The day the first and only aster bloomed was a Sunday. A neighbor died that day at home from a long-standing condition; his passing was still a shock though it was expected at any time. So I cut that aster along with multiple buds so there would a long-enough stem (I almost didn’t cut it because of the thought of sacrificing those buds, but then I thought- how udderly shellfish! You don’t die every day!) I joined some neighbors keeping watch over him until the funeral people came, and I placed the aster on his chest.

Later that day, I called Rose to see if she’d like some company. Because she previously said she was being tested for diabetes, I asked if she could have the chocolate and halvah I’d purchased. She said, “No! I’m diabetic now- can you believe this at my age!” She said she was 86 going on 87- not 85. She said, “Just bring yourself!” So I went over with the magazines. Of course there were no more asters. I didn’t tell her about the neighbor.

The aster flowers are no longer blooming, but soon I’ll have mums for Rose.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 3rd, 2008 at 11:07 am and is filed under thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.