It was the day of our 20th anniversary, but I COULD NOT miss the annual Ontario Rock Garden and Hardy Plant Society sale at the Toronto Botanical Garden (a different account of this story appears over here). Davin entertained my desire to go — an anniversary gift of sorts and one that he has been generously giving over and over through the years. So we rented an expensive, pay-by-the-minute Smart Car and made our way well across town. We took a different route than usual and got lost. I swear, I can’t imagine how I would have learned to drive 20 some years ago without the aid of technologies such as GPS maps and smart phones. When we arrived the place was packed. We drove around in circles endlessly, mentally watching the rental fee rise before a plan was hatched that I would run inside and try to buy my plants as quickly as possible while Davin continued playing musical chairs in the parking lot.

I raced inside and of course the sale room was equally frantic. I grabbed a box and pushed my way through as politely as possible (I am a Canadian after all) all the while worrying about making haste so that I could join Davin back at the car before he started to rethink our partnership.

Nearly six months later and one of the purchases from that day, a colourful, hybrid aloe called ‘Pink Blush’ is now in bloom. The plant, which reminds me of a starfish, was purchased (and in this very pot) for just two meagre dollars, plus, of course, the cost to rent the car and the slight unravelling of Davin’s mental health. It all seems like a laughable memory now, and to see the plant in bloom gives me the delayed feeling of it having been worth the price. I hope Davin feels the same way, but perhaps he has forgotten about it entirely — another interesting, but somewhat forgettable plant among many in the vast sea of my ever-expanding collection. Another typical day living with a partner who has morphed into a crazy plant lady.