Roses for Times Gone By

My dear friend passed away not long ago. My heart broke into little pieces and I just could not put it together. But I am working on that, I have roses in my patch of flowers in honor of my father-in-law that he planted about 49 years ago. I call it JB. Since that time, I have added several other rose bushes and rose climbers and named them everyone, something “special” to me. For instance, the beauty above is named MERLE HAGGARD having been planted on the day that Merle died. It was April 16, 2016. I went to our local plant, feed and seed barn and purchased 5 plants, one was the rose above. Merle was just a twig when he was placed in the ground next to JB. As I put fertilizer and something special about Merle’s tender roots, I sang, “IF WE MAKE IT THROUGH DECEMBER, everything’s gonna be alright come summer time. It’s the coldest time of Winter, so if We make it through December, We’ll be fine,” Well, Merle the Rose, made it through that winter (one of Ringgold’s coldest), and bloomed some of the most beautiful roses I have ever seen. Each year the rose, MERLE HAGGARD, grew stronger and gave more luscious blooms in the peachy color seen in the picture. Then his luck ran out and MERLE almost bit the dust with a unknown insect bite. I took a picture and off to the horse vet I went. No ID there, but an aged farmer gave me a brew to use on MERLE and thank the Lord, it worked. Hallelujah, I talked to and sang to MERLE through his recovery. Talking to plants really does work. Merle recovered with the sweet talk and the old farmer’s brew. To celebrate his recovery and beautiful shiny green foliage, I planted another rose bush right next to him naming her, MAMA HAGGARD, I bet you know after whom she named: the song, MAMA TRIED. All in all, I planted 5 roses on Merle Haggard’s birthday after that MAMA rose bush. The last one was called Stripes, from YOU”RE WALKING ON THE FIGHTIN” SIDE OF ME. When STRIPES bloomed, I was caught off guard by his-her colors. I had ordered a Red Striped Rose. To my surprise, and the grower’s too, the bush produced the most gorgeous MERLE HAGGARD PINK STRIPED ROSE. Being pink and white, she is named JEAN SHEPARD.
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