A stretch of cool, wet weather has extended the peony season. It’s a colorful show of pink, red, coral, white and even a few yellow ones. They poke their perfectly spherical buds through chain link fences. Fully opened blooms have rested their soggy heads on the grass, waiting to dry in the sun Some have just a few petals, others are as full and fluffy as a new box of Kleenex. Originating in Asia, they are one of the national flowers of China. In olden times, people believed that peonies could be made into medicines that could cure epilepsy or prevent nightmares. Now we treasure them for their fleeting beauty.