Halloween Tea Rose, out in the front garden, Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 2007, photo © 2007 by QuoinMonkey. All rights reserved.
We worked on last minute details in the yard today. It was cool, cloudy, sunny. Bending over the 7 transplanted tea roses with the green water bucket, I noticed a distinct peripheral rush of red. A confused October tea rose was sporting a new summer bud.
We hauled wet, decaying bags of leaves to the city’s yard waste site, nabbed a geocache near an empty ball diamond, and drove home on winding country roads. An ordinary Fall Saturday. I didn’t notice the strings of cobweb until I took a closer look. It’s always good to take a closer look.
Traditionally, October is the month I feel the happiest. Something shifted this year. But tonight I count my blessings. It’s the little things. Maybe the budding Halloween tea rose with the silver thin cobwebs is not confused at all. Maybe it’s me.
-posted on red Ravine, Saturday, October 27th, 2007
-related to post, PRACTICE – Fish Out Of Water – 15min
redravine.wordpress.com 
[…] gadgets, games, gizmos and weird science [technabob] wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptHalloween Tea Rose Oct 27th, 2007 by QuoinMonkey [ Halloween Tea Rose, Minneapolis, Minnesota, … , Home, Life, Love, Personal, Photography, Wake Up | Tagged buds, fall, gardens, Halloween, Holidays […]
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That is a beautiful photo:)
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What a lovely sign to receive, QM. And even lovelier — that you saw it.
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There are so many things that can be missed without a closer look.
Beautiful rose, beautiful photo.
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Robin, LB, yb, thank you. Here’s to a lovely Fall weekend, a closer look, and taking the time to really see. I am doubtful she will open because we had a hard freeze the last few nights. But stranger things have happened. You just never know…
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keep us posted…
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I hope it opens. The fuzziness of the petals almost looks like a winter cap.
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A little winter cap…I like it. amuirin, you and ybonesy inspired me to take a walk out to the front garden and, so far, the Halloween bud looks exactly the same as the photo. It might be a bit darker red. I’ll keep you posted. Maybe it’s waiting for Halloween.
BTW, Liz said there was a Moonbow last night. Did anyone see that? I have to ask her more about it.
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amuirin, a post script here. Liz and I went out to the garden yesterday to finish covering the tea roses with their leave cocoons and cones and this bud was still there, frozen in place. It looked exactly the same, but a little darker, kind of blood red. You’re supposed to cut the roses back to about 2 feet before covering them, so Liz snipped the bud off and brought it inside. It’s sitting on the table beside me. It’s kind of peaceful to sit with it.
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QM- Frozen potential. That’s a poignant image. I’m glad you didn’t throw it straight away, after all the speculation it kindled.
Can I sneak in a Jack Handey quote? Any excuse will do.
“Is there anything more beautiful than a beautiful, beautiful flamingo, flying across in front of a beautiful sunset? And he’s carrying a beautiful rose in his beak, and also he’s carrying a very beautiful painting with his feet. And also, you’re drunk.”
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amuirin, frozen potential. I like that. And even in the frozen position, its warmth lives on. Liz did the clipping on the roses. And I didn’t even know she had saved it until she came in the house later and presented the little bud from behind her back. I thought that was so touching. How she saved it because she knew it meant something to me.
Jack Handey, perfect. I like Toonces, the Driving Cat. 8) Ironically, I think Handey lives in New Mexico now.
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