Andrizzle, Though this is fraught with perilous pratfalls, I'll also suggest to you that you do some searching on this subject - as you yourself acknowledge, your request is redundant and, given that this subject has been written on in literally hundreds of different posts, it's not too much to ask, IMO, that you do some searching at the C&S forum. Use 'jade' or 'Crassula ovata' as the search criteria and take a look at the FAQ. I hope my posting here isn't offensive to you, but lots of us have spent lots of time writing the same advice over and again, and I don't think it's too much to ask to do some research on a plant that probably occupies folks' inquiries here a large percentage of the time. I hope I've learned from my last encounter suggesting that you have a few looks, and again, I'm not intending to be rude in this note (I'm naturally that way, btw) but all of what you wish to know is already here and just a search or two away. It's been written on extensively, thoroughly and knowledgeably and might be the single greatest mine of Crassula ovata wisdom in this galaxy. BTW #2, all of you Crassula ovata sports, hybrids and forms can use the same care. Most of what I see in your plants that can be improved is an increase in light - as much as possible, gradually.

Pat's Dream is deemed a hardy fuchsia on the west coast of the pacific northwest. To make your plant fuller it should have been pinched back a couple of times. If you do it now it won't bloom again for another 6-8 weeks as to keeping it over the winter, it will have to be either in a greenhouse or let go dormant, giving it just enough water to stop the root ball from drying out and kept in a frost free place over the winter. Below is a link to the American Fuchsia Society this may be of interest to you. Here is a link that might be useful: American Fuchsia Society

Well, I have to kind of chuckle over the small oven comments. One of the main reasons why my friends think I'm "overdoing" it with the Aga is because I am single, don't cook professionally and don't often cook for large crowds. My retort to them concerning the 6-4's oven size is that, for a person in my situation, the smaller ovens may make a lot of sense. Similar thinking may be found amongst those of us who prefer dish drawers over dishwashers because they give us some option in choosing the sizes and numbers of binw we may actually need per wash cycle. Yes, I know that argument doesn't work in the reverse --especially if I want to cook a 20 lb turkey in an Aga 6-4. But, again, given my lifestyle, I don't foresee my having that particular dilemma. :) As far as expense is concerned, the 39" Aga 6-4 DF is pretty comparable to the 36" DF Wolf. Both are pretty expensive in my book! However, if I purchase an Aga floor model, the final cost to me will actually be considerably lower than the brand new 36" DF Wolf. Soshh: Can't do the 48 Bluestar! I'm trying to recover some space I gained from retiring the antique stove (54" in size) for more cabinetry/counters. Please keep your fingers crossed that the 6-4 owners will soon respond with lots more for product information! Fori: Love that photo of Uncle Toad's range. That's exactly the look I've been pining for in my own kitchen! I'm just wanting a bit more assurances on performance. Although I did some research and found those old posts from Aga 6-4 owners before starting this thread, I still find the information from current consumers to be relatively scarce. Here's hoping some of those same members who posted long ago might see this new discussion and provide some updated information and that more recent Aga 6-4 owners will chime in as well.

Everytime I've had it, it was bacterial and needed antibiotics to clear. Bacterial form is contagious, and like every contagion has a gestation period as it passes from host to host. It's not always a systemic contagion, so you can get it in just one eye, both eyes, or one eye and then days later the other eye. My bet would be that GS had already been exposed to the contagion prior to visiting, and then passed the contagion to your DH, who then passed it to you. Some forms are hardy enough outside of a host for a short time that you can catch it from touching something that an infected person touched after rubbing their eye, like a shopping cart handle, and then when you rub your eye it's got it's new host. The smoky fireplace likely was involved just by inspiring your DH to rub his eyes after touching something your GS touched after rubbing his eyes, thereby picking up the contagion. Just a side note - if you wear contact lenses, toss out the pair you were wearing when your eye started getting goopy/itchy/sore, so that you don't get a recurrence after this episode is cleared - some forms of the bacteria can survive the disinfecting solutions, too.