Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Could there BE such a thing as too many rose pictures?

Wait. Don't answer that. I'm afraid I know what you're thinking.

More than any other sight at our house throughout all the beautiful year, this is the one I cannot resist. It reminds me of the musical "Camelot", which includes a lovely tribute to the month of May. Since the movie version also featured Vanessa Redgrave, I have a perfect excuse for posting more pictures of this treasured rose bush. If you look closely at the top right of the photo, you can see the oak tree that collapsed a couple of nights ago. Mostly you can see the elegant little roses in their clusters, heralding the coming of summer. And you can see the dappled light, coming down through the sheltering oak branches. Taken together, this gives you a view of what we've been thinking about this week: the oak trees give, and occasionally without any warning at all, the oak trees take away.

Because of the way the sun shines in this spot and by virtue of the love roses have for sunshine, you can also see the blooms rising straight to the top of, and then over, our fence. They spill into the yard of our excellent neighbors, a bit more every year. Like much of the plant life, the roses seem to have shivered through the winter but also been its beneficiaries. Wait til I show you the fig trees.

My dears, two of our fig trees are covered with a bounty such as we've never seen. We have one smaller tree which has yet to reveal fruit, but it's spring. There's always hope.

8 comments:

  1. Your roses are amazing! Hasn't it been the most bountiful spring ever?

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  2. Can't wait till our roses are in full bloom. I noticed 3 blossoms this morning but I'm afraid that the cold snap this week has them frozen.

    Well. I will post picts next month. Hopefully
    xoxoxo

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  3. Beautiful roses! My allergies kicked in the moment I saw how many you have.

    Figs? Hm, I've never eaten one before. Hope you have plenty to share ;-)

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  4. Nope, no way can there be too many rose photos ~ yours are spectacular!

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  5. Dear ones, I'm so delighted to hear from you all!
    Ms. Moon: I have always heard that hard winters made bountiful springs, but I've never seen it proven so perfectly. I wish you could see my fig trees. Wait. Pictures coming soon! Love you, dear.
    Michelle: I can hardly wait to see roses from you. I love the layered effect of our gardening zones - Mary's and mine being different from each other just slightly, and different from your and Michelle's enough for real contrast. xoxo
    Michelle H: Never?? No figs, ever?? I have to figure out a way to send you some. Rodney and I are talking about a fig preserves recipe his mother made, and if we're successful, we'll send you a jar! xoxo
    Lulu: Thank you so much. Funny to think that it was Rodney's mother, the sister of your dear old neighbor Sam Baker, who started this line. The city where we live may be large but the circles are small, small, small. Love to you and J.!

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  6. Absolutely lovely. And figs? Yum. I've been known to eat 20 or so in a sitting.

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  7. Hey, Angie, I love the circles in our city, love how they overlap, and love living here so much that I can't imagine being anywhere else (with the possible exception of Turks & Caicos!) ~ hope you're having a wonderful day:)

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  8. Suldog, do look at the fig trees in tonight's post, but don't get your hopes up: I'm thinking I need to send 20 or 30 to Michelle H....you can't live your life without tasting a fig!
    Lulu, dear...oh, the magic of living in the circles of our magical small city, and having one foot in BlogLand, where dwell the Michelles and the Suldogs, and so many other amazing voices. How lucky we are!

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