Defrost - I wrote a long message this morning that seems to have gotten lost in the ether. There are a several roses that I've grown in the past or am growing now. Many of my current plants I started from cuttings, and you'd be welcome to come take cuttings if you would like. I have found them relatively easy to grow from cuttings even though I don't know much about it. Almost all my roses are relatively easy care, but the Japanese beetles bother all but the earliest. I recently read that water that has had cedar soaking in it will discourage the Japanese beetles when sprayed on susceptible plants, so I'll be trying that this summer since I have way too much field area to treat for grubs. - Rugosa Hansa (previous house along with one other Rugosa) - Lovely scent, easy care, but I didn't get good repeat. - Double white rugosa - Lovely scent, not good repeat, looks like wet tissue if it rains but gorgeous if it doesn't get wet. One of two current roses from Uncanoonuc, and it is grafted. I fight the understock to keep it from taking over. - Apothecary rose - striped red and white shrub with strong rose scent. I fight the understock (multiflora I think) which has come up 8' away from the plant. Early bloomer no repeat. Uncanoonuc. - Autumn Sunset - Gold Climber, good repeat, light scent. Another Uncanoonuc rose, also grafted, and after about 3 years didn't come back after one winter, though I don't know if it was due to voles or it was too cold. I would grow again if it were on its own roots. - Fairy rose - previous house - no scent, repeat (almost constant) bloom, easy care. - Dr. Huey - Dark red climber from understock. Not much repeat. - John Davis - light scent, medium pink, one of the Canadian Explorer roses, shorter climber. Long bloom with lighter repeats continuing. - Lady Elsie Banks - medium pink shrub, no scent that I notice. Repeats well. - New Dawn (probably) AKA George's rose since it came as a cutting from my now-gone neighbor George. Vigorous climber, very pale pink very double flowers, little if any scent (can't get close enough to smell) and wicked thorns that require that it be planted away from paths. - An unknown pink shrub rose that was here at the house when we arrived. Lovely scent, no repeat bloom. Cleanest foliage of any rose I grow, and the foliage has a light scent. Although IME own root roses don't take off quite as soon as grafted roses, in the long run, I prefer them as I don't have issues with the root stock and all my own root roses have always come back. I don't do any extra winterizing. I don't know if Uncanoonuc has any roses that are own root. I added Zepherine Drouin (pink climber) and Westerland (orange mix) this past summer and haven't yet any feedback on them. This winter will test them, but they are both own root, so I have faith that they will come through.

Marti, every morning at 7:15am I would take an empty 5 gallon green bucket to our Starbucks. They would just drop the coffee with filers into the bucket. I would take break at 5:30Pm ,and pick up the bucket and put in my car. I worked 4 days a week, so I would get 4 buckets a week. Then I would take these and spread on my flowerbeds at the coast. My yard smelled like coffee, ask Linda. My garden was something then. I retired May 13, 2010, so I have not done it since then. It really did make a diffrence in my yard. I never had mites, or insects and never had to fertilize. Now I have to spray and use ferilizer, and my yard doesn't lookk half as good as it did back then. Barbra

Proudmama: Yes, that's exactly what I'm looking for in a light maple. Puppy farms? Egads, just another category of purchases to feel guilty about.... I can't buy anything from China without a twinge of guilt either.... Ellen: Thanks for the insight into Amish business practices. I'm glad they've found a way to survive and still hold their belief system together. I admire those people for their lifestyle and discipline. Thanks again for all of the replies!

Trunks as coffee tables are called toe-smashers in my house. I've gone through three. :-) There's gotta be at least a little bit of room underneath for the toes to go. While storage is a nice idea I also found it a PITA since if I wanted to get something from the trunk I had to clear everything off the surface to open it. I would rather have drawers or even a lower shelf I could put flat baskets on (maybe those tailored leather baskets/deep trays?). I rather like something along the lines of the Map Table from Pottery Barn in a satin black painted finish, if you want to bring some of the black from the bar area over here - it's severe enough to play well with Mission furniture without being matchy-matchy at all: I don't think the ottoman-with-tray-for-"stuff" routine is a good idea for the sports-and-beer crowd. It's just asking for something to get tipped over. As for the glass rings, we have not had problems with tables and nightstands with good quality finishes - although I have my DH trained pretty well, there are a couple of my goonier friends who will set a sweating glass down on a table right next to the coaster. We put our feet up on the coffee table too (barbarians! LOL)... this is why I bought an old table with the top wrapped in old copper sheeting, because the more it gets bashed up the better it looks! ;-) However, if this is expected to be a major, major problem, a tile-topped table is right in line with the Mission flavor of the furniture. This one is quite pricey but it gets the general point across very well: