What symbolism is there in "Ripe Figs" by Kate Chopin?

This is an excellent short short story by one of the best
short story writers ever, in my opinion, and if we want to consider symbolism, one way
to do it would be to consider the ripe figs of the title themselves and how they operate
symbolically in this tale of youthful impatience versus a more mature approach to time.
It is the ripening of the figs that Maman-Nainaine choses as a natural time marker of
when Babette can go and visit her cousins and, amusingly, at the end, we see that the
ripening of figs is not the only natural time marker that Maman-Nainaine uses to plan
her life:

"And
tell your tante Frosine I shall look for her at Toussaint--when the chrysanthemums are
in bloom."

Thus we are
presented with a woman who is so in touch with nature that she uses the variosu seasons
and the way that nature responds to rule her own life. The "ripe figs" become then a
symbol of a life lived in harmony with nature and ruled by it.