I cut hansa rose back this year.. it was blooming at the top of seven feet canes, fine for me, but no so great for my wife. She loves the smell of this rose, plus behind it I planted John Davis, the were both the same hieght and it looked odd. Normally do not cut rogusas back, but honestly, it looks soooooooooooooo much better now. the foilage has filled in and you cant tell I hacked it in half, its around 4.5 feet now and the increased light has prompted John Davis to grow up even further. Silverkelt

I was thinking more of, do you have a hungry dog in the area? I'm wondering if it was starting to turn on you. You could always cut it up and put it in the heat ducts of someone you don't like.... but that would be wrong wouldn't it? Pretty bad when chicken can't even be said tastes like chicken! Funny you should mention Cookies. I knew what you were talking about. I bought some and tried it recently and what a disappointment. I'm amazed how incredibly bland it is. It's not bad, I'm not saying that, just not much to it. A very, make that VERY mild sauce. Which variety do you use? I tried the original - only type carried by the store. The Kraft Hickory was much more potent. Cookies reminded me of the basic cheap Kraft & comparable store brand except about 4 times more expensive. Having just finished the Kraft Hickory and surprised that it had a decent, though mild flavor, and with the advertising of the Cookies infomercials I somehow expected a lot more. Just tried some Bullseye Texas style. Nice little kick to it but not overpowering. I tried Bullseye because it was recommended by America's Test Kitchen, though they showed the original. I haven't made my own BBQ sauce for a long time but probably will when I use up some of the bottles I have around here. But I don't use as much BBQ sauce as I used to either. Maybe shred that chicken, hit it heavy with cayenne/BBQ seasonings and make some fajitas or tacos out of it?

Tinker if this is what you want to do, I say go ahead. You have outlined your situation and it sounds like you understand full well what you're getting into. That said, a couple of stories: We have lived in the same neighborhood for 15 years. We rented for about 6 or 7 years, then started to house hunt--only in our neighborhood. We found THE house. We bid higher than reasonable and were confident we would get it, and didn't. It was bought by a developer for 30% more, who reconfigured the antique house so that the lot could be split and added two really ugly condos. We were aghast, and I can't believe I still have to look at that thing every day (we pass it on the way to dd's school). It was the best thing that ever happened to us, because we learned that you can lose your dream home, and life goes on, and unbelievably, better dream homes came along. We bid on 3 more "dream homes" in our neighborhood, getting a little more cocky and skeptical every time. I live in the fifth house we tried to buy, 4 years later, and we're very happy with it. We got a great deal, and it's head and shoulders above the first house we went for. So, as much as this house speaks to you, keep in mind, other houses can still do that too. I recommend taking 48 hours and looking around in some other places, with a different realtor. Look on craigslist--you will see things that don't show in mls listings. I have a friend that was house hunting in two of the most expensive towns in our area, my modest mid-range town wasn't even on her list. But she stumbled on a listing in Craigslist, and now has twice as much house, just as good a commute, and far better schools than she expected. Before you commit to this house, think outside the box. Heck I wish 2000 people like you would descend on Galveston, TX and invest in those crumbling victorians. Or Brunswick, GA. Just look at this: http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-Detail/817-Egmont_Brunswick_GA_31520_M63142-27459 or this: http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-Detail/815-Albany_Brunswick_GA_31520_M60146-44621 I'd buy the second house just to get a tree like that. Finally, if you are open to spending that kind of money on preservation, from a stewardship standpoint, it makes more sense to spend the money on a house that won't be torn down when you move on. Could you look in a more historic district where these types of homes are valued? If you can live with the idea of your work being undone, then I guess you're ok, but knowing with certainty that the work I put into my house would be ripped up would drive me nuts. But that's just me.

Excellent news! Try to keep her from overdoing it, though, as the pain meds will mask the pain before whatever is hurt has time to heal. Also, certain pain meds are bad for their liver, so don't be surprised if they want to recheck her blood occasionally, should she be put on a regular pain med. We have a dog on Tramadol now, but she's been on others that caused elevations and had to be switched around some.