A "Bouquet" from the Vicksburg Rose Garden ...

I don't know of anyone who doesn't love roses. I visited the Vicksburg Rose Garden yesterday morning in the wake of approaching thunderstorms threatening our fair city. Under cloudy skies, with nearby church bells ringing the hour, martins swooping overhead, and the heavenly perfume of roses all around me ... I was "in my glory," capturing as many of the roses with my camera as I could before the storms moved in.

I was delighted to collect enough pictures to create a beautiful "photo bouquet" for a slideshow which I would like to share with you ...

{Turn your sound up if you'd like to hear the music}

I would also like to share a few quotes about roses that I especially like. The first one is my favorite ...

"I once had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: 'No good in a bed, but fine up against a wall.'" -- Eleanor Roosevelt

"I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds 'round my neck." -- Emma Goldman

A life with love will have some thorns, but a life without love will have no roses. -- Unknown

Do not watch the petals fall from the rose with sadness; know that, like life, things sometimes must fade before they can bloom again. -- Unknown

I hope your first day of April is filled with lots of roses and sunshine.

Sincerely,