Usually when I feature a rose, I try my best to photograph the shrub in all its perfection, before I cut stems for an arrangement. For 'Albertine' I did the opposite, because I needed long stems for the bouquet display at the Celebration.

The day after back at home, I had to keep from swooning as I photographed individual blooms in the bouquet. This is the most photogenic (and fragrant) creature-- I really wanted to show you at least nine close-ups, but the photo editor gets the last word.

Then this morning (another rainy one), I went out to see what-was-what for the shrub picture.

The 3-year-old Rambler looks pretty good after all that cutting. It's climbing up a wire stake that keeps our telephone pole in place. I didn't want to show the wire, but then how would you see the scale of the rose?

I wondered if I should show the telephone pole and the road signs, and wished instead that I had a little friend to pose with the rose.

And then along came Abby and Sophie Conner on their way to school. (Abby is a teacher at the school.)