Beth, your roses are still beautiful!

With the number of plants that you grow, I can't imagine how you manage to even get them watered. God has a way of telling us when it is time to start downsizing our rose farms...it is called "diminishing energy". When the effort becomes a burden more than a pleasure, it is time to rethink and you are apparently beginning to do so. I admire you for this. I never grew in the numbers that you have but a few years ago, I gave most of my 200 roses away and kept only about a dozen. It is just as easy to neglect a dozen as it was 200 but I worry about it less.

Give thanks for having employment...these are tough times.

May your life get easier!

Bob

Ugh....your life sounds like mine Beth! We just got a 14m old lab/german shepherd mix and are having a horrible time house breaking her! She had been in a no-kill shelter since she was 5 weeks, and now, a year later we adopted her, its making all the training just that much more difficult! I had an idea of what I was getting into since I volunteer there on the weekends, but I think I'm about to lose my mind! Best of luck to both of us!

Other than that, I'm glad you got around to posting pics :) I know how overwhelming the maintenance can be!

Tammy

Thanks Bob. You're right about the diminishing energy. I think every morning when I go out to change the water or take pics, "I really just need to get out here and do this stuff." Then I promptly think of something else to do instead. I just can't get myself motivated. I think a majority of it is due to the dog. I walk around and see where she's been running and has the gravel all bunched up against the big border rocks, or even falling into the beds, and then when I come home from work and the sprinklers come on and I see these geysers going off out into the street.... I just feel like "what's the use?" But it's also the weeds. I have a whole section of the lower yard that's engulfed in Bermudagrass. I look at it and just sigh and say "I'll do that later after I do the other weeding" and nothing gets done. I hate being this way.

And Tammy I feel sorry for you having to train your pound puppy. Ours is a border collie/chow mix and she's big and boisterous and for some reason latches onto me. I am not a dog person, I'm a cat person. She's always pestering me. My husband and son picked her out, but they don't do much with her. I just wanted another dog to scare the deer away from the front yard. After our old dog died, the deer began to come up almost onto the porch to chow on my roses and other plants. Now they just go in the back, because she never notices them coming in that way.... Ugh!

Beth, sorry to hear that you've been having a difficult time.

Your roses are lovely, hope you'll be feeling better in the days ahead.

Oh my goodness, Beth. You have been going through a really rough patch for quite awhile. I'm so sorry. :(

But I want you to know how much I appreciate how much you have shared with us here, and at R. Corner, and at G. Buddies , and over on HMF over the years. My dear, in my book you have been the "Queen Of The Roses!" :)

Thanks!

Deb

Sorry, to hear of your troubles. How nice, that you still took time to share your lovely, many unseen blooms .

CAPRICE is such a lovely "hot" pink.

I am thrilled beyond words to see your roses back Beth!! I was getting super worried! Haven't seen your breathtaking roses for ages at our Gallery. I do remember you had some concerns about your aging grandmother, I think it was? and all the health care issues involved. And oh soo sorry to hear about Keia (I think that's her name) being a real Tasmanian Dervish! in not being able to calm down yet. I need to send some of Eluane's gardening gentleness to your puppy girl!

Yes, thrips are so horrendous. I do understand!!! Last year my Viking Queen which is a prolific continual bloomer kept losing 90% of her buds. This year I lose 50% but hey, I gotta keep positive or else I'd scream and tear out my hair, lol! I did scream and tear out my hair when all of my 10 record-breaking blooms on shade-growing Frederic Mistral became rotting messes from the thrips. But unlike you with such a gorgeous collection, all I got is prolific lumps and a fancy camera that disguises the bad and the ugly, haha!

Bur remember, Beth, in Deb's words, you really are the Queen of Roses, we depend on you to discover all the beautiful and rare roses! I spend a good 25-40 minutes addictively looking up every single one of your blooms on HMF each time you post, lol! The Gallery ain't the same without your presence so PLEASE KEEP POSTING!!!! We miss you and Jeffcat. It keeps the gallery filled with so many fun commentaries and "rose reflections" for the day! And I'm sooo relieved most of all that Boxo's back as well!!! Anyway, I love your new thread of fabulous roses, every single one. That Samaritan, Purple Splash, Motgengruss Climber, Paddy Stephens, Magnifa, Cranford are Magnificent! and oooo, a chocolate-colored Climber??? Nothing can beat this! I'll have to see if it has strong fragrance, lol! Off again I go like Red Riding Hood with her picnic basket to Help Meeeee Fiiiiind, hahaha! Or ummmm, maybe the poor roses think of me as the Big Bad Wolf grabbing them with greedy, grubby claws.... :P

Thanks for the words of encouragement you guys! Almost makes me want to go out and do what I need to do. But right now the weather has taken a turn for the weird, and our 80-90 degree temps are all of a sudden going to 50 degrees and all dark & dreary! And I've been off work for two days with some sort of "infection." Sore throat, knife-like upper beck/neck pains, body aches and general malaise. Might be Strep, but won't know til next week. I'm on antibiotics now. Dang, can't win for losing! will try to post some more pics if this weather clears up.

Thanks again everybody! I really needed a boost!

ohhhh, so sorry to hear about the back, neck, sore throat!!!! We're reaching 'cross the screen to give you extra hugs!!! Yes, changes in weather are terrible for both rose morale and on health! Geeeeee, hope at least the blooms and the wonderful colors will help cheer you up too! and may that naughty adorable pup at least give you some puppy cuddles! and keep you cozy....

We are looking forward to more photos :D :D :D

Hehe, I also forgot to say that Alleluia does justice to its name. What a wonderful velvety red that rose has!

I'm going to go have me a chocolate sundae. That's a great color- pretty flower.

We were so fortunate when we inherited Sam. I didn't want another dog, and she has some bad habits, but she has been very good in the garden. That was my only condition on taking her, and I guess she understood!

Sometimes we just have to take a break from gardening. I was thinking today that I won't be up to all of this for much longer, and I was wondering what will survive the neglect and take over the garden. My bet's on the purple morning glory and the sword ferns.

Renee