A strong rainstorm came through last night. It all happened so fast. I was at work. My husband didn’t have enough time to move my sunflower plants out of the way of the strong wind on our little deck.

When the rain stopped, he went outside and stood the plastic jack o’ lantern planter back up. Though none of them have blossomed yet, that had been the tallest sunflower plant of them all.

Over the past weeks, I’ve tied them up gently for some support as they grew taller. Kitchen twine, sticks and random pieces of wood I’ve found. I’m no master gardener, that’s the truth.

This morning, in the post storm daylight, I went outside and checked on my badass plants.

I call them that because, despite their misfit planters, and haphazardly tossed seeds, they’re still growing.

Despite getting knocked down in some sudden rain storms, they’re still growing.

But two previously strong shoots had been snapped. Bent badly, but not totally snapped off. I resisted the urge to cut them off completely.

I’m just going to watch them and see what happens. Will they still bloom?

Will they remember how bent they were?

Will they remember the sudden storm?

Will they blossom even brighter because of it?