A Related Trait

Ruffles and Grace

“Did you miss those stalks when you were trimming?” asks a helpful friend.  “Or are you letting the keep going because there’s one flower left?”

“Neither,” I reply, looking fondly at the tattered hollyhock stalks.  “We’re letting those go to seed because we’ve never had that variety before.  All our hollyhocks in this bed are the result of seeds I’ve scattered over the last several years.  Most of the hollyhocks we planted originally have larger blossoms, with single petals, and without that ruffle.  You can’t really see it in this blossom, but it’s touched with pale pink, not all white.  So we’ll put up with the raggedy stalks, save the seeds, replant, then see what happens.”

“Oh…”  My friend smiles politely, but is clearly baffled.  Then he smiles.  “You write that way, too, don’t you?  Just save up ideas and let them grow?”

“Sort of,” I admit, not wanting to go into the complexities of making those ideas grow into a coherent story.  “It’s definitely a related trait.”