Hi again, Kate....I don't recall exactly which it came from many years ago....either Pickering or Hortico, but it was grafted. The funny thing is, this rose has 'self-rooted' for me a couple times, where its canes had bent down to the ground and where the cane touched the ground, it rooted. Its very low-maintenance and gets no special treatment, yet rewards me every June with amazingly beautiful and plentiful blooms. It would be a perfect rose, except it does sport some nasty thorns, so be forewarned. In spite of them, I adore this rose and its one of my favorites. I'm posting one more picture to convince you...lol. Florence, thank you for your always endearing words of support & love. My dad is doing great now. He stays with my brother now but drives to his house so he can still have his amazing vegetable garden. He is turning 87 next month and still has the most LUSH garden I have ever seen! Dad is nearly hidden when he is working in his garden. You may recall a post I did about him & his garden a couple years back....well here is a picture of him the other day in this year's garden. Thanks for asking about him. He did have a bad fall awhile back and couldn't walk for awhile, but he's walking & climbing stairs again. Good to hear from you, Carla! I have missed you. I hope all is well in your life. Thank you for your kind words. mille fleurs....that is so sweet of you & I appreciate your taking the time to let me know you've enjoyed my pictures. Its not easy being a cold-zone roselover! Becky, thank you for your cheer and compliments. I always love to hear from all of my friends, and it does a heart good to know I have some wonderful rosey ones. Thanks, All.... Celeste Dad, in his veggie garden....

It just seems odd to me that these mugs that had no degradation in the design for at least 10 years of washing in my old dishwasher have now faded away to almost nothing. It has to either be the different detergent or the dishwasher. Interestingly I have the old dishwasher at my weekend lake place - use the same old liquid detergent - mugs there are showing no sign of designs wearing/fading off. I only use the normal cycle (nothing hotter due to the etching problem) so it's not that the water is so hot. It's also apparently not due to super cleaning power of the DW or the detergent because there's no way my Miele would get a black crusted lasagna pan clean because of the small amount of detergent and low temps I have to use due to the etching problem. It doesn't even get coffee cups clean half the time under those conditions. Baver - the way I deal with etching is to throw out my glassware when it's ruined and replace it. I have quite an eclectic mix of mismatched stuff now.

Thanks for the commiseration. :) It's not so much how many are coming but how many meals they're coming for. :) There are a dozen or so more people I'd like to invite but I just can't hack it this year, so probably not more than three dozen. Another dozen of the kids -- beg pardon...younger grown-ups -- are away, which should make it easier, but, then, one could put them to work... HAH to the vegetarian, Trailrunner!! What do you think is taking up all that room??? The brisket is nothing to the roots, though an ice chest is a good idea. I bet I could fit most of them in one, and they only have to be cool. They and the citrus from loved one's garden are what's hogging the turkey drawer. :) Cloud Swift, the ice chest defrost is an interesting idea, but I'd worry too much about the bird leaking. The drawer is stainless. Country Smile, There's no good picture to be had through the beet greens!!! I really do have enough room with the studio fridge. Plus, once some of the veg get cooked they'll take up less room. And the berries are for first night, which means there will be room for the leftovers. I just hope there's room to chill the brisket Sunday night. I have to see if my small roaster will fit in the meat drawer... All of you who are wondering if you have enough room, if you're planning on entertaining for Passover, you don't!

@megs1030 We have many full-sized Danby slabs on display at slab warehouses in Dallas, Texas, at the moment, so not sure what's going on there in the Northeast. It shouldn't be much trouble at all to get slabs transferred to you, as they are currently available on the market. I don't personally care for the Danby veining as much as Carrara or Calacatta, but Danby is reportedly one of the most durable marbles on the market today for use as countertop material, and if you haven't heard of Stoneguard, you might look into it, because a great sealer can go a long way. People who use marble for countertops sometimes make use of decorative trays to hold various items to keep them off the marble to help preserve the surface. It's also common to have resurfacing done for a couple of hundred dollars when desired, though that's not a requirement. Usually, any KD, distributor or fabricator wants a "hands off" approach to marble because they don't want to be blamed for perceived problems after installation, whereas so much of the marble experience depends on the individual, how the marble is used and cared for, and how much the user enjoys the look of real marble. I've run across several articles written by people who have experienced marble countertops in their homes for years, and despite some wear to the surface, they are still totally in love with the look. You could put in marble twice compared to the cost of some quartzites, and I personally think marble is prettier than most quartzites. I actually had one fabricator tell me recently that he's known of people who have marble countertops that are quite worn who still absolutely love them. You would want to look for a marble with a higher dolomite mineral content, as it is the calcite marbles that are more problematic. Some slab yards will even specify "dolomite marble." It is you who has to live with the counters, so I'd go with what you love personally rather than what the advisers want to sell to you. I even ran across a story recently of a lady who accidentally got yellow oil stains on a marble backsplash above her stove, and she was able to completely renew the surface with a poultice that drew out the staining, afterward protecting it once again with 3 layers of sealant, so there are all kinds of ways to learn to care for marble. If you're set against laminate, then it's correct you wouldn't want to spend the money on a temporary fix since laminate installation can take a huge chunk out of your real countertop budget. Don't give up on marble just yet! I'd encourage you to find a few of the positive stories online of people who have lived with marble and would put it in again if they had the choice.