MIGHT VS. RIGHT

In 2008, I was given the vision to expand the atrium to the size that you have grown accustomed to as it is now. We landscaped the south garden with a couple of main features including a large fountain, a Leo Shakespeare sun dial and a long-awaited Cecile Breuner climbing old-fashioned rose bush, which has flourished there ever since. Even though his blooming is precocious and inconsistent (like that is a secret with Mother Nature), he has been a fixture.

Imagine our surprise when two days ago as the heavy, wet snow began to melt and the high winds raged, we found Cecile in a come-apart. He was completely extricated from the house and flattened to the south garden – oh dear.

It was a welcomed shock that as far and hard as he fell, no main supporting (nor actually any of his) branches sustained breakage or other damage – praise Allah! Then, the task lobbed to the esteemed Mr. Ludwig to wrestle the beast back up the wall and re-secure it to the house. It is one massive bush and heavy as can be, so he employed two winches (come-alongs) strapped around the mid-to-base of Cecile using the chimney for leverage. He then trimmed the topknot (looks like Lyle Lovett’s hairdo) and tied the whole thing off to two anchors in the parapet wall at the rear of the Master Suite balcony. I add this detail for the sake of all future gardeners as once Cecile leafs out and re-establishes himself, those anchors will be nearly impossible to find.

The deep in-breath of relief was nearly palpable as he resumed his rightful and newly secured place up the wall heading towards the roof line.

Clearly this is born-again Cecile’s portend for a fantastic blooming season this year, right? A final tantalizing morsel from the Earth Mother – Joshua found one lone and likely chilly ladybug under the mess as well as a sheltered fluffybutts volunteer peeking out the bottom of a covered pot that somehow missed destruction.

As a ‘MacGyver aside’ testimony to Joshua’s ingenuity with the infamous orange straps, we were recently gifted with a frig swap and no additional manpower. In the “git’er done” mentality, he flashed back to his Egyptian roots, and rode the retiring frig down the side staircase, moving into a much-needed garage slot for our food bank efforts . . . where there is a will, there is . . .