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Tuesday, June 01, 2004

Memorial Day Birthday Picnic (Overlooking the Mississippi's Lake Pepin) As yesterday was my birthday, my mother-in-law decided to bestow upon me the gift of a climbing hardy shrub rose, so we drove all the way to Rochester today, through the construction and in the rain, in order to find just the right bush.  It was a long day, but she accomplished her mission—and then some.  “Would you like some daylillies, too?" she asked.   “No, Carole, no thank-you.”   “Because I’ve got a few here and you can have one.”   “No, you know, I think I already have some of those in the backyard.”   “Oh.  Where did you get those?  Who gave you those?  We’ll just split some off of mine and you can have them.”   “No.  Please. . .I have too many plants & weeds to take care of already.  I don’t need any more flowers or bushes or shrubs.  Really, I don’t want to garden at all this year.  Is there a law somewhere that says ‘thou shalt garden every year!’?    “Well, what about some hanging baskets or I could get you some flowers for your big stone pot at the end of the driveway.”   “Carole, really.  You’ve bought me a lovely rose bush [which I’ll be sure to kill, hardy or not].  I don’t need any more flowers right now.  Maybe mid-way through the summer when they are all on sale.  . .”     No wonder I was tired when I got home.  Her generosity is sweet, but I tried to explain to her over lunch that my philosophy is taking care of what I have rather than bringing in more new stuff.  Even the addition of a simple climbing rose bush complicates my life enormously, because now I’ve got to paint the trellis, hang it back up on the side of the porch, rip out the old climbing weed, remove the rocks, till the soil, plant the thing and worry about it.   It is pretty, though.  Perhaps, in spite of me, it will thrive. comment []11:14:17 PM

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