Nope, not giddy - happy with the pretty faces but sorry to say, nothing worthy of intro'ing yet. Hopefully some of those big time hybridizer plants I brought in last fall and this spring will help me create the images in my head. What does make me happy is when a second year bloom loses the mud color. Or when one I can't remember from last year jumps out at me this year. What doesn't make me happy is when the second year blooms appear and you scratch your head and wonder why you kept it. Sometimes those pesky plants do go backwards and do not improve the second (or third) year. Oh well, hybridizing keeps me off the streets and out of bars - LOL! Brooke

I wanted to add I took neither offense or joy at this piece. Just pointing out, in the above post, that it's not a review and how these sorts of stories are quite common. I in no way, shape or form think it's a diabolical Bluestar plot for world dominance or the like, and absolutely see why it's a perfectly good, useful and pertinent piece for people on this forum to read. I've said it before: I have a Bluestar. And I like my Bluestar ... When it works. But I've had some horrendous service problems and found the people at this company, including Mr. Trapp, whom I've had the personal misfortune to correspond with, to be pretty close to awful to deal with and frequently flat-out dishonest. Based on my experiences with the company-not the product itself, per se-I would never buy another range, or anything else, from them, and would never own the one I have without an extended service contract in place, something which has been all-too-frequently called upon these past five years. What Mr. Trapp forgets when he's making his "Rolls Royce" analogy-and I have zero doubt those were his words-is that Rolls Royce is not just a top-of-the-line car, but prides itself on top-of-the-line service, too. In my experience, Bluestar may be TRYING to provide a high-end product, but their service is anything but. And I say "trying" because there have been enough build-quality/quality control issues with the brand to give one serious pause about that level of quality as well. It's possible that, in stove terms, I just got a bad one, but the treatment I received from the company, echoed by others I've spoken with, whom I came into contact with via my distributor, have been pretty much beyond the pale and, yes, those bad interactions have admittedly tainted my view of Bluestar as a whole. Where I stand now is I'm trying to make the range I have work, at least for another five years, when the extended warranty maxes out. My feeling about Bluestar as a whole is: great-in-theory, not-so-great execution, and if you do get one cross your fingers and toes that you'll never have issues, especially more than one (for me it's been: stuck oven door, banging oven floor, bad ignitor modules, etc), because that's when the nightmares begin. And, oh yeah, always, always get the extended warranty. I'm a convert!

Just a little eye rolling left! Second floor is important should guide your decision. Some units vibrate less than others due to the type of suspension - someone help me out here, but I believe a washer with a "hanging" type suspension will vibrate less. Also, with a second floor you have to worry about leaks destroying your house. Two things will help you never have to deal with this. Have your plumber install "Burstbuster" valves and use Floodchek hoses (google both to find them). Do not use hoses that come with the machine or that you can buy at the home center. They are inferior. Burst washing machine hoses can release hundreds of gallons of water and are the second top reason for home insurance claims (first - leaking fridge ice maker plumbing). You don't want to turn your stairs into a water fall. Please whatever washer you buy, be smart with a few ounces of prevention. The Floodchek hoses are superior and the likelihood of them leaking or bursting is far less than standard hoses. If they ever do leak, the Burstbuster will detect the water and shut off the valves thereby saving your house and thousands and thousands in damage.

I'm in the sterling in the DW camp. I have done so for 44 years and am missing no patina and have no marks or loosened handles on the knives. As for mixing stainless and sterling, most of my sterling knives have stainless blades. I DO try not to put stainless and sterling in the same basket in the DW. And I always air dry...perhaps the lack of extra heat in the drying cycle has helped. Also, I chose Dansk stainless when I got married 44 years ago, and I am very happy with how it has held up. I bought a couple of new place settings 5 years ago at the Dansk outlet in New Orleans, and it's hard to tell the new from the old. Our first everyday china was Shenango restaurant ware. It held up beautifully but was really heavy. I gave it to youngest son when he left after college and got his own apartment. I've replaced it with Fiestaware which is almost as heavy, but I love the retro feel of it. In case you think I'm a total slacker when it comes to taking care of nice things, I DO handwash my grandmother's Haviland. I'm sure its gold rim would never last in the DW. My parents were so poor after WWII with no money for extras, so my grandma's silver became the everyday silver. My mom used to let me dig in the sandbox with her sterling serving spoons! I still have them, they're in great shape, and they do go in the DW but no longer in the sandbox.