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Friday, May 24, 2013

Roses For Remembrance






Our really hot weather burns the roses, so I went out early to pick a few.




I often think of Carol when I cut them. I still think of them as hers even after fifteen years.




She was the previous owner of the house and planted beautiful tea roses in the yard. We only met her two or three times, but I'm thankful every spring for the legacy she left behind.





A day in May dedicated to remembrance can include more than appreciation for those who have fallen in the line of duty.  









Memorial Day reminds me of roses in particular. We had profuse climbing rose bushes along the walls of our yard when I was a girl, so we never bought flowers to take to the small village graveyard at the foot of the mountain where my Father's family is all buried. We would place them in tin cans full of water at the many handmade markers in the dusty New Mexico landscape of the burial ground all surrounded by cedar posts and barbed wire. Family members were the only caretakers then.





We would go on a  picnic after, near the mountain streams. A tradition that we kept up while our own family was young.










It was Shakespeare's Ophelia that pronounced that rosemary is for remembrance as she handed Hamlet the sprig. But for many of us, roses are for remembrance too. . . .







Wishing you a lovely Memorial Day weekend!

Jacqueline






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21 comments:

  1. Your roses are so exquisite, Jacqueline!! How nice to be able to continue to enjoy them all these year.
    Mary Alice

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  2. Hi J,
    Lovely remberances... how nice to know of your homes first gardener, and a lovely family tradition too... The Roses, sigh, LOVELY!! How did summer turn up the heat so fast this year? Sending a cool breeze your way, we could use A LITTLE heat is you have any to spare:-)
    Happy Weekend to ya:-)
    Hugs,
    B

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  3. Lovely, Jacqueline. Your family story is so sweet. I can just imagine those special picnics near the clear water of the mountain streams.
    We are getting a rare afternoon of wonderful steady rain. My husband and I are enjoying the sound and smell of fresh rain from the comfort of our sun porch. Ahhhhhh, pure bliss!
    Enjoy the holiday weekend........Sarah

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  4. What a beautiful post and tribute to your home's previous owner and also to the memory of loves ones of days gone by. I've read several posts today of how people have remembered past loved ones on this weekend by visiting their graves and then having a picnic. What a wonderful tradition! Have a blessed weekend. (I'll send you some of our rain if you'd like)

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  5. Oh Jacqueline, your roses are so beautiful! I should send you pics of mine---absolutely beaten to death with days and days and days of rain. Poor little things. Peonies, too. Well everything has taken a beating. So nice to see some loveliness on your blog. And lovely stories, too. Thanks! Kay

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  6. Beautiful roses Jacqueline and I have jug envy too. What a delightful combination!
    Hugs ~ Kerryanne

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  7. Absolutely beautiful roses. Mine are just starting to blossom.
    Have a great week...

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  8. Your roses are just beautiful!

    Judy

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  9. superbe
    les miennes ne sont encore
    qu'en boutons
    manque de chaleur et de soleil ::::
    bon weekend
    tendresse
    edith

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  10. Beautiful roses. Mine are doing well and the peonies are ready for trips to the cemetery a tradition in this part of the country. Have a great weekend

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  11. OH so lovely, Jacqueline...do these varieties have a lovely scent, too? I miss the old-fashioned roses and their heady scents. Your roses are really beautiful!

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  12. Beautiful roses and beautif and wise thoughts Carolyn.It's good to keep the traditions, it's good to recognize others work or offers.
    Thank you so much and have a lovely Sunday!
    Olympia

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  13. You have such a nice way with words and those roses are just beautiful.

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  14. Beautiful pictures of your roses. The sun burns my roses, too. I love roses. I think they are my favorite flower.

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  15. A beautiful, beautiful post!
    and such gorgeous roses!!!
    hugs from here...

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  16. Lovely, lovely roses! Great remembrance too!

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  17. Your roses are absolutely gorgeous.

    I love how you shared them with us....and roses do help us remember.

    We all here have an awful lot to be thankful for, that's for sure.

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  18. I envy your linens.

    I envy your lovely dishes.

    And now I envy you all the beautiful roses.

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  19. so lovely ..add some essential oil to the petals let them dry for potpourri (:)

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  20. Beautiful! I like the idea of roses for rembrance. Thank you for joining Home Sweet Home.
    Sherry

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  21. Such lovely words and images, Jacqueline. Your roses were truly beautiful... and moreso for being a gift that came with the house. Reading about your traditions for Memorial Day was so moving. Thank you so much for setting that down to share here.

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