More on roses

I used to look down on roses. Just another pretty flower that needed tending and care to really grow. Too showy, too flashy. But I have changed my opinion. Now I wonder why I haven't taken care of roses for much longer than I have. It's nice to be pretty and to smell good. It's good to be colorful and open to the world. But, it's also important to have thorns. Never forget the thorns. There are predators out there and even the sweet and beautiful need to keep up their defenses. Not just anyone can take hold of these stems!.
And I like roses because the more they're pruned, the more flowers you trim and put into a vase so that the house smells rosy and good the more the rose bush produces flowers. If you ignore the blossoms and let them die on the stem, that's it. But if you trim and enjoy the flowers more and more will grow.
The rose is related to the apple. I can feed the leaves that I trim to Fred. He doesn't mind the thorns. I am sure he prefers rose petals, leaves and stems to cactus. It's sometimes hard to tell with a tortoise, but I do know that he loves tomatoes and strawberries. Maybe he just likes red. If I wear sandals into his domain and if and only if I have red nail polish on my toe nails, he nips at my feet. That is the only time in all our years together that he has ever nipped at a human, but he never fails to go after red toenail polish.
I still think rose petals are a better choice. Luckily there will be roses all through the summer. Good for Fred, good for me.
So, if you sometimes think I'm prickly remember that I am also beautiful and I smell great. No, I am not a rose, but I too thrive in the garden.