Lupine Love

Lupines.

These flowers make my heart sing.

The Man's sister gave us the first lupine we ever had. We were visiting her in Pennsylvania and had stopped in a garden shop. She bought one for herself and one for me. The blooms were a deep shade of purple and they were prolific. It bloomed the very next year after we planted it.

It blooms in May so it was blooming when I brought J. home from the hospital as a newborn. I remember going out in the yard to look at it, a lot, because I couldn't drive for a while.

C-section, need I say more?

I found a book about lupines, Miss Rumphius, and bought it to read to J.

After he got a bit older. Seven day old babies don't have a long attention span.
Year after year, every spring, this plant bloomed abundantly.

I would look at it and remember our visit to Pennsylvania, and my lovely sister-in-law and the garden shop and getting lupines together.

I would look at it and remember the day I brought my firstborn home from the hospital.

And I would look at it and remember sitting on my grass, playing with J., while the plant bloomed behind him.

I loved this plant.

And then one day, I looked out and it was gone.
I asked the Man, what happened to my lupine?

It was in the way, he said, so I mowed over it.

WHAAAAAAT?????!!!!!

I couldn't believe he mowed over the lupine. I was in shock, I think. And then a bit angry.

There was some yelling involved.

But we never got another lupine.

Then we moved. And I felt like having lupines again. So last Mother's Day, the kids bought me two lupines.

I'm in love again.

And I'm thinking about hiding the keys to the mower.