374...] 65. Where Wild Roses Bloom

Throughout the years, Alphy and Margurita always took pride in the upkeep of their home. The house and buildings always received a fresh coat of paint when needed. Margurita usually did most of the painting and the older children helped out. Even though the children were gone, the adult children now still pitched in.

Alphy and Margurita often tended to the lawn and flower beds in their spare time. One beautiful sunny morning Margurita and Alphy went outside to do some work in the front yard. Alphy started cutting the lawn with the push mower, while Margurita tended to the flower beds. The family dog, Deno, laid outside in the shade of the veranda. His ears occasionally twitched at the sound of the lawn mower, but for the most part Deno ignored the sound it made.

Beside the cultivated flower beds, there was a crab apple tree and, adjacent to this, was a hedge of wild rose bushes growing on the north side of the yard. In the spring of the year, the hedge gave a rich aroma from its petals.

That morning Alphy was preoccupied with the task at hand— he busily made his way around the flower beds, trees, and shrubs. As he mowed around the front flower beds, and under the apple tree, Alphy took a few steps backwards to allow enough space for the lawn mower to come down the slope of the landscape. As Alphy stepped back, a thorn from the wild rose bush pricked him through his trousers. Alphy jumped back from the sharp pain, but as he did so, another brambly branch from the rose bush stuck in his cap. The branch was jutting outward and it had caught Alphy off guard. Alphy pulled away from it, only to leave his cap suspended on the end of the branch. Now Alphy was irritated. Still holding his trousers, where the thorn had pricked him, he glared at the branch to see his cap

suSpended precariously.

This was a comical sight, and Margurita broke out in laughter.

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