flowers for mamang

Flowers for Mamang, originally uploaded by brightblade.

I must commend the mother-unit's practical creativity. This flower arrangement we placed on Mamang and Papang's grave was made out of flowers from the market, sinamay from a bouquet that zeester#1 received from the boyfriend, leftover ribbon, and a Selecta half-gallon tin. Purty, no?

I understand the need for a more practical approach to this; after all, it seems that the minute you leave the flowers at the grave, little kids scurry over to scavenge them (at least in our part of the Sucat burial grounds), and flowers are oturageously priced at this time of year. Besides, Mamang and Papang were simple and practical people and I believe they would have appreciated this.

Of course, things are different in the province, where there is a mausoleum for my Lolo and Lola and a modicum of flair must be maintained (or so the relatives think, because the Lolo was one of the town's founding fathers). I believe the mausoleum is repainted every other year; and my parents spend more than a month's worth of groceries on maintenance each year. Oh well. I've been to Mamang and Papang's simple grave every year since 1978. I've only visited Lolo and Lola's tomb twice. Ever.