Reflections

The sundrops are blooming in Wisconsin. Alongside them in my Mom's front garden, two stands of self-seeding "pinks" have reached their peak. Those sturdy, no-nonsense perennials take me straight back to my childhood and memories of plants that I have come to count among my friends. A member of the primrose family, sundrops punctuate the green of the garden like coarse-ground pepper on a summer pasta salad. Exotic hybrids may come and go, but sometimes the old familiar is best.