I like roses. Lots of roses with a lot of colors. And since
long ago my wife told me that buying her roses was a waste of money (because
they die), I “invested” in rose bushes for the house. As I’ve mentioned in
previous posts, the front of our house is lined with rose bushes—twenty-two to
be exact. These used to make almost a solid hedge of hundreds of different
colored roses. Sadly, after eighteen years, some of the bushes are not
producing like they once did. This leaves big gaps with no flowers, which
doesn’t look good at all.
So, this year, I decided to replace them. Originally, when I
put them in, it wasn’t that much work. And at $1.99 per rose bush, not that
expensive either. Ah, but things change.
First, I made a trip to the store and promptly came down
with a bad case of sticker shock. I know we’re told there has been virtually no
inflation for the last couple of decades but the roses tell quite a different
story. They were on sale and still $5.99 each. I quickly made the decision to
replace only the worst bushes and save the rest for later. I ended up buying
only nine.
Then, on Sunday afternoon I started digging out the old
bushes. It didn’t take long to realize it would be a little longer job than I
had anticipated. The roots were six to eight inches in diameter and being
underground, I didn’t really want to use a Sawzall. So, I chipped away at them
with a spade shovel.
Five hours later, I was done. The new bushes set and the
yard cleaned up. And only two blisters on my hands! Not bad but I had planned
on maybe an hour for the whole job. Although, that’s typically what happens
when I schedule time for anything—it always takes longer. Usually not five
times longer though. And now, I’m a little tired. Not used to all this manual
labor stuff!
But, the job is done now and even looks pretty decent. Soon,
with the help of Miracle Grow, we’ll have our hedge of colorful roses back. At
least that’s the idea. The bad news is, I still have several bushes to replace.
The good news is, not until next year! ~
Bruce
A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room 913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey,
Miscarriage Of Justice, The Lana Denae Mysteries, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook at www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS
and
paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million. Bruce A. Borders
is a proud member of Rave Reviews Book Club.
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