The next morning, and throughout the week, Edith self-medicated by planting dahlias, her favorite flower. “This helps me think,” she said. “To get clarity.” She was right—it felt good to take a break from thinking and do physical work. “Dahlias cure everything,” Edith said. She showed me how to make a spiderweb out of twine for the dahlia plants to grow through. Boxes kept arriving that contained more and more dahlia tubers—they resembled dried-out deformed giant’s toes. “In three months, they’ll be the most beautiful flowers you’ve ever seen,” she said.
