If a rose will be pink, I think this is the shade I love the best.
This particular bush in my neighborhood was well cared for, and so vigorous and happy:
Notice how the fading blooms develop a serrated edge, decorating themselves for their going-out.
I went out before dawn, and my rose tour was slightly extended by some wispy clouds that even after sunrise kept the light from being too bright.
My favorite of the morning’s finds might be this bush. The buds are orange, and the open flowers start out orange and fade to a lovely pink blend.
All these warm hues made for quite a glowing bush, as busy and bright as the sun.
I’ll let G.K. Chesterton’s comments accompany this rose
that was on my path through the neighborhood:
“White is a colour. It is not a mere absence of colour; it is a shining and affirmative thing, as fierce as red, as definite as black. When, so to speak, your pencil grows red-hot, it draws roses; when it grows white-hot, it draws stars.
“And one of the two or three defiant verities of the best religious morality, of real Christianity, for example, is exactly this same thing; the chief assertion of religious morality is that white is a colour. Virtue is not the absence of vices or the avoidance of moral dangers; virtue is a vivid and separate thing, like pain or a particular smell. Mercy does not mean not being cruel or sparing people revenge or punishment; it means a plain and positive thing like the sun, which one has either seen or not seen. Chastity does not mean abstention from sexual wrong; it means something flaming, like Joan of Arc.
“In a word, God paints in many colours; but He never paints so gorgeously, I had almost said so gaudily, as when He paints in white.”
-G.K. Chesterton, “A Piece of Chalk,” in Tremendous Trifles
Roses are just the best! Last week I began exploring the roses of my neighborhood, claiming them as my own to the degree to which I enjoy them as gifts from God, with thanks also to whoever planted them and whoever cares for them.
To satisfy my rose-love, I had originally thought of taking a friend to visit a public rose garden, and I would still like to do that sometime. But right now that would add to my very long Projects list, and probably make me more gloomy, as getting behind-er in my tasks tends to do, no matter if they are special or mundane items on the lists.
To fulfill the rose garden idea I would need to research and find the destination, think of whom to ask, find a date, phone the friend, and generally obsess over the plan while neglecting more important work, like getting fresh air and exercise.
So I came up with this better idea, which is just a focusing of a very old plan indeed, merely to get outdoors earlier and go walking alone with my camera. I’ve gathered enough rosy material that I want to share it here, I hope in a series of weekly posts that will often be little more than a photo.
To start with, yellow roses that are at an intersection so close to our house that we drive past them at least once nearly every day, and at other times we walk close enough to pause and inhale deeply. Ahhh…
