MARY'S FORGET-ME-NOTS
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Part 9. A Vignette of Spirea
When I was about five years old - my father had a contract with Chase Bros. of Rochester to deliver young fruit trees to the farmers around Collamer and the countryside. I remember putting on my red pointed bonnet to go with him on some of these trips.Years later, when 200 West Yates was painted yellow with white trimmings. I thought a ground planting of white spirea would be a nice gift - so, I went to Chase Bros. - gave the order - and asked that they be delivered at the appropriate time for planting. At that time, our father was a Town Assessor. With two other men, the assessor would walk from street to street adjusting tax rates etc. This was strenuous work and my father used to rest on the side porch as soon as he reached home. On
one particularly warm day when he came home, he found the porch completely filled with huge bundles of shrubbery and a tag saying "PLANT IMMEDIATELY"! "Who sent them?" asked my father. "Chase Bros. of Rochester" said my mother- "Then let Chase Bros. of Rochester plant them!" he said. He was PLENTY INCENSED - knowing full well that it would take hours of digging for according to his rule--"it's better to plant a fifty cent tree in a five dollar hole than to plant a five dollar tree in a fifty cent hole".
However, after a reasonable cooling off period, he did set out the Spirea, and each spring afterward , as they burst into bloom, he looked at them with pride and satisfaction. But, I learned this lesson ---
A gift of greenery
Can be real meanery
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