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

An Anole at Rehab

| Flower Roberts
Anole

There is a lovely courtyard at the rehab facility where my mama is getting physical therapy after breaking her hip.

My favorite resident in the garden is an anole. He enjoys sunning on the warm head of a statue there.

Nature saves my sanity.

FLOW

Another Iris in Isolation

| Flower Roberts

I thought this beauty disappeared years ago. It reappeared when I thinned out a row of Cooley iris near the play yard gate.

Jelly Roll bearded iris

It had been crowded too much to bloom.

There are bully iris; Night Affair, Persian Berry, Banana Frappe’ and Shipshape from Cooley’s all fall into the bully category here. These varieties multiple rapidly and over-power the slow growers.

Two of the bullies; Banana Frappe’ and Shipshape

This is Jelly Roll. It now grows at the end of two tiers in my plant nursery section. Its only competition is weeds that I cannot seem to keep up with.

I love its orange beard and the slight blush of pink on its standards.

It has thrived in isolation and has doubled its clump size on both tiers.

I am so happy that I rescued Jelly Roll from that crowded row of bullies.

FLOW/Iris Rescuer

Crazy about Krinkled White Peony

| Flower Roberts

This is an easy peony. No staking needed.

Its bud is pink. The petals blush as they open.

The pollen looks like a golden crown in the middle of the stark white krinkled petals.

‘Krinkled White’ peony

Any easy-care plant is always appreciated.

Flower