Thanks everyone for the responses! Especially the ID. I don't think I will ever become a collector or showgrower, I'll be happy if I can keep these plants alive, blooming and pest free. I think I will take the advice on keeping the blooms until they die and then giving them all a tepid bath, removing the suckers and repotting in my 1:1 potting mix/perlite. I had a lot of fun doing a division for a plant I got from OSH and ended up getting 5 suckers plus the main plant. It's amazing how much better the original plant is looking after surgery. I really adore the rosebud looking ones, but for some reason, those were in the worst condition. There are small brown spots on a lot of the leaves that looks like mite damage (I've pinched off most of the damaged leaves) and today, I think I saw a bug crawling in the dirt!! Also definitely killed a small black flying bug but I couldn't identify it or tell if it's a pest infestation. Will definitely allow it to bloom and then take care of any pest problems. It's on a desk by itself so hopefully any pests will be contained. I am so terrified of getting any sort of infestation, I think I am mentally psyching myself out more than anything. I think my hypochondriac tendencies are transferring to my plants but I've read so many posts about INVS, thrips, mites, mealybugs... sounds like a nightmare! I have been looking for spilled pollen on all the blooms but haven't found anything yet. I'll have to keep a close eye on all of them but I'm almost excited for them to stop blooming so I can groom them!! One more question, any issues with keeping african violets in the bedroom? Not directly next to the bed but on a bookcase against a wall, any chance pests will harm people?

I have a real problem believing someone was NOT paid off for writing that article. This is as irresponsible as many political campaign ads. Make a comment to imply something that is totally unfounded to profit from it. "Well we didn't SAY that ____ made this, we asked 'what if'..." or some other such nonsense. Show me proof that General Mills makes their cereal. Why didn't you test it against Malt-O-Meal's version? Or any of the other generic brands? Hmm, couldn't be that you wanted people to think that General Mills made it could it??? Gee, it's the same shape... doesn't look the same... doesn't taste the same... MUST BE MADE BY THEM!!! Totally irresponsible. And the problem is people buy that type of misinformation as being credible. Maybe they "went behind the shelf" to find out who made it, but they didn't have even crumbs of facts to back up their implications. And all that they actually produced was mouse sh*t for findings behind that shelf. If I were General Mills, I'd sue their butts off. Even if I was actually selling the rejects to TJs! And I'd be proud to tell people that I sell my garbage to this company and they resell it to the consumer! I'd call it "recycling".

Yesterday I finally made it up to Trader Joe's. I went armed with a list compiled from the huge thread here of TJ favorites. Of the five or six "must haves" on my list, they were out of three---Rosemary ham, cooked lentils and scallion pancakes. I did get a tarte d'alsace for DH, organic tomato and roasted red pepper soup, and orange champagne vinegar from my list. I also purchased chicken and apple sausages, which we will have for dinner tonight with pasta, various crackers and other items. I forgot my cold food carrier so I bought one of their zippered, insulated totes which I will definitely use a lot for other purposes. When the checker asked why I was buying it and I told her I lived pretty far away and had never been there before, I became an instant celebrity. She rang a bell, welcomed me to the store, gave me a beachy patterned carryall for my groceries, a bag of plantain chips which she said was her favorite TJ snack, and a bouquet of flowers! We've tried the plantain chips and have sampled the roast beef, olive and fig crackers, some other kind of round pale yellow seasoned cracker., hummus and various other foods. They were all good except for the "organic vine ripened tomatoes," which were as hard as rocks, mealy, and did not taste anything like a tomato, and the plantain chips, which taste like I imagine chicken feed would taste. We've yet to try most of the things I bought, but except from the lovely warm welcome I was underwhelmed by the experience. On the up side, I now feel a bit less like I am missing out on a great culinary treasure trove living so far from civilization and I see that nothing can touch the home grown produce I am so lucky to be able to buy from pickup trucks that park around the courthouse on Saturdays. If anything we've bought proves a must have for me I will enlist my daughter to pick it up and bring it down, but I won't be making any more special trips.

Oops, meant to put this on Convos. Mods, please delete.