies.  Some people like them, others don't.  That's just the way peonies are.  I recall that Mom doesn't like them, probably because of the ants that like to crawl all over the unopened blooms.  I spent a couple of summers making sure to mow down the peony plant that kept trying to grow next to our front door sidewalk.

Eventually, it did give up.

In Iowa, you can find peonies, some decades old, at most farmhouses and at many homes in small towns.  They tend to bloom around Memorial Day and they can be quite beautiful to look at.

Unless tradition is followed.

The tradition, as I saw it for much of my life, was that peonies would just approach peak bloom and we'd have a storm of some kind.  That storm would beat those flowers to pieces and that would be it.  Until next year.

We've been bucking that tradition for a few years running.  This year, we simply broke tradition by not having ANY rain.  And the peonies looked quite beautiful.  

While I am not saying I don't want any rain, I will agree that it's nice to give the peonies a chance to look good every so often.

It makes Tammy happy, so that's a good thing.  Right?