Saying Good-Bye to Some Old Friends

Tony is putting the final touches on plans for a deck. Assuming all goes well, this deck will be built this September. Today I decided to tackle the pile under the existing deck and get it organized in anticipation of the new addition. I cut down the tall weeds and grass and removed three unruly rose bushes in the area the new deck is planned to go. (Big thanks to Grandma Julie for watching Iris so I could actually spend the time to do this!)

I felt a little sad taking out the rose bushes because the previous homeowner, Mrs. Shellman, planted them and I'm sure she took a lot of pride in them. People in our neighborhood still stop to tell us how nice the Shellmans were and how happy they would be to see us fixing up the place. They lived in this house for over 40 years and I often think of them raising their family and growing old together in this house. I'm sure that Mrs. S. kept those roses beautiful throughout those years, but they were diseased and sickly when we moved in. I think she would have been disappointed to see them in such bad shape. So I'm taking them out in hopes that she would prefer it that way. I cut the good flowers this morning and they are brightening our living room one last time.