October 28, 2008

The Chrysanthemum Appreciation Club


Walking around the local city hall today, I discovered this modest flower show, comprised solely of chrysanthemums. It was simply four makeshifts tents with flowers, and one more for the organizers to have their tea in. (They'd even brought along their own thermos.) Having moved here relatively recently, I didn't know that the city has been doing this for over thirty years.


An old man was tending to his chrysanthemum, weeding out stray flowers and painstakingly securing each bloom with a straw string. I was amazed to find out that they were all from one plant. It looked like the ultimate "green" Christmas tree, albeit a bit on the short side.


Inhabitants of the nearby old folks' home, many in wheelchairs, had come to see the flowers. One woman was trying to convince the others that there was a cat amidst the bonsai, but the others laughed it off, saying, "You're old; you're seeing things." Look closely, though, and you can see it sleeping behind the tiny tree.


Kicking myself for having forgotten my camera, I made do with my phone camera. Thankfully, I realized afterwards that it was not such a poor substitute.

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