early schools – the exotic and the common
In my Aunt’s book about early schooling in Nova Scotia, she tells an amusing story about field days at school:
… I recall another field day when Dr. DeWolfe, Miss Harris, and Miss Baker came with shrubs to our school. The shrubs were ten cents each. My mother had always longed for a weigela and a snowball and we were delighted that at last she could have her wish, for both these varieties were among Dr. DeWolf’s collection. They were duly planted at my home on the bank of the French River. One turned out to be a high bush cranberry and the other a spiraea, but today we still refer to them as the “snowball” and “weigela” and, I may mention, they have many an offspring throughout our province.
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I must have seen the high bush cranberry and spiraea many times at my mother’s old home, but I don’t remember them in particular. I do remember the gardens, lush with rose bushes, tiger lilies, and grape vines.
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Copyright 2016 Jane Tims
nichepoetryandprose 
When my children were in elementary school the Dept. of Natural Resources used to give them small pine trees to bring home and plant in their yards. I don’t think that any of the trees we planted actually grew – but we planted them each year.
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Sheryl
June 26, 2016 at 12:01 am
Perhaps there is an invisible forest of those trees, growing all over your yard!
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jane tims
June 26, 2016 at 8:09 am
Good one: I wonder how many of the promises made to me in my childhood turned out that way. I can remember a couple …
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rogermoorepoet
June 24, 2016 at 9:06 am
Thanks Roger!
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jane tims
June 24, 2016 at 10:50 am