Last week, Russ’ great-aunt Dorothy died. She was 93. She lived in the Tuscaloosa area all her life and was a true “Southern Belle.” Up until only the last few weeks or so, she was extremely active, going to the beauty parlor to get her hair done twice a week, and playing cards with the girls on a regular basis. Two or three years ago she was still making divinity candy and fudge for everybody she knew for Christmas. In addition, she loved Alabama football and Atlanta Braves baseball, and could intelligently talk sports with hard-core fans one-quarter her age. She was a strong lady who will be missed.
When I moved to Alabama, it was into the old 1926 house that she had grown up in, which she had been renting to Russ for almost a decade before I arrived. That house needed some repairs, but did not lack charm. One of the things I miss most about that house is the beautiful rose bush just outside the kitchen window. By some accounts, that rose bush was nearly as old as Dorothy! Well, I’ve heard it could be up to 80 years old. And while we lived there, with absolutely no care or maintenance on our part whatsoever, it would always offer up a multitide of gorgeous red roses each spring and summer.
Lately, when we drive by the old empty house, that rose bush is not looking so good. I think it just feels it has no reason to bloom, with no people there to enjoy its flowers. And now that Dorothy is gone, it’s uncertain who will end up with the house, and what might become of it, and what might become of the rose bush.
So tomorrow (with Russ’ blessing) I’m planning to stop by the property and take a few clippings from this ancient rose bush and see if I can’t get them to root, and maybe hopefully someday propogate some roses of my own. I’ve never tried anything like this before and really have no idea if it’s going to work, but I’ve read a little about it on the internet, enough to make me think I should at least try. And I also feel that Dorothy would heartily approve of any attempt to help her roses continue to bloom.
I will keep you up to date on the progress of my clippings.
