Astrantia major 'Shaggy' &  Rosa 'Felicité Parmentier' 28 October 2024

Before my Rosemary died on December 9, 2020 I never thought of philosophic questions such as my purpose in life. I shared my life with Rosemary for 52 years. She was stability. We worked, educated our children and gardened. Life was full of wonderful distractions and trips abroad.

Now I think of my purpose as a single person living with a brother and sister cat.

I have narrowed down my purpose to having to outlive my cats so there is someone to take care of them. I need not worry about my small family. When I die I have good insurance and money in the bank.

But as I reflect on what it was to share a life with my Rosemary I keep being hit by surprises. Rosemary was an internal woman who rarely spoke about herself. It took me 52 years to intrude (gently) into that mind of hers to find out all the wonders she kept hidden.

I try to write about these in my many blogs which in almost every day now has something about her. Writing these blogs, taking care of my two cats, and scanning the plants that are left in the fall, plus the daily menialities of vacuuming and cooking, are my purpose (greatly diminished since I am alone).

With the roses all but gone and the perennials in decline it would seem that the scanning season is over. Yesterday I spotted a favourite perennial, Astrantia major 'Shaggy' somehow blooming again. It was like a surprise and gentle intrusion into Rosemary’s hidden personality. It was indeed a surprise. I opted to scan it with the lovely fall colour leaves of Rosa ‘Felicité Parmentier’.

What other suprises will Rosemary’s garden have in store for me in the next few weeks?