Responsibilities to roses

It’s pouring rain right now. I love not having to water the plants, although a bit less rain than this would be better for the newly planted ones. On the other hand, I just remembered that two of my friends were headed to an outdoor concert this evening, the Indigo Girls, and surely that’s a mess.

Today I put some energy into liberating my favorite rose (the one in the icon) from the encroaching Very Large Bush with feathery dark purple leaves, and the blackberry vine growing right at its roots, and the tangle of dead trunks and branches that were partially supporting its height. Maybe I should have left those there. Still, if I dig up the blackberry and some of the grass around it, maybe it will get a larger share of the rain and start to thrive again. The plant is nearly 30 years old, and I’d like to keep it going.

In other news

Today marks D’s first attempts with the tenor sax. He’s making pretty good tones; now he needs to learn the notes and fingerings. I’m recording this here for posterity, in case someday he becomes good at it.

(Huh. I just asked him what he’s drawing, over there by his computer, and he says, “Shaggy.” As in Scooby Doo’s friend.)