Month: May 2023

His Poppies Remind Me to Paint

| Flower Roberts

Our artist friend gave us these seeds. I will always think of Bill when they bloom.

His lovely paintings cover our walls. I regret not learning from him.

I was busy with two small children and building a house and a career.

I think about things like that now.

I test the value of what I have chosen to do and what I have been forced postponed.

These poppies remind me to paint.

My female heroes from the past were artist: Marianne North, Beatrix Potter, Margaret Mee, Mary Delaney, and Maria Merian.

I will pack my paint pens this week. I will paint a few plant-marker stones if it rains.

I will remember Bill Troutman and his talent, as I paint while his poppies bloom.

FLOWER

Magnolia Time

| Flower Roberts

If I had not come home yesterday and taken my camera out into the gardens, I would have missed the Magnolia blooms.

Magnolias do not wait. They do not linger until noticed. They bloom and brown in their own time.

I did come home. I did take my camera out in the afternoon.

The blooms are brown this evening.

Beware of wasted time and missed opportunities.

FLOW

Taco Supreme is a Dream

| Flower Roberts

I would not have picked this iris. It was part of a Cooley collection.

It is not fussy or needy. Nor is it a bully.

It does its job of growing and blooming without any help from me.

I appreciate that very much.

The colors change in different light.

Bright sun seems to produce a glare in photos.

It is lovely in any light to the eye.

I love these colors together. Taco Supreme is a dream.

FLOW

A Realist and an Idealist Clash

| Flower Roberts

Nobody welcomes a reality check, no matter how much one is needed.

It is easier to see things the way you want to see them.

It is nice to ignore the ugly parts and focus on what is pretty.

My mind will not let me ignore things that need fixing.

My brain also knows when all the effort I can muster will not fix what is broken.

That is where I am today. I am accepting the fact that some things are broken.

This is my reality check. I am home letting it sink in. I guess we will be coasting from here.

Mama is 91. She refuses to stand and walk. She does not want to. She has that right.

My sitting by her bed and watching her not do physical therapy will not change things.

While Daddy was dying he kept telling me, “Take care of your family.”

I have spent weeks with Mama hoping she will improve. She is better mentally, but her fear prevents PT progress.

Rose needs me home. Mr. Flower needs me handling things here. I make a difference here.

I will be accepting the things that I cannot change. This is not the ideal, it is just what is real.

FLOW

If I Were a Real Flower

| Flower Roberts

If I were a real flower I would not be big, bright or showy.

Bill Troutman Poppy

I would be a small, quiet flower that may be noticed or ignored.

Maybe I would be poisonous, so I would not get picked.

Foxglove

I would be wiry and scrappy, not thirsty and needy, so I can be left alone.

‘Moon Scene’ Amaryllis

I do not even want a color. I can just be pure white. No spots. No stripes.

‘Duchess de Nemours’ peony

I would be white and tiny and insignificant.

White Epimedium

I would be a tiny, white Epimedium growing under a shrub looking out at the other crazy flowers wondering

“What the hell are they thinking?”

FLOWER