The End of an Era

Last night was a very sad night for N. Because he had to go to sleep at 8 in order to wake up at FOUR IN THE MORNING, I don't think he took the time to grieve properly. I expect some crying in the next few days when the loss really hits him.

His mint plant died.

This was not just any mint plant. It was a gift from the owner of a bed and breakfast we stayed at in Memphis, circa 2006. He acquired the plant from during a family visit to Greece and generously just cut off some roots with a few leaves for N, who carefully planted it in a cup, then a small planter and set it outside his dorm room in Columbus, MS. Every day he watered Minty. It was even on his daily list of Stuff to do, along with study and do pushups. He pruned it and shooed the stray cat, affectionately named "Nemesis," away from its delicate leaves.

He moved Minty to Texas, then Phoenix. It was replanted a few times along the way, but it was always a priority. We made a lot of really good mojitos from leaves given to us by that plant. And so, when he moved to Germany, he divided the plant, gave half of it to a friend moving to DC, and shoved the other half in a plastic bag and hauled it across the pond to our new home. It lived in another little plastic cup for a few weeks, until it got back on its feet.

We bought the best soil for it and replanted it and placed it in the kitchen window at the castle. For some reason, it's been on the brink of death for weeks. In one last ditch effort to save the thing, and thinking it needed more sunlight, we went questing for a grow light last weekend. The first one N bought didn't do the trick, and the other one didn't fit in our kitchen light contraption. So last night, in a fit of frustration, N uprooted Minty and placed what was left of it in the fireplace.


We're singing a dirge later.