Chrysanthemums

My close neighbors, who live on the other side of the forest, are part-time farmers.  For awhile after he retired, the husband used an old row of pig sties to raise rabbits but he has even retired from that enterprise and now he raises vegetables and flowers.  His wife was never very happy about the rabbit raising (as it meant that someone had to be on the farm mornings and evenings for care and feeding) but she is absolutely thrilled with the flower farming (vegetables are coming out of her ears... thus I receive the overflow).

"Come see my flowers!  Aren't they beauties?!"

Mr. Y grows small chrysanthemums which are raised in abundance in Japan for arranging around a Buddhist altar.  And as everyone has an altar in their home, there is a year round need for chrysanthemums. 

By the way, chrysanthemums are never included in a lover's bouquet.  I remember when I was a college student and spending 8 months in Japan on an overseas program with a group of college friends.  There was a girlfriend-boyfriend couple in the group and the boy bought his girlfriend a bouquet of lovely, inexpensive chrysanthemums.  The Japanese students who had taken us under their wings just howled with laughter! 

"Those are for funerals!  Or at the very least for showing respect to dead ancestors!  You don't bring chrysanthemums to your girlfriend!"

"A flower is a flower." was the boy's dry reply.

Mrs. Y is very proud of her husband's flowers and she makes up small bundles to sell at the vegetable stand in the neighborhood.  She sent Tetsu and me home with two bundles for Tetsu's mother's Buddhist altar (which normally have artificial flowers adorning it).

Choco, while not interested in Mrs. Y's flowers, loves Mrs. Y who is Choco's summer home-stay mother!