Popping Poppy

      "Come here, quick!" I hear my wife holler from the flower garden. "A poppy is about to pop!"

I stop my hoeing immediately. Although she's explained this process to me before, I've never witnessed it myself so I hurry to her side, forgetting to put down my hoe.

"You won't need the hoe," she whispers and then grins.

Just to get back at her I ask if we really need to whisper, but she points to the poppy and says,

"See the green cap on the fat bud? The blossom will

force that to pop off."

I'm thinking, "Sure, in about a week," but I say nothing. I haven't been married

nearly forty years without

learning anything. I watch as

 Nancy takes a couple pictures.

To see the poppy, we position ourselves close

to the moist mulch surrounding the poppy's 

stiff green stem. Sure enough, in just a minute or so

half of the green cap falls silently to the ground.  

Nancy snaps another picture.

"Wow!" I exclaim, strectching my vocabulary to 

meet the wonder of the moment. 

We share a smile and wait only briefly  before we see the second part of the green cap drop to the ground.

 Nancy repositions herself to snap a picture of both pieces of the green cap on the ground as the flower opens to show its large, delicate petals.

         

              

.

Photos by Nancy A. Fredrickson