Flower Power

Nothing improves a bad mood like fresh flowers. It's been a rough couple of weeks here, in terms of the good ole work-life balance, but nothing lifts me up like coming home to see a vase of fresh flowers on my dining room table -- that and the smiling face of my little boy, of course!

Last week my vase held roses, and the week before that it was lilacs, but this week, peonies were in season, and every flowerbed in Edmonton seemed to sport at least six dozen of them. This amazes me, as they can't be grown in Arkansas. Even in Boston, they were $5 a head, so I could never afford more than one. Well, last week, I bought a dozen for $10 at the St. Albert farmers' market -- such riches! No doubt they'll be gone in a few days, their gaudy pink heads having toppled over under their own weight and crashed onto the dining table in a shower of confetti, but what a show it will be!

Next week, irises, perhaps?