Aztcqn: I'm so sorry that you lost your Capitaine John Ingram rose. From the look of its leaves and many thistle, it has Rugosa Heritage, which dislikes chemical fertilizer and prefer loamy/sandy soil. Sulfate of potash is NPK 0-0-50, very high potassium and blood meal NPK is 12-0-0, very high in nitrogen. Agree with what you wrote: "Perhaps this one needed and liked a more acidic home....." Rugosa doesn't like alkaline clay in my Chicagoland, nearby decade-old Rugosa hedge refused to bloom, died off, then its multiflora-rootstock took over. A California rose-grower stated "no granular fertilizer after June 1st", and I agree. I put granular fertilizer (blood meal & chicken manure) in early spring with tons of rain, but after June 1st, I use SOLUBLE fertilizer. We get hot weather up to 80 in June. I pre-mix molasses & sulfate of potash in a water-bottle, then put a tiny sip (less than 2 teaspoon) per 5-gallon bucket of water. I used to put gypsum in that bottle, but my tap-water is so high in calcium, gypsum (21% calcium) tends to gunk up at the bottom of the bottle. Yesterday I had to scrape off that gooey & thick sludge of gypsum at bottom of the bottle. Rugosa-genetics doesn't like free-lime (calcium) as in gypsum or lime since calcium thickens the soil, and Rugosa prefers loose & loamy or sandy soil. Blackstrap molasses has plenty of calcium, potassium, a bit of phosphorus, and 20% iron to make it a cheap SOLUBLE fertilizer. I never burn any roses with that. To lower high pH tap-water, I dunk used-lemons in the bucket. Drawback of molasses: attract flies. Brewer's yeast is cheap, high in potassium & some phosphorus, all the B-vitamins and VERY ACIDIC, a tiny bit is enough to lower high pH-tap water. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:325522 " To explore the potential relevance and practical application of rhizophagy, we investigated brewers' yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), a waste product of the brewing industry, for its role as biofertilizer. The addition of live or dead yeast to fertilized soil substantially increased the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) content of roots and shoots of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and young sugarcane plants. Yeast addition to soil also increased the root-to-shoot ratio in both species and induced species-specific morphological changes that included increased tillering in sugarcane and greater shoot biomass in tomato plants. These findings support the notion that brewers' yeast is a cost-effective biofertilizer that improves not only plant nutrition but also plant vigor during the early growth phase. "

Jessy, that recipe looked so good to me, too! I remember someone posting about chestnuts a bit ago--maybe this will give that person some ideas! It calls for celery root, not leek, but I'll bet using half and half would be really good! Enjoy! Dolores Celery Root, Chestnut, Spinach & Feta Phyllo Pies from "The Diabetic Cookbook: Simple & Delicious Recipes for a Healthy Life" Ingedients: 4 tbsp olive oil (divided use) 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1/2 or 1 whole small head celery root, cut into short thin sticks 5 5/8 cups baby spinach leaves scant 1/2 cup cooked, peeled chestnuts, coarsely chopped 7 oz/200g feta cheese (drained weight), crumbled 1 egg 2 tbsp pesto sauce 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley pepper 4 sheets phyllo pastry, about 13 x 7 inches 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil oin a large skillet over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the celery root and cook for 5 minutes, or until soft and browned. Remove from the skillet and keep warm. 2. Add 1 tbsp of the remaining oil to the skillet, then add the spinach, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the spinach has wilted. Uncover and cook until any liquid has evaporated. 3. Mix the garlic and celery root, spinach, chestnuts, cheese, egg, pesto, parsley and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Divide the mixture between 4 individual gratin dishes or put it all into 1 medium gratin dish. 4. Brush each sheet of phyllo with the remaining oil and arrange on top of the celery root mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until browned. Serve at once.

I've been using progesterone cream for cramps for a few months now. I am AMAZED at how well it works!! I was taking between 4 and 10 Darvocet per period (for about 5 years) and my gyn threatened to quit prescribing it unless I had a hysterectomy. I read about the Progesterone, tried it and it really works. I put about a half to 1 teaspoon right on my lower abdomen and the pain goes away in about 15 minutes. I try to use it just 3 weeks of the month, but sometimes I use it during my period as well if I am having cramps. I'm nearing menopause, but not there yet. The cramps did go away (pre-progesterone) once I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and on thyroid meds, but came back as soon as I started adrenal meds (which mess with the female hormones). So it's a good idea to check out the thyroid first (check antibodies too, and not just the tsh). Also oral progesterone has to go through the liver, so really the over-the-counter cream is a better choice.

I had some of the ice cream with my lunch today, and the ice cream was quite hard, and so perhaps I did not add enough rum or Grand Marnier. Tastewise, I don't think it needed more rum, and in fact the flavors were very balanced - not too sweet and not too tart. Because I used the strawberry juice, it came out like strawberry ice cream with tiny pineapple chunks, and it does look pretty - pink with yellow polka dots. I wish I had made a pure pineapple flavor, but as a combination flavor it is still very good, but I would prefer to taste the pineapple more intensely. I might make a similar recipe and use pineapple juice/syrup instead of strawberry juice, but if I use the juice, I think I would have to cook it a bit with some sugar, and I would have to do that by taste. I might just break down and use canned pineapple - that would save much of the work, and I think it tastes okay - especially in ice cream. The fresh pineapple does bring back memories of Mexico, however. Lars