Day one hundred and twenty five.

Sorry, my camera was MIA for a while. I found it again this morning sitting in the bottom of my backpack. I was pretty frantic.

It rained early this morning, which made our backyard look and sound like a tropical rainforest--aside from highway noises. This flower here is a Peony. Ants & insects love to crawl on them because the buds release a sweet sap. Myth has it that the ants "tickle" the bud to help it open, but the flower would bloom regardless.
I like what thisgardenisillegal.com has to say about it.
Mother Nature very rarely does something without a very good reason. Peonies secrete a sweet sap when they are in bud, which attracts the ants. The ants come for dessert but find a second helping of harmful insects. The peonies want the ants to come so that they have some protection. Pretty smart thinking, if you ask me.
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Oh, and an update on my pleurisy, which I somehow contracted this past Sat/Sun. I'm feeling much better, with hardly any pain & minimal breathing troubles.