For $30 the wispy thing (needing constant support from a stick

of bamboo) seemed like a middle-class ticket

to paradise

*

Living in California, we never thought deciduous. But in late fall,

when the leaves started to drop, we first thought dead (dying)

and then did our research

*

It looked dead all winter, but we had hope for spring. From March

through April, it was a crescendo of green. Twice as many

leaves (fat green hands) as the day we bought it

*

May 5th (Ida’s name day): the second yellow hand fell to the ground

and the terminal buds had a brownish tip. The man at Sanford’s

looked at the pic and said: “Probably several things. It’s been

a cold spring. Drill holes in the bottom of the pot — the roots

need to drain. And here’s some Epsom salt.

Good luck”