TO A WILD ROSE

Grandma Ina loved the wild roses that grow here and there at Gilbert and in many rural settings. I remember once when we were at the farm – probably not long after Ina's passing – my dad stopped the car and cut a wild rose blossom from a roadside bush. We then took it to her grave. Actually, I think the wild roses are a recognized problem now – growing so prolifically as to be a nuisance. We have a wild rose bramble bush behind the house at the farm – so overgrown that it really doesn't bloom well, but it's so thorny that we don't want to prune it. The hummingbirds frequent the small blossoms for nectar and the bush harbors the occasional bunny and who knows what else.

At first I didn't pay too much attention to the odds and ends of dishes leftover from Ina's housekeeping days. They seemed like old things, broken sets, perhaps antiques that shouldn't be used. But as I began to separate the dishes and ponder the patterns, I appreciated them more. There are creamy white plates with gold edges, several different styles of plates with shocks of wheat across them, and then the wild rose pattern with the name of the Homer Laughlin Company on the back. Writing to my dad after Christmas 1936, Ina says, "Shirley gave us a set of pretty plates in wild rose design and Shirley Jean gave us a sugar and creamer to match. I already had cups and saucers, platter and bowls in that design so feel pretty well fixed now for dishes."

My research indicates that the Homer Laughlin Company produced several sets of dishes called "Wild Rose." One was a blue design on white, of all things, and was produced as a cereal box "prize" or premium, probably for Quaker Oats. Plates, cups, saucers came with the oatmeal while extra pieces could be ordered by saving points coupons off the label. This is not Ina's pattern. Another pattern is called "Virginia Wild Rose," and is altogether quite dressy – very nice, I think. But this is not Ina's pattern either.

Ina's pattern, pictured above, was developed by the company in the 1930s. Though I did not inventory the pieces, the platter and an oval vegetable bowl are there, maybe four plates and one cup and saucer. I have thought of hanging the plates on the wall in the kitchen, but I guess I'm undecided about that. I've even thought that I might make it my quest to seek out the occasional piece at antique stores or maybe online. It's fun to have a quest.

[The placesetting shown is from Ina's "Wild Rose" collection by Homer Laughlin. The second photo is a blossom on the bramble bush behind the farmhouse. And the final photo I took at our neighbor's house. This rose is a deeper shade than ours. As you can see, the blooms are fading on both bushes.]

We came back to town this morning. It's hot -- perhaps the hottest day of the season so far -- 99 degrees as I write this. Mike will devote the next few days to getting ready for Jack's visit. We will pick him up at the airport in Spokane on Tuesday; on Wednesday Jack and Grandpa Mike will go camping on the St. Joe. KW