Jeri, Please don’t consider your input nit picking I welcome it. Only by pointing out corrections to these rose lists will it better serve there primary purpose. While I encourage corrections, e-mail is preferred as listed in header. Will do my best to answer some of your questions. “Irene Watts” is a Hybrid China 1896; it was changed and has to be exhibited as “Pink Gruss an Aachen” a Floribunda as the >>>>> indicates, similar to many other rose changes on the list. It’s also shown in the Floribunda class, as “Pink Gruss an Aachen” helping avoid any confusion. “Glendora” in the Hybrid Perpetual class should have had >>>>> indicating to See: “Joasine Hanet”. “Joasine Hanet” a Portland without the date 1882 but >>>>> indicated an addition to the name was missing. On subject of “Joasine Hanet”, In today’s May 2005 list of supplements to the 2005 “AEN”, I have “Joasine Hanet” listed as missing a DQ rose indication in the latest AEN, the entry should be DELETED. Working off two lists, ended up with “Joasine Hanet” and “Johasine Hanet” data, the latter of which is listed as a DQ in the 2005 an AEN. Another rose to DELETE is Pam’s Pink a “Found” rose that was to be removed from the 2004 list. I could not find “The Portland from Glendora” in the 2005 AEN, but there was a “Portland from Glendora” See; “Joasine Hanet”. Without knowing your involvement in roses, if you just like to grow roses or are also involved in exhibiting them. If you just grow roses, the information on the garden web forum will keep you posted on corrections and some of the new roses introduced. If you exhibit roses, there are rules and regulations everyone must follow. One rule has to do with the using the correct names of a rose. This is where the 2005 Official List of Approved Exhibition Names “AEN’s” comes in. It is one of the official ARS publications, which judges and exhibitors use to verify a roses name. Released in March, is supplemented each month with information from ARS publications until the next years AEN is published. Not every one that exhibits roses belongs to “ARS” and receives ARS latest publications. This is one reason for listing the new names of roses on the GW Forum and keeping these posts up front where others can benefit from them. Once posted to, moves the post down the line. Ron Schwerdt 5-31-05

I actually think it is very regional. I live in NY and attended many very elaborate weddings where I had to shell out a $300 gift ($600 for close family) for a gift. I think the idea is that you have to cover your plate and then some. My DH's friend is a wedding photographer and he charges a minimum of $12K for a wedding and he is booked solid. Around here, giving money is a norm. The registry is for the bridal shower and I have seen many registeries that include plasma's and $400 place settings. I have several girls at my job getting married and they are spending between $25-$40K. It's outrageous if you ask me and quite stressful because you want to attend these events but they become very unaffordable! In addition, for the amount of money you spend on a wedding, you can put a down payment on a house! When I got married 7 years ago, my parents offered m $20K to pay for the wedding. We looked at several places that cost $150/person and it just didn't feel right sending all that money on one day. We opted to have our wedding a restaurant instead of a reception hall and invited 75 people (much to the chagrin of my parents who wanted me to invite 200 people). My bouquet and cake were from Costco. I had one maid of honor and advertised at a local college to get cheap photographer/videographer. My dress was off the rack of a bridal store and I drove myself to the church. I ended up spending about $7K and the other 13K was part of the down payment for our home. I will admit that my friends and family were generous despite the simple nature of our wedding which I was extremely grateful for.

Lukki is right, although Grand Blanc isn't Flint, but if you have the money and a taste for such a house, you'd probably look elsewhere. And, as someone here questioned, 50 acres is not unusual in many parts of Michigan. My sister has close to 30 acres, with a very large swimming pond, horses, barns, woods, etc. Many people, including them, have golf carts to get around their property on. She's in Michigan but closer to Richmond. If we ever moved back to Michigan, I'd look for a place out that way. Or in Grosse Pointe, which is where my dad was from. I love those beautiful red brick homes and mansions. But as for the home featured here, it is so fussy, busy, tired, claustrophobic in some rooms, and ridiculously over-sized in others that I can't begin to imagine living there!

It isn't only with books that people can influence you. Musical tastes as well. I was exposed to all kinds by my family. -- Annpan Everything indicates this is true, I think. Do you hold with the theory that the influence on a person's lifetime musical preferences will most likely always be those formed from about the age of 10 through about age 25? In my case those years were from 1960 through 1975. Of course, it doesn't mean a person won't like or develop a taste for music that came either before or after those years, but perhaps music that is most nostalgically pleasing to them will fall within that range of taste development. My mother was a music teacher, and if there's such a thing as a musical gene I inherited it. My family was immensely influential on me, no doubt. I like a wide variety of music (with an active dislike of a few styles and perhaps a dislike of quite a number of individual songs). When I've analyzed why I like or dislike particular types of music, sure enough the ones most deeply imprinted, in my case, are the ones most influenced by my peers of 1960-1975. These might not have been the greatest musical years in history, but as far as I'm concerned, they are probably the most vivid and vibrant. Maybe there's a similar correlation with books and reading preferences, but I think I've gone through a lot more reading phases than musical ones. Probably everyone's experience is different, however. What do you think about yours?