Thyme After Time: Through the Smart Phone's GPS: Chaper Two, The Rose Froze

Rose Petal Popsicles

I know I saw her white hair on the other side of the hedges. I heard her yelling at the Mad Muddler. Was she his wife? They had been out to dinner together she said. They would make for a very odd couple indeed. I imagined him at Melt, gyrating in sync with bartender making a drink for him.
"I think I left my phone in the car, honey" I remembered snapping me out of my daydreams. You never knew when it could come in handy and I felt better with it nearby. Husband shook his head, asked me to wait for him to return before wandering off and then he disappeared.

I saw the hedges move and decided to find the white haired lady. Around the hedge was a well worn garden path leading to a flower garden that most gardeners could only dream about. Bursts of colors and scents.....birds chirping, bees buzzing, butterflies floating and the roses, oh the roses. My grandma would have loved it here. She was a rose person. I, on the other hand, liked a more practical garden. I imagined replacing the rows of flowers with rows of herbs (my love) and having a more useful outdoor space.
"She wants to replaces us?!?!?!" there was a voice.
"How dare she!!" and another.
"What makes her think she knows anything about usefulness?" another.
"She has the shelf life of a common house fly."
"We have been here for eons." more voices, all indignant....
Holy bloomin' roses! They were talking and it seemed they had read my mind! Oops. I stood in the middle of a path surrounded by roses with very sharp thorns. The thorns seemed to be growing and I seemed to be shrinking... an odd feeling over took me. Before I knew it, flowers towered above me. I had no idea what was going on but I needed to correct the situation fast, especially before my husband got back.
"I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, Rose." I looked up at the biggest one.
"You dare approach me?!?!?! How dare you speak to me! Do you know who I am?!?!? I am the Queen of the Roses. Such insolence will not be tolerated. Be gone and do not even think about coming near me again unless you bring a gift suitable for a queen such as myself!"
'A gift?' I thought. What does one give to a rose? I studied her petals and it looked like the Japanese beetles had nibbled on a few for lunch. She noticed me staring and shifted her petals to hide the flaws. A strong scent of roses filled the air, suffocating me. I could barely breathe. I could give her some bug spray, maybe even an odor neutralizer...too much of a rose scent is never a good thing. She vainly held out a random branch leaf beneath my nose.
"You must bow to me. I am the queen of flowers! You are a stupid human who is sorely lacking any kind of etiquette." she kept the leaf just under my chin, as if left there for me to kiss. Her stare was demanding and the air surrounding her was filled with a pompous and heady arrogance.
I briefly thought about a gift for this rose but she was so demeaning.
I was feeling a bit ill and I didn't want to play along anymore. Headaches come fast when you are dealing with an overly pompous flower.

"I don't know who appointed you queen. I don't know who told you that you have a 'one-up' on every other flower out here but you are way over rated and you smell!!! You are rude, Queen Rose, and as for etiquette? You could use a little charm school yourself. If you treated others with a bit more respect and kindness, you'd be more likely to get some back!"
An indignant rose stood straight up. I guess no one ever spoke to her that way before. I could think of lots of other flowers I liked much better than roses. At this point it was almost all of them. Roses served their purpose at times, throughout time, (and they were a favorite of my grandmothers) but they just did nothing for me, especially now. I could hear laughter from the other flowers.
They were reading my mind again. I think I could read theirs. They seemed pretty amused. It seemed that all of the flowers were quite pleased that someone had stood up to the queen.
Rose's petals grew more red, her branches faced down as her leaves curled into little rolls that looked like fists....
"FREEZE HER!!!!!"

and a cold breeze came, wrapping itself around me, numbing me, freezing me....

I couldn't move. I was cold. I could see the rose laughing. I could see other flowers eyes grow and gasp...and then I saw her, the white haired woman!
She walked up to the rose plant. "I think I'll make some popsicles." I heard her say and she pulled out every last one of Rose's petals. All that was left was a lowly plant filled with leaves and thorns.
I tried calling to the white haired lady but she quickly disappeared with the petals, on a mission.
Where was Husband? Where was I?
Why did she not see me?

Rose Petal Popsicles with Honeydew

Warning: Use only rose petals from a trusted source or your own garden. Natural rose petals are edible but most of the roses bought from a florist contain pesticides and chemicals that aren't safe to ingest, therefor use only rose petals from a trusted source or purchase dried petals from a reputable dealer online.

1 Can Coconut Milk

The Juice of 2 Limes

1 Cup Honeydew sliced very thin, then chopped

Honey, to taste (about 2 tablespoons)

1/2 Cup Fresh Rose Petals