The Rose Lady

How many times have you traveled

on the same road in your neighborhood?

Uncountable right? 

When I first moved here; I found a short

cut to my house from the highway. And

to my pleasant surprise; there at the corner

stood an old farm house with a very old

woman with a slightly hunched back -

maybe about in her late eighties - gardening.

The entire front and sides of her land, which

I would guess is about 2 acres, were filled

row after row with rose bushes. So I dubbed

her, The Rose Lady.  She had a little sign

in front of her house called The Rose Cottage.

Fast forward - right before she passed away;

I would see her on her lawn tractor - she had

to be now in her early nineties! I was amazed

by this woman. I would see her in the 

supermarket and when my husband and I 

went out to eat on Friday night - there she

was in the same restaurant! 

Then one day there was a auction in her

back yard. I asked one of my quilter friends

(she goes to all of the auctions) and asked...

Oh she passed away. I was so sad. 

Eventually, the house went up for sale.

They rebuilt the huge barn and the roses

sadly went neglected.  I can tell that no one

lives there - they just use the barn and I'm

thinking that eventually that they will make

that property some kind of business.

I passed the other day and to my horror....

 it looked worse - and not a single rose.

As I drove on 

I saw the crane and I almost cried! Another old

farmhouse being torn down! They pulled out her

little sign but look on the porch - the bench is

still here and there are curtains still in the window.

Now I know this sounds silly but I thought that

they would at lest take them down. 

And then slowly riding up I saw them!

 Look at the far left under the stop sign...Roses

in full bloom! I rejoiced! 

I never found out this woman's name. The road

is very busy and I never had a chance to take

a photo of her glorious gardens. There was

always someone in back of me and there's no

place to pull over. I'm so sorry that I never did.

So, here's some of my roses in honor and 

memory of The Rose Lady.

Rest in Peace Rose Lady!