I yanked all my knockouts out this spring except 2, the original cherry red knockout roses that are growing in partial shade and add a nice punch of color, to make room for roses whose sent is as beautiful as its flowers. Winter kill on them was absolutely horrific, plus the JBs loved the pink knockout roses in my garden. Even my Buck rose "Folksinger" which has weathered much colder winters than this one suffered with winter kill to the ground, but being own root after pruning down to about 4 inches from the ground it is recovering beautifully and sporting buds already. I'll be planting some Austins for their luscious scent and exquisite flowers plus some other less fussy (hopefully) roses like Julia Child, Bolero, Macy's Pride, Zepherine Drouhin, Darlow's Enigma, which is bullet proof and smells so sweet, Cl "Compassion" and The Fairy. I have some Kordes Fairy Tale roses that did well over the winter and "Heritage" came through once again. I have too little yard space that offers the best sunlight for roses and am not willing to give up the space for such a mundane, and yes, overused, rose.

I finally got to read your whole post. I bet you are feeling like tearing your hair out because she sure doesn't seem to value your time or that you have other things to do. I am so sorry. My dad will be 91 in July and had hip/femur surgery in November and, sadly, it just hasn't healed. The next step is a partial hip replacement with a titanium rod inserted in the femur. What I have noticed is that on the days he has pain he can't seem to hand me his lunch or dinner plate or mail in order for me to clean up. I think it is a mental decision that they can't do the simplest of things. I think contacting any senior centers or any senior programs available through government services might be a great start. There are organizations that will take your mom grocery shopping or to appointments if they are fairly local. Some charge, some take donations and some are totally free. Many grocery stores have online ordering and will deliver to her home for a fee. That could be a lifesaver for sure. Do insist on being in charge of her calendar or you won't be able to attend or drive. She cannot make decisions for you when you are the ride. Let us know what you have decided to do and know that we all support you and most have gone through (or are going through) similar situations. The is a great place to vent! Robyn

My dad is super picky, but he loves beets, carrots and squash, all of which can sub rather easily for potatoes and are great roasted. Turnips are good roasted too, they aren't as bitter that way. I also love rutabagas, lightly steamed and then mashed with salt, butter and lots of pepper. You might try rutabaga on your family. They look ugly as sin in the grocery store, but just take a sharp knife, peel away the ugliness to reveal the peachy goodness underneath, steam in a pot with a small amount of boiling water (DON'T OVERCOOK), then drain, mash with small amount of butter and season to taste. If you don't overcook them they have a mild flavor. My dad likes the frozen mashed butternut squash as a side dish, and like I said, he's the world's pickiest eater so if he'll eat it it must be tolerable to most. I find it insipid and like my butternut squash peeled and roasted. But being of northern European descent, there's hardly a root vegetable I'm not enamoured with. I even like parsnips. Here's another recipe you can make and keep the leftovers for reheating and to add to other dishes. Roasted Root Vegetables - from my friend Bev. B. Feel free to leave out veggies you don't like, just sub more of the ones you do like. 2 lb. carrots - peeled and chunked 3 turnips - chunked 2-3 sweet potatoes (recipe calls for white ones but I like both kinds roasted. As far as I know, sweet potatoes are not in the nightshade family, but if I'm wrong, leave out. If you want to use them, peel and chunk) 1 med. rutabaga (or butternut squash, or both), peeled and chunked 4-8 parsnips, peeled and chunked 1 lg. yellow or red onion, cut into large chunks 3 med. beets (optional) Either steam and rinse under cold water to peel, or just peel with a veg. peeler. Cut into chunks. As to the size of the "chunks" about 1" square is the smallest I would go with. Mine are about 2 inches. Depends on your taste for the presentation. I like my chunks bite sized, but you can do this with bigger chunks that then need to be cut up to eat. Because the beets bleed and stain the other veggies, do them in a separate small pan. Sauce: 1 cup lowfat chicken broth (or veggie broth. can use less) 1/4 cup olive oil 2 tsp. ground rosemary 1 tsp. sugar or maple syrup (I think I use more like 1 TBLSP, but that's because I also use some balsamic vinegar in the sauce). Mix together until blended. I also add 1 TBLSP tamari, some sea salt to taste, and ground pepper. Also sometimes 1 TBLSP red wine or a splash of balsamic vinegar. Place veggies in a 9x13 inch roasting pan (or larger). Pour sauce over veggies and stir to mix. Frankly, I don't mix up the sauce separately. I chunk up the veggies, put them in my steel roaster, dump the sauce ingredients over them, and then stir them to mix before putting in the oven. I've made these in pyrex baking dishes and nonstick coated aluminum pans too. My steel roaster is the best but the others are still good. Roast at 375 degrees uncovered for 1 hour. Check after 30 min. stir if veggies are drying out. Check again after 1 hour, may need to go a little longer if veggies are not done. Stir occasionally to redistribute the sauce. Don't stir too much though, or your veggies will turn to mush. Can cover with foil at the end if it is drying out too much, and/or add a little water. This freezes pretty good. Can use these veggies later in salads or casseroles or soups.

Any of you folks operating three gardens? With only one having water available by hose ... and two with electrical connection close enough that I can hook up the radio (and I'm too frugal to spring for batteries to play it in the third). Have three window air conditioners, one non-operational (it worked o.k. for a day and only partially for part of a second, about three years ago - think it's leaked all of its refrigerant), a second probably so, and a third that I can't fit into any window or aperture in the house ... and unwilling to ask the landlord if I can cut a hole. So ... it's a bit of a relief to visit the library, where it's cool enough to be comfortable, but not cool enough to chill one's sweaty shirt to the place where one's teeth threaten chattering. We don't have smart meters on the power pole yet ... but when we do, it seems to me wise for old farts like me to sleep through the hot part of the day and have my appliances do their work at night, when the power rates are lower. But ... oh, darn - that means running the lights, that use power, also ... unless one has a sufficiently glowing personality to light one's way). Seems to be a fly in every jar of ointment. ole joyfilled ... partly full of hot air, at present - inside and out