A Rose in December

…a Rose in December (is) much rarer than a rose in June, and must be paid for accordingly.

~Laura Ingalls Wilder, in The First Four Years

This quotation has been going through my head for the last month, every time I go in or out my front door and see the beautiful rosebushes still in full bloom after an unseasonably warm November.

“Well, nobody has told MY rosebushes apparently,” I smugly thought, and decided to photograph them on December 5, Rose’s birthday, just to show that roses aren’t always so rare in December!

But as usual, Laura was right. For after six months of gorgeous pink, white, and red roses sprinkled across the bushes lining the front of my home, I awoke the morning of December 1 to a frost… a frost which had killed each and every rose.

So as usual, Laura is right. A rose in December was simply not to be, and Laura’s Rose retains her status as a rare December rose.

Happy birthday, Rose!

P.S. My roses were photographed November 29 in the knowledge that Laura may have known what she was talking about and the roses may not last until December. For I never lose faith in Laura’s wisdom!