Moment of Silence for the Mint
Yesterday was not only the day of the dead, but the day of the dead mint.
Indeed, the mint is dead. Time of death, unknown. Not-really-experts guess that it passed away sometime last week due to extreme parchment, bug infestation, lack of room for roots in its pot, noxious fumes from vehicles passing by or just a general dislike of its care takers. What the real cause was may never be known and may forever remain a mystery.
I had such great plans for the future of the mint, sprigs in my tea, a little in my riata or a casserole. I remember the day, only one day after we moved in, that we were carefully selecting it from a group of organic herbs at the UCSC organic plant sale not far from our apartment. Weeks later it was growing too big for its little plastic pot and was transplanted into one of the large clay ones that we shipped all the way from Boston. While all the other plants wilted, mint took off and was soon the pride and joy of our deck. No matter how many times Hobbes ate the mint, it lived on. The mint was a survivor.
However, it was too good to be true. One day, looking out on the deck, it was clear that the mint was not going to make it through the day. I did not even bother to bring it inside to our plant ICU to visit the basil and oregano. The mint was on its way to the big compost heap in the sky. While I would like to blame the sun, the bugs, noxious fumes or furry plant eaters…I can’t help but balme myself for the loss. What if I had taken the time to water it that morning, what if I had moved it out of the direct sun light that weekend…or talked to it and told it how much I liked mint in my tea. No, this mint did not die on its own. It was me, it was me who killed the mint.
So, the next time you hear that old gardner’s saying, it’s impossible to kill mint. Remember - I killed it…and you could kill it too if you are not careful.
Therefore, let us have a moment of silence for the dearly departed mint and say a prayer for our basil and oregano, which have been suffering since I used them in that tomato sauce a couple weeks ago.
