It’s apparent that the elderly couple who owned our home previous to us really loved roses. The window next to the front door is stained glass featuring a rose, and just off the back deck they dedicated a whole little area – complete with pavers going through the middle – to their own version of Portland’s rose garden. Perhaps they took the whole “City of Roses” thing to heart. Whatever it was, like the rest of our garden, the roses are all starting to come into bloom and wow – what fun. We pulled out some bud vases and are just now starting to enjoy fresh roses in the house, but aside from that – seeing them blooming in the yard is fun. I mean, who doesn’t like the look and smell of a blooming rose?