RED POPPIES!

I cannot believe how many RED POPPIES I see! Went online to find Little Miss something new, THERE THEY WERE! Went for an evening stroll and stopped to window shop, THERE THEY WERE! Got a new catalogue in the mail, THERE THEY WERE! Feels like I am being STALKED! Do I mind, you ask? WHY OF COURSE NOT! I love them!
I have to say, I have always loved them, never really thought much about loving them or why or even that I did. Its just that EVERY TIME I would see some, I would give this internal sigh, similar to the one we would give as a tweenager and we saw the object of our infatuation! They just give me a little thrill! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE daisies! That is not a surprise to me. How deeply I love those weeds, flowers is not evident. I learned about loving something sooo much that you surround yourself with it to the point that is ceases to be special back when I was about 8, maybe 9. For the life of me, I cannot remember what it was that I 'loved', but I remember being SICK OF IT! My momma told me, if you always have something how can you miss it? If you wear your favorite, special occasion dress, everyday how is it special? Can you tell I wore my 'favorite special occasion dresses' A LOT?! I loved to wear dresses, and if they were frilly and girly, even more so! I still love to wear a 'pretty', dainty, lovely feminine dress! I really feel beautiful in a great dress, but it has to be 'girly'. SO, back to the point, hope you liked that rabbit trail, I learned to make special things special. I do not surround myself, or better I should say, don't drown myself with my favorites!
I love daisies. I know I mentioned it before, but, it bears repeating the extent to which I love those things! I have a few photos of them around my house, some VERY inexpensive, some not so, but they aren't 'everywhere'! Growing up we lived a LOT of places. At one point before I married dh, I had moved approximately 30 times and was only 25. So, I have moved a LOT. I have also traveled a LOT! We lived in Germany for 12 years, 11 consecutive, we went a lot of places, most MANY times. I try to keep some of this info to myself, cause people just think you are EITHER lying, making it up or going, BIGGER, BADDER, BETTER on them. NOT TRUE. I have just done a LOT of traveling! All over Europe. Its gotten to the point that it is easier to day where I have NOT been! I have MANY favorites. I have a few 'favorite FAVORITE' places too! While on one of these wonderful trips, we happened to be in Italy. My parents had friends in the town we now live, isn't that neat?!
While in town, we headed up the mountain. On our ascent, I noticed some wild daisies growing on the side of this hill. We stopped and I picked several. I fell back in love with those dainty, delicate, waifs of a flower! During one of our moves, I happened to look through a few items, looking for things to throw away, YES, I was! I happened upon those daisies, dried and in pristine condition! It brought back that sunny summer day, the drive up the mountain, the river running through the gorge below, the heat, the coffee, the gelato, the friends, and I was warmed by the memory! Living here now, the day we found our house, I knew it was ours..... yes, there were wild daisies growing in the yard!
We took a drive up the mountian, stopped to pick daisies, reveled in the memories, relished in living here now and the chance to introduce my dd, darling daughter, to this part of my childhood. I have re-remembered what has drawn me to these flowers..... in an environment that is harsh and unforgiving there is NOTHING growing! Yet, here is this frail, fragile, dainty, delicate and seemingly incredibly susceptible to its environment, growing, thriving and flourishing!
I believe I can identify with this flower. I too appear to be delicate and dainty, susceptible to my environment and appear to be in danger and unable to stand or flourish in the face of the harsh climate I find myself in. And, yet, I thrive!
I now find myself finding solace and identifying with another frail flower, seeming to grow on its own, face to the sun..... wild poppies! I have two flowers I love, Daisies and Red Poppies. Thus the name of this blog.... Love Red Poppies!