Thank you all for your kind words. Yes, I think there is a note of truth in my myths.
The lovely thing about the old roses is that they know how to survive and are relatively easy to care for. Black spot can be a problem, but it doesn't actually hurt the roses, they bounce back. Some don't like the fact that they only bloom once, but there are several old garden roses that do rebloom reliably. I look at look at hybrid teas and shake my head. I know how lucky I am!