Not as bad as "Moondance"...but, oh well.

Griffith Buck Rose "Simon Estes.", a photo by Leenechan on Flickr.

Considering the time of year and the fact that this is "Simon Estes"' first flower, I guess I can't expect perfection. I think that the sun is responsible for at least some of the damage to this bloom. It lacks the tell-tale brown edges that thrips cause, but that could be because the damage is more visible on white or yellow roses.

I was torn between letting this flower open or clipping it from the plant. A lot of sources say that you shouldn't do any pruning on roses after September in the Northeast, because it stimulates new growth when the plant should be going dormant. From my experience, pinching the buds on these roses doesn't necessarily allow the plants to put more energy into the roots. They just start growing more leaves instead!

Weekend Warrior?

Well, not really. I try to be a warrior all the time. XD

This Saturday I had to summon all my warrior strength to dispose of a dead field mouse that was lying in our driveway. This is the second dead field mouse we've found in our yard this year. We found the first one in our garage right after Hurricane Irene. It was only a baby, and at least had the decency to die with its eyes closed. But not the mouse we found this weekend. It was an adult with its eyes wide open, and it was in full rigor mortis when I had to push it into the bushes with a broom. I closed my eyes as I pushed it away and when I opened them I realized that I had knocked it to the side. so that it lay at my feet with its fur all mussed. I still shudder to think about it.

I never used to get creeped out this much by finding dead animals outside. When I was a kid I would actually pick up dead moles and birds and try to play with them. I actually became enraged when I was in first grade because my parents wouldn't take a dead chipmunk to a taxidermist for me and have it stuffed. I know this makes me sound like some kind of necrophiliac freak, but you have to understand that I wasn't allowed to keep any pets when I was a child. And I loved animals. So I played with dead moles instead, and kept earthworms in a Pringles can filled with dirt.

Now I'm as easily freaked out by dead animals as anyone else, and I can barely pick up earthworms. Bumblebees and honeybees don't bother me much. I know that they're friendly pollinators. :D

We planted some bulbs around the new beds yesterday, glories-of-the-snow and species tulips. I'd like to plant more crocii as well before the ground freezes. I dug up too many of those by accident when I was planting the new flowers.

The chipmunks and squirrels won't eat crocii, hyacinth or daffodils. I caught a squirrel burying acorns in a hole right next to where I planted the Crested Moss Rose last month. I hope that if all the voles make themselves a good winter stash they'll leave our shrubs alone! The people at Cricket Hill said that the chipmunks were so starved last winter that they chewed through the trunk of a 15-year-old tree peony. If anything chewed up any of ours I'd probably blow my brains out. Obviously we didn't pay remotely that much when we got it, but at seven years old our Rockii peony "Blue Butterfly" is probably worth at least $300...Not that you'd be able to tell by looking at the poor, botrytis-riddled thing.