Thanks so much to everyone for your comments. I did manage to closely look at the plant itself in good light today (as opposed to looking at it in the semi-dark or looking at photos that weren't very good). It's much better to look at the rose than to try to tell anything from a picture; the larger older leaves actually get in the way of seeing many of the new rosettes on the rose in photos. I've found rosettes coming out in multiple places with many tiny, slightly more-pointed leaves that are yellowing--a veritable rosette of leaves--and those multiple places with rosettes have leaf stipules that are very much larger than they ought to be. At least one of the enlarged stipules is surprisingly long, longer than the leaflets it adjoins. The degree of thorniness was suggestive but not conclusive, though where the worst problem cane starts close to the ground, it grows larger than the cane coming from the ground that it is joined to. On this particular cane, many of the thorns are orange or an orange shade of beige, though the thorns on the rest of the plant aren't orange. It appears that the thorniness is in the stage of gradually spreading now on the cane coming from the ground that the thorny cane grows out of. On the other side of the plant, I see a good bit of thorniness too from canes coming up from the ground, as well as some rosettes and some tiny, tiny leaves, including some that are yellowing and more pointed than other older leaves on the plant. This makes rose #6 out of the original 13 roses we started with last year--not a good percentage for the chances of keeping this disease confined. I really, really wish that I'd taken out the rose, Cornelia, showing the first problems when I first suspected the disease last fall. To repeat, those initial symptoms in Cornelia were: a sudden increase in thorniness, making a very low thorned plant into something very thorny on certain canes, and including many thorns that were oddly colored black. The one thing I'd especially want to emphasize (which a careful reading of Ann Peck's book will also disclose): that different varieties do not necessarily all react in the same ways to this disease, especially at the earliest first symptoms. So, for example, not seeing black thorns this time on these other roses gives me no reassurance at all. (And in fact, by the time I was seeing full-blown red witches' brooms with red-streaked canes on Cornelia this spring, the color of the many extra thorns was no longer black.) A few questions I wish I knew the answer to: Does anyone know for sure whether Neem oil or something like PAM spray will discourage the particular kind of mite that spreads this virus? I know the problem in the mites' ability to be wedged so deep somewhere that whatever you spray can't reach them, but I was thinking that if spraying takes place every few days that the mites would be out in the open eventually and get whacked. Any ideas about pyrethrin using it the same way? Or soap sprays used frequently? What about pyrethrin dust for controlling the mites remaining in the ground that might live off of whatever remains of the rose's roots? I am also thinking of using Wilt-Pruf on the new roses (now sitting on the other side of the house from where the RRD roses were located). Any experience with trying Wilt-Pruf as a mite discourager/protectant? (For sure the smelly spray products used to discourage pests like deer and rabbits do nothing to ward off mites. And for sure beneficial nematodes have no effect in controlling these mites either.) Do the mites usually land on a plant via the wind and almost never end up traversing the ground to get there? If they do traverse the ground too, might something like diatomaceous earth work on those mites doing the walking? Or might they find something like snail bait (Escargo) tasty while they're on the ground? We are organic gardeners here, so something like Avid won't be used. Thanks for any ideas! Best wishes, Mary

Oh heck yeah. I guess I look at friendship differently than a lot of people. Just because I've known someone a long time does not make them a friend. If someone craps on me, they're not my friend. Of course they get chances, but probably my closest friend and I have not spoken for some time. He got into a variation of a cult and I can't, rather won't deal with it. I've given him chance after chance and warning after warning but more of the drivel about politics and probably direct quotes from Fox "News". For a while, I'd prove him wrong and laugh in his face. I asked if he had the opportunity to choose the flavor of the Flavor Aid he's going to drink. I'd reply with videos of his diety du jour and prove him wrong but he'd continue to spout the rhetoric. I suspect much was an enticement to an argument. He loves a good debate. I like an intelligent discussion and don't mind if there's disagreement, that can make for a good debate. But there's limits. I finally had to go no holds barred and then he got all upset, asking why I was attacking him and insulting him. Well, I'm getting off track here, but people change. Interests change. And just because you don't see someone doesn't mean they're not a friend. Life is full of acquaintances, some closer than others and all subject to change. I think too many people are hung up on having "friends" and/or worry about losing them, rather than having quality, or at least non-toxic relationships with people. Life doesn't have to be a bowl of cherries, you can disagree with a friend and still be friends. But "friend" is more than a word to me.

Hmm...for me the bud does not have a stem because the leaves and stem around it have not formed yet. I would expect in another week or so it’d have a normal looking stem. I’m usually one of the first to call out RRD, but I just don’t see it in this case. I agree the leaves aren’t 100% healthy Julia Child, they just don’t look RRD symptomatic to me, and there are many other reasons why leaves don’t look great...insects, disease, weather, hydration, herbicide (pls don’t call me Henry!) . Discoloration of the veins is not something I used to look for, but I’ll just take Ann’s word for it that it’s an RRD symptom. Not trying to persuade/dissuade anyone just trying to further clarify the discussion. In my own garden, at first sight of RRD, (like this plant has already shown), I’ve removed the whole plant.

I usually recommend the RNB over the Platinum, because I feel the griddle on the RNB is better, and the slightly higher BTU doesn't really justify the much higher cost. But neither argument really applies in your situation. So, I think you'll really be happy with your Platinum. The heating element in the oven is a bit of a wild card. It should help with much faster preheating (a problem that he RNB suffers from), but on the other hand it has a bit of a learning curve and might make some specific dishes harder to cook. Since you still have the smaller oven, which I believe doesn't have this type of burner, and you have your wall oven, I believe you have the best of all worlds. Enjoy your new range. It's a beast :-) And yes, do make sure you have proper venting. Also, unless this range is going to be installed in an island, you absolutely have to swap out the backguard for a properly raised version. The ovens are going to fry your backsplash; and if they won't do it, then the burners will. Read the Bluestar instruction with regards to minimum clearance requirements. And no, installing tile on sheetrock isn't what they mean when they say fire resistant. That requires stone or metal on steel studs.