I had this amazing avocado tree that grew from a seed I
planted two years ago. There were two
trunks; it was a twin. And it was about
five feet tall come January this year.
Needless to say, poor thing didn't make it through this past rough
winter. The first night it dipped below
freezing I should have covered her in burlap or whatever it is you do, but I
didn't. I brought her in the next morning
when I realized what was happening but she never recovered. All five feet of her beautiful tropical
leaves curled and turned crisp, dead brown.
When I read up on it on the internet, it said it was best for plants
that get frozen if their leaves fall off right away. I guess it’s a survival mechanism. Hers didn't.
Those petrified leaves stood there for the next couple of months, before
my boyfriend cut it all back one day. He
was pretty sure she was dead. I said,
“just leave the stump.” I loved that
tree.
Anyhow, the stump did look pretty bad. But we left it there and I put a makeshift
fence around the wooden pot so animals wouldn't get into the now pretty barren
dirt. I also planted a new avocado seed
in the same pot one especially still-gloomy winter day.
And then I watered the $%&t out of that empty pot for a
couple more months.
Who knows why. It’s
been a crazy winter.
But well, well, well.
Today, but what do I see, but a brand new sprout on the avocado
tree. Actually three sprouts: two on the old stump and one light green
beautiful curled head of a brand new sprout which obviously is from the new seed. Yeah!
“You know I am finding deep, profound religious significance
in those buds,” I told my boyfriend. “Oh
yeah,” he said. “You thought it was
dead,” I reminded him. “You wanted me to
throw away the stump.” He smiled.
“But I just kept watering…and watering…and watering…”
