Julie, sometimes you just crack me up. And maybe I'll work harder on my mumbo jumbo skills(!) Of course, hybrid seed in the vegetable world abound. And I'm sure you've heard of tasseling corn(or is it detasseling): where a field of corn is tasseled to remove that source of pollen. That way the corn is pollenated from nearby untasseled fields of a different variety. The resultant seed in field #1 is hybrid seed of known parentage. In a case like this, if the botanical mame was on the package at all, Zea mays 'X' x Zea mays 'Y' would be most informative. However, simply Zea mays would be correct, as no crossing between two different species was involved, only crossing within the same species. If Echinacea 'Kim's Mop Head' seed(or the like) are purchasable, than I would expect that wanted traits come true through sexual generation(i.e. seeds) of know parentage. This is not to say each seedling is exactly the same plant. When ever genes are mixed, there are infinite possibilities. But in a case like this, the genes that govern the outward appearance we see as Kim's Mop Head are stable in their outcome. Since Meadow Bright seed is not available, I would expect that sexual generation does not produce like reproductions. Therefore, to increase plant numbers, asexual means are the only option. So yes, Julie, you've got it right. It just all depends on the individual plant. Rick P.S. Did I do what you said I should do when you asked I should do it? (I'm trying to learn from the master.)

So much fun to read everyone's responses! I never really thought about what "cooking" is, and I don't know that it's important to me to have a definition, per se. I prepare a lot of meals without actually heating anything...e.g. yogurt and fresh fruit, salads, sandwiches, plus the preparation of meat and veggies for my husband to grill -- he cooks, but without my prep, that couldn't happen. I like to cook a lot of things from scratch, but I do use supermarket ingredients such as dried pasta, butter, cheese, peanut butter, canned tomatoes, some canned beans, etc. I do buy supermarket bread, rolls and tortillas, but occasionally make homemade bread or focaccia or tortillas. I prefer fresh veggies, but do use some frozen; I cook beans myself and freeze them, but also use the occasional can of black beans. I like to bake - cookies, brownies, bars, muffins, scones, quick breads, the occasional pie or cake. I do make homemade pie crust. We occasionally order pizza, but usually just make it at home. My stand-alone freezer is full to bursting now -- besides a lot of beef, chicken, shrimp, spices, and butter, I've got black beans and garbanzos that I cooked, homemade Cornish pasties, homemade applesauce,and some cheeses. Tonight for the family's dinner, I heated up some of the pasties and applesauce (I'm going out with my book club...yay!). We do use some convenience foods...cereal, bread, Greek yogurt, the occasional frozen dinner, and some Purdue chicken fingers (hey, nobody's perfect!). Some canned soup. Granola bars and fruit cups for the kids' quick lunch box grabs. I didn't always cook this much from scratch -- it's evolved over they years. I used to use more convenience products, but have sort of gotten away from it over time. My mom cooked from scratch a lot, but used convenience products, too. Interesting that someone mentioned just-add-water pancake mix. I don't use that often -- sometimes I mix up the dry part of the pancake recipe, divide in in half, and portion the halves into airtight containers so I can quickly add milk, eggs, and melted butter to make from-scratch whole grain pancakes on a weekday morning. However, I usually keep a box of just-add-water mix in the pantry for those days when we are simply out of eggs or milk. Bon appetit, everyone!

Ahh. Back to school. With only one of four left in HS, Back-to-School is dwindling. It is so much simpler now. There is only one child in one sport. And only one to track along on their school work. We will have time to deal with our overdue HOUZZ projects now that summer R&R is over. So let me weigh in on the controversial mamby-pamby comment. Hate to see name calling. It's negative and unnecessary. As for patience with the new traffic patterns, this is to the parents who take their children to their bus stops and feel compelled to chat with the bus driver. Please DON'T. It is really inconsiderate. The bus drivers are at work. They don't have time for social hour. It may brighten your day to "brighten their day" but it is not the time nor the place to "make a difference in the bus drivers' lives". I have been part of huge lines where the same parents do it daily. All the cars that are stuck behind the bus (and lawfully NOT passing the school bus) actually have somewhere to go. They sure do. Maybe it is an appointment. Or maybe, just maybe, they are trying to get to their job. Keep that in mind. Fortunately it is a small number of parents who want to chat it up. Unfortunately it has a big impact.

Hello, I have been using the machine with only discharging the wash water into a bucket. As Dadoes suggested, I decided to "just keep using...( I can't bear to quote the rest of what he said, lol) Shortly after I initially posted this, My machine stopped making the noise when spinning and there was less gravely stuff noted in the bucket. It seems to be working fine now, I guess? I have rigged up a new set up to discharge the wash water. It works. A lot less complicated than having the plumber install a new draining system. The hose is a high temp hose, at 180*f but this washer can get to 205*f. I don't know if its cooled before discharge or not. You might need to click the new green linked feature to "read more". Just a reminder, here is my row of miele's