Thursday, March 29, 2018

I Ain't Complaining


Well, as Matthew McConaughey might say, "All right, all right, all right."

It's been a better day. It's certainly been a full day. I started out with a five mile walk where I took this picture.


That, my friends, is the house where THE rose is growing. Do you note the pirate flag? It's way out in the country, across the road from the cemetery, and no one ever appears to be home and the gate is closed. There is an etiquette to be observed in the more rural areas of North Florida and one of the rules is Thou shalt not fuck with anyone's property.
And, this being rural North Florida, guns could always be involved and just because there are no cars parked out front, it doesn't necessarily mean that no one is home. And these could be the nicest people in the world. They do seem to have a little greenhouse attached to the end of the house and I like to think that people who grow things are good people, nice people, but sometimes people are growing things that they don't want other people to take note of.
Know what I mean?
This is all to say that going up and asking for a cutting of their rose is not something that's probably going to happen in this lifetime. And as much as I lust after that rose, I am just not the sort of person who would take a cutting without permission.
And here's a really crappy picture of the rose, totally out of focus, because I only risked the second it took to get it.


But look at that deep scarlet color. And I tell you it smells just like a rose should smell. And it's a rather large sized blossom. Not as big as a cabbage rose, but still large. 

In short, it is a sort of perfection. 

So, anyway, here's another picture I took while I was walking. 


Not the same sort of beauty, but beautiful nonetheless. 

So I did the walk and I came home and got in the garden and finished planting my tomatoes and peppers and eggplants and pulled up some more arugula and a few collard greens too. They are bolting and getting bug eaten. And then I planted the corn and then I picked some collards and kale for our supper and then I picked some beets and carrots to pickle. 

Which, as you can see from the picture up top, I did. 
I got out the canning kettle and the vinegar and the spices and the sugar and I scrubbed the beets and carrots and cooked them 


and sterilized the jars and then peeled and sliced the beets and carrots and made the pickling solution and by the time I'd done all of this work, I only got three pints worth. 
Well. Damn. 
Still, it felt good to get that project started and it reminded me that I need a new canner because mine is rusting and that can't be good. Every decade or so a woman just needs a new canning kettle. 

And now the collards are cooking and I've cleaned up the bowls and pots and utensils used in the canning process and I will admit that I am exhausted but I am also so amazing grace grateful for a better day. 
I've heard all three pints' lids pop down and so that is a success, albeit a small one, and also, these roses are growing in the little area beside my kitchen. 


Jessie reports that Levon is determined to crawl and has two teeth coming in. 

And by god, there's a 90% chance of rain tonight. 

Love...Ms. Moon









19 comments:

  1. I’m glad your day was better. That rose is exquisite.

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    1. I wish I'd gotten a better picture. It really is.

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  2. Happy you are full force today!!!!!! If that beautiful scarlet rose was close enough to photograph......perhaps a little snip of a start might have been OK? But I hear you........ privacy must be respected always. Maybe one day you can get a start. I'm envious of your canning...... the *fruit* of your pasttime of tending to the earth
    Susan M

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    1. Canning is definitely a special sort of pleasure. I remember when I used to do it when I had no AC and it was probably 120 degrees in the kitchen and still- I was proud of what I'd done and thus, got some enjoyment out of it. And nah, I just can't snip any of that rose. For such a "rebel" I sure am a rule-follower.

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  3. Your pink roses are so beautiful they made my heart ache a little bit.

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  4. I cooked some old arugula the other day and it was quite delicious. Before that I thot it had to be eaten raw. Another delicious green.

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    1. Yep. For many years I've been cooking my past-by-dates greens. They are especially fine in soups. Greens are greens. Good raw and good cooked.

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  5. So glad you had a good day. I bought a pedometer today, and my goal was to reach 6,000 steps. And you walked five miles???? Damn, woman!

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    1. I've been upping my milage lately, hoping to...I don't even know.
      Prove something to myself?

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  6. Five miles is a good long walk. Maybe you could leave a letter in the mailbox of the people whose rose you lust over.

    It's still snowing here and -13C so I'm looking out at my garden as I write this and I got nothing. Except every once in awhile a chickadee stops by the bird feeder. It keeps snowing but the overall level of snow is decreasing. Sigh.

    I'm glad you had a good day:)

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    1. "the overall level of snow is decreasing..."
      Do we live on the same planet?
      And yes, I could leave a note in the mailbox. I have actually thought of that.

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  7. we finally got the good rain with lightning and thunder Wednesday night that they were predicting for all day Wednesday. and yesterday I checked the garden and the corn is sprouting with little shoots 1/2" tall. that rose looks so much like the heritage rose my neighbor in Houston gave me a rooted cutting of years ago but they don't like being cut as then the petals fall off soon after. I made three cuttings when we sold the city house two of which have grown into large shrubs. the third languishes in a pot where it doesn't get enough sun. perhaps it will find it's way to you.

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    1. Oh, well. I would love to have a cutting. But it may not be the same rose- the one I had was sturdy in the vase and did not shed its petals quickly. But still...

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  8. That is one gorgeous rose! I'll be glad when I can walk again. Maybe not 5 miles, but around the block would be good.

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  9. Yay for a better day! What a relief!

    And I hear you about the rose cutting. I don't think I'd knock on that door either. So here's a possibility, though -- can you take the picture to a nursery and see if they can identify the rose? I mean, to me it looks like about a zillion roses, but they might be able to figure it out more specifically.

    Your pink roses look great, too, as do your canned vegetables. Some people don't like the taste of beets, but I think it would be pretty hard to make them LOOK bad. They're so colorful and vivid. (I love them, especially pickled.)

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    1. Beets can be as beautiful as roses, can't they? At least in their color when they are cooked. When they are freshly pulled from the dirt, they sure don't look like much.
      I might try taking a picture to a nursery. The damn thing is- I don't have a place to plant that rose which gets enough sun but I sure would give it a try.
      My pink roses are sweet but they sure don't survive cuttings very well. I just have to love them for what they are.

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  10. I had a climbing rose for years it was red and really fragrant. My Mom loved the roses it died shortly after she did. I think the rose bush was over 30 years old as it was here when we bought the house. I googled and the closest thing I can find is Crimson Glory. I hope this helps. Love Gail

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.