The Reason I Don't Post Often

The main reason I don't post often is because my father-in-law's health took a turn downhill a couple months ago. I spend at least 30 hours a week tending to his care now.

When I planted the roses eight months ago, I was abruptly thrown into a foreign world, a world of black spot and mulch and manure. A world where one inch of green growth was new and exciting, a world where bugs were no longer cute and friendly. When I planted the roses, I expected lots of back-breaking labor rewarded with lavish armloads of roses and heady aroma. It never occurred to me that life would head in a different direction.

When my gardening time got suddenly and severly limited, I discovered that I didn't need festoons and armloads of roses. Having a jaw-dropping display of pink petals around my mailbox was no longer important. Making sure the Queen of Denmark didn't get dwarfed by James Galway was no longer a priority. What I did discover was that a good laugh with my elderly father-in-law warms my soul more than any plant I could ever grow. Fertilizing a friendship has a more lasting impact than fertilizing a plant.

It was my father-in-law who helped fund this rose adventure. He's as thorny as the Queen of Denmark on some days and if he were a rose, I'd be tempted to get those pruning shears and chop... um... well... take off no more than the top two thirds of the stem, leaving two or three clusters of leaves at the base, keeping in mind the desired shape of the rose bush... Other days, he's as sweetly scented as the Blush Noisette. Dad won't be with us as much anymore now that he'll be moving to assisted living. These days are precious. If I could make a toast with a rose, I'd say Here's to G Bob, who pushes me to near insanity while his twinkling eyes and smile still make me laugh.