I am not a girly-girl. I’ve never treated myself to a manicure, I have less interest in shoes than most men, and my blow dryer last saw action several months ago when I removed one those flashy stickers some companies like to plaster all over their products. And yet.
And yet I am all about rainbows and butterflies and chirping birds and, yes, flowers. Not on t-shirts or binders or anything plastic and decorative, you understand. Just in reality, in this dimension.
Which is why I’m loving this summer so very much. Flowers are everywhere, blatantly growing and spreading and blooming. Three volunteer rosebushes sprouted in my vegetable garden, globe mallows are sweeping up and down the hillsides, and wild irises are grinning like lunatics in the mountain sunshine. It’s an obscene rainbow of blossoms carpeting everything outside of town except the rocks and asphalt. It’s like the Disney Channel, except no princesses.
What’s great about flowers, beyond the fact that they are nice-looking and they usually smell good and they stand still when I try to take pictures of them, is that they make no pretense whatsoever. They are all about the pollination, their petals and perfumes and colors brashly yelling, “Come and get it!” to any passing insects. It’s hard not to admire such honesty, especially when packaged so prettily.
Alas (if one can use such a word in 2009) this year the ridiculous abundance that overtook the local flowership completely skipped every fruit tree I know and love. Our neighbor’s apricot, which hangs halfway into our backyard, always produces enough to make any self-respecting fruit-lover sick to her stomach. This year, though? Only leaves. The plum tree? Nothing. Peaches? Not a one.
Only the Bing cherry in our front yard deigned to bring forth anything remotely edible – lots and lots of gorgeous cherries, swinging merrily in the early summer breeze. No doubt they were delicious, too. I wouldn’t actually know, you see, since the birds cleaned off the branches exactly one day before I planned my harvest. They did look yummy, though, plump and juicy and deep, sweet red.
Hrm. Now that I think about it, I take back what I said above about liking birds. Greedy little suckers. Flowers, though. Those I still adore. And rainbows and butterflies, of course. And once our trees start making fruit the way God and the garden center that sold them intended, I’m sure I’ll start liking them again, too. Check back next July, and I’ll let you know.
Obligatory flower photo. This one’s in our front yard.
@Pam – Dear, you never fail to crack me up. Well, when you’re trying, at least. 😀
@Marcia – When I go on walks around the neighborhood I *always* stop to smell flowers. Every time I do that around someone else, they tease me but, hey, aren’t we supposed to smell the roses? I’m just following advice.
@Mari – Frost. Frost is what happened to the other trees. Sad, isn’t it? They were all in flower and everything looked so promising, and then we suddenly had our coldest weather of the winter – in the spring.
Not to mention birds will poop on you if you don’t watch carefully enough. I got suckered into a pedicure one time. I’m kind of glad I did because now I can really say, “No way in Hell” and mean it because, “Yes. I have tried it.” Over an hour stuck sitting in a chair. That is all I can say. It felt OK? But over an hour stuck in a chair. *shuddering* Please don’t ever do that to me again. Work is bad enough, but at least there I can get up and walk away.
I’m kind of a cross between super girly and super tomboy. I love pedicures, rainbows, flowers, dresses, jewelry, handbags, but then I love to get dirty, play and watch sports, and drink beer. 🙂
Happy Summer! 😉
Me thinks I am quite a girly girl… I just love rainbows, butterflies, flowers, all things beautiful – but then who doesn’t 🙂 Engaging post and great photo!
Gorgeous picture, Caryn! I’m sorry you don’t live closer to me! Our apricot tree gave us some delicious fruit! I hope next year finds those fruit trees in abundance! And I too love flowers and butterflies – and hummingbirds, we’ve had quite a few in the backyard.
Have a great weekend! 🙂
@Mizzz K – LOL! So true. Just a few months ago I was reading a book outside, and suddenly there was a huge splatter on the page. I suppose the bird didn’t like the book any better than I did…And good to know about pedicures. Plus it seems like they would tickle, which is one reason I don’t handle foot rubs well, either.
@Keri – Yes, I can see that about you! I’m the same way – a mix of each, I suppose, though probably leaning a little more toward tomboy. Except for beer, which I never have developed a taste for. Yuck! Give me wine any day.
@Good point, CathM – It probably takes a pretty hard-hearted person not to at least secretly like rainbows, flowers, and butterflies – even if they won’t admit it!
@Thanks, Robin! And, yes, I do wish we lived closer to each other, and for more than just so we can eat your apricots!
Beautiful pick. Im not a real girly girl either but I do love flowers…
I’m all about flowers too, despite also being totally <i>not</i> about shoes. I actually get annoyed with people who imply that of course <i>all</i> women are just gaga-insane about SHOOOOOOES! [eyeroll]
When I’m travelling, if I have my camera (which is a 50/50 thing and didn’t happen this last week in San Francisco) most of my pics are flowers. I’ve never thought about it that way before, but you’re right — it’s great that they stand still and let you take their picture, LOL!
Angie
Fabulous pictures! My mum has a wonderful garden in Southern Spain and her flowers are incredible – like you say, almost like the Disney channel w/o the princesses! (there are some pics of it on my Facebook profile….)
what a great picture! i wish we grew something in our yard…besides weeds. 🙂