The evening air is heavy with the heady scent of lillies rosemary and lavender. I went out into the back yard, my secret oasis. We have a portion of our yard that is fenced for human use only. It is here I have planted a small herb garden some flowers and occasionally vegetables. I also planted a rose here. Well lets get that story straight right off the bat, it planted itself. Yes really. Once upon a time there was a farm in the valley (My Grandparents) They had a large pink shrub rose that her mother had given her. It grew and grew out of control and beyond belief. then the interstate came (I-5) the neighbors across the way "sold" their farm. Somewhere here things get fuzzy either my grandpa got tired of tending this particular rose and pitched it over the freeway fence or the fence went right over where the rose grew. Either way it was always there growing on the fence year in and year out. Grandpa passed away and Grandma finally sold her home. My mom took cuttings from the rose. She passed me a styrofoam cup with a stick in it. Of course I thanked her. All the while thinking "are you out of your mind this will never grow." So I took it home waited a few weeks and had space in a strawberry pot so I stuck it in there. It grew a few spindly little branches and she always asked about it so being the good daughter that I am I took care of it and watered it. Matt and I moved into our home and eventually sat the spindly rose in the strawberry pot out in the oasis next to the brick patio with the bench. The radiant heat from the patio must have been what that little squatter was waiting for. Suddenly (I am not kidding) It burst forth with all these huge healthy canes and I said to Matt "We better get that thing planted it is huge and outgrowing the pot. " I tried to lift the pot and it wouldn't BUDGE. The rose grew right into the ground in two months flat after squatting in that pot for four YEARS! We broke the pot up, put lots of soil around it and gave it a good downward shove. Then we built an arbor for it. It is really immense~ I was just out trying to toss the errant vines up and over or at least head them in the right direction. Now I can see why Grandpa might have tossed it over the fence. Boy it sure smells good out there.