“Remoted” – Day 75 (Saturday)

The flora is beginning to bloom. 

Rhododendron.

The Lily of the Valley flowered during the week. The Rhododendron is loaded with buds and beginning to blossom. Today there was an open blossom and dozens of buds on the Rose bush that grows out of control in the front yard. It used to be supported by a fence post, but that was mowed down by a vehicle over a year ago. Last year the Rose bush had few blooms and in the fall, after the string that contained it broke, I cut a lot of the lanky branches off. Maybe that helped all the buds this year, because it is really full. There are still long branches that have crept out to the street and into the yard, so today I attempted to tie it. Of course, there is no string in the house, so I ended up using gift ribbon which may not be the best for durability, but at least it’s more contained for now and I was able to mow under it tonight. 

The problem with me and Roses is I have no idea how to take care of them. I’ve considered just digging the plant out so I don’t have to deal with it any more, but then I start (over)thinking. First, I don’t have a shovel, but that’s easy to fix at my neighborhood hardware store. But what would I do with the plant after it’s out? And what about the hole that remains? I need to figure something out before a new fence goes it, but there is nothing scheduled yet, so there is some time.

Then I start thinking about the plant itself. Maybe this was a gift that was once important to a former resident but they weren’t able to take it when they left. That shifts to thinking about the many plants I’ve been gifted by friends over the years that were planted and loved at former homes but not possible to dig up and take with me when I left. That makes me sad. Perhaps I am too sentimental when it comes to things. I have a lot of “stuff” that remains in my life because it came from a certain person or is linked to a memory.

Today, after the wind blew.

Yesterday's Irises.

Yesterday, the view from the desk was of one Iris bloom on a stem with several buds, and today there were five open blooms between two stems. Unfortunately, the steady breezes that blew all morning and made for incredibly comfortable weather bent the glorious stems over so they were on the ground in a matter of hours. So sad. I ended up cutting them and bringing them inside where it turned out there is not an appropriately sized vase to properly show then off.