Fiction, Flowers

The Summer Olympics

Live from WIJG radio.

“Well, Tom. It’s that time again.”

“Yep, Joe. It sure is. Judgement day! The day the Gold Medal the 2014 Summer Bloom Season is announced. Boy, I can feel the tension and excitement around me.”

“Oh yeah! The crowd is electric. Just think, a whole season of growth, bloom and show all boils down to this. Let’s take a look at the finalists.”

“Okay, Joe. It’s always good to start with the reigning champion. How do you think Bee Balm fared this year?”  Finalists01

“Well, Tom. You know, Bee Balm is an old crowd favorite and was certainly worthy of the big award last summer, but I’m thinking she’ll have a hard time making the podium this year.”  Finalists02

“I’m with you on that, Joe. She had a great year but she just wasn’t where she was last season. And some of the other contenders really stepped up their games. Plus, I don’t know… to me, her display in the Stump Garden just didn’t dominate like it did last year.”  ???????????????????????????????

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“Yep, Tom. A contender for sure, but probably not a medalist, though I must say, she held on for a nice show with Phlox.  ???????????????????????????????

But let’s talk about the pre-season favorite?  Whaddya think?  Did Gloriosa Daisy live up to all the hype?”  ???????????????????????????????

“Now, there is an interesting story, Joe. No question everyone thought that this was Gloriosa’s big year as we headed into the heart of summer. No question. And he performed briliiantly.”  ???????????????????????????????

“Oh he sure did, Tom. He gave it everything he had. ???????????????????????????????

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But personally, I think he might have been a little over confident. He started out the front runner but soon found himself tangled in a mix of strong competition. He really had to dig deep and I felt like he showed some fatigue in the stretch.”  ???????????????????????????????

“We’ll just have to see what the judges thought. That big, double swath effect might get him the big prize yet.”???????????????????????????????

“10-4. It just might. But what about those contenders, Tom? How about Poppy, huh? Who could have seen this coming?”???????????????????????????????

“I gotta say, Joe. Poppy is my favorite this year. She’s hardly a newcomer, but we’ve never seen a show like this out of her before.”???????????????????????????????

“I’m right there with you, Tom. Right there with you. Fresh, new and vibrant – Poppy really pulled off an incredible performance this year.”???????????????????????????????

“Oh Joe, my man. She bloomed and bloomed and bloomed. Gee whiz, it’s August and she’s still blooming.”???????????????????????????????

“Yeah, it brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it. Poppy showed such personality!finalists15

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Some performances really pull at your heartstrings.”???????????????????????????????

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“Yep. It was a brilliant, touching performance. Really special.  But she’s hardly guaranteed the gold, Joe. How about the real surprise? Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Sunflower showed us something we had never imagined, don’t you think?

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“Oh Tom. What can I say? Maligned early on. Shunned by her peers. Accused of being nothing but overgrown bird seed, Sunflower dug in and put on a performance for the ages.”finalists20

“For the ages, Joe. For the ages! So many different looks.”

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“Such stamina!”???????????????????????????????

“Daring to be different!”

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“Popular with the birds and bugs alike.”???????????????????????????????

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“And she’s still going. Still showing new stuff. charging across the finish line. You know Joe, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a contender finish so strong.”???????????????????????????????

“Yep, Tom. It’s a blazing finish.   She’s looking great. Just great!  Soon we’ll see what the judges think. I would be amazed if she doesn’t make the podium and I would give her a real shot at the gold this year.”

“That pretty much wraps it up, Joe. Those are your finalists. Let’s cut to a commercial break so we can hear from our sponsors. Stayed tuned, everyone. We’ll be back after the break to hear from the judges. Soon we will know who brings home the Gold Medal for the 2014 Summer Olympics.”

39 thoughts on “The Summer Olympics”

    1. Thanks Sarah. It’s current too. Literally opened up the day before the post. That would be sunflower charging across the finish line. 🙂

    1. Thanks Ron. Just trying to keep the garden interesting while I show off my best beauties. 🙂 Have a great day.

  4. Too beautiful! I agree with hitandrunn, they all deserve gold medals! 🙂 Poppies are gorgeous and still blooming, Amazing! I’m in tears…

    1. Thanks Amy. You see, the poppies and sunflowers, being seeded annuals, have an advantage because I staggered the planting. So yes, a few poppies are still blooming, those being the ones planted in late May. Have a great day. 🙂

  5. So let’s see..what are the criteria on which the judges judge? Beauty. Stamina. Crowd appeal. Posture (modest confidence). But what about the repeated theme throughout this whole year’s competition: Is striving a category? Gumption?

    Suspense, indeed!

    1. You are on it, Nate. As usual. Striving is a critical and recurring theme. I’m sure you noticed it pop back up in the recent post about Gourdtopia. However, I would say that if we are talking about the Gold Medal round of bloomers, striving would be a baseline. I mean, these specimens have been engaged in striving all summer. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have caught our attention so. So, I’d say striving is the pursuit but the Gold Medal is awarded on the results of that pursuit. No “A for effort” here. No “Gold for gumption.” Striving as a means to achievement. 🙂

    1. Thanks. The funny thing is, the really impressive stand of sunflowers really is leftover birdseed. They are tough. Never fell over and continued to feed the birds while they bloomed. The goldfinches particularly love fresh sunflowers seeds. Good fun. 🙂

    1. Thank you Joanne. I humbly agree, but that’s why I started the blog. It feels like something we ought to share. Thanks for letting me share. 🙂

  11. Jim
    You plain outdid yourself, not just in the garden – kind of expected that, but in your write up too.

    Well played, sir…

    1. Thanks Julie. Alas, there is only one Gold Medal. I wonder who will win it? 🙂 The photography is fun. Having my own backyard as a studio makes it interesting, what with the light and moisture changing all the time, not to mention the subjects.

    1. Thank you. It has been a lovely summer here and the garden has really bloomed marvelously. Thank you for checking it out. And thanks for the kind words on the commentary. It is fun for me. 🙂

    1. Hi P&B. Poppy and Bee Balm appreciate your support, I’m sure. Check out today’s post, as the judges finally made the call. 🙂

  17. A fabulous post, Jim. a novel way of telling the story of the flowers in your garden this season. The photos are glorious and I especially like the close-ups. But how do you figure Gloriosa for a “he”? Are you smoking your poppy seeds or what?

    1. Thanks Cynthia. Gloriosa Daisy is definitely a male character. HE! No hallucinations there. He is, after all, also known as Mr. Fuzzy. 🙂

  19. Your garden is really beautiful, fabulous and really artistic. You compose it like a Monet pictures. Ouah, that’s great !!! Your ground must be magic 😉

    1. You are so very kind, Christiane. Thank you. Great ground and a little love makes the garden goes wild. Literally, as I tend to grow a pretty wild garden. You noticed, eh? One of these days I will get to Monet’s garden in France. I have heard much about it. And, of course, when I’m there I will have a chance to really practice my french. 🙂 Maybe the people in France will be nice and speak slowly for me. 🙂

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