I think you and Steve were both fortunate and wise to take advantage of a trip to such a very "foreign" place...especially so in that you had Bulgarian friends to show you around. I've a friend who works/travels for a worldwide charitable organization and he says that visiting in most countries you feel like part of one huge tourist group in museums, etc. even if you're on your own. Glad you had a safe trip and look forward to hearing/seeing more when you've rested up. Bet you were glad to see the pets...and vice versa. I'm off to Wikipedia to "bone up" on Bulgaria. I'm sure to be astonished at how much I didn't know... josh

Most hybrid teas grow and bloom better if they are grafted on an appropriate rootstock such as multiflora for acid soil or Dr. Huey for neutral or alkaline soil. This is because the rootstocks have more vigorous root growth than the hybrid teas can produce. More vigorous types of roses may grow vigorously on their own roots. Canadian-grown roses on multiflora are much less likely to be infected with mosaic virus than western-grown roses on Dr. Huey. Some own-root producers are careful to avoid propagating from virused stock, others not. Virus is a bigger concern for growers in zone 7a and colder than those in warmer climates. As pointed out above, Dr. Huey fairly often produces rootstock suckers, which are a nuisance. Multiflora does so much less often. Some old roses produce lots of suckers from the named variety and develop into thickets. With these, grafting to multiflora reduces the nuisance of suckers, compared to own-root plants. In Florida, most roses are grafted to Fortuniana rootstock because it is highly resistant to southern root-knot nematode, which kills most roses in warm sandy soils. Own-root roses can live essentially forever. Grafted roses can have the named variety killed by zone 4-6 winters, or, after decades, the graft can wear out and become incapable of producing new basal shoots. These dangers can be avoided by planting the graft below grade, allowing the named variety to form its own roots. However, then you can lose the advantage of vigorous rootstock. I have dug up roses where the rootstock has atrophied because it was planted much deeper than it wanted to be. Finally, grafted roses are large, two-year-old plants, while most own-roots from boutique nurseries are way behind them in development.

Cathy, As a follow-up to my earlier post about the mountain lion recently killed here in southern CT, I thought I'd post the final outcome of the cat's mystery. Seems this cat was well traveled. I'm sad he was hit & killed. From NBC Connecticut... "The mountain lion killed on Route 15 in Milford last month traveled about 1,800 miles to get here. It came from Black Hills of South Dakota and traveled through Minnesota and Wisconsin before eventually ending up in southern Connecticut. This is the longest journey recorded for a land mammal and nearly double the distance ever recorded for a mountain lion, according to state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection." /tricia Here is a link that might be useful: Mountain Lion Mystery Solved

I go way back with Flipping Out.. Loved the banter with his ex Ryan. To bad it ended so poorly. There's something about Gage that just doesn't connect with me. I was feeling that the show had jumped the shark at that point. Jeff was actually quite funny on Property Envy. That dry wit and sarcasm. Can't wait to see pregnant Jenny (I know the baby is already born now). I'm so glad they have been able to work things out. It just wouldn't be the same without Jenny and Zoila.