Patricia---would you believe this rose came from Wall-mart--A couple of years ago Caliloo (Alexa) called me and said that Wall-mart had them in a bag---I ran right over and got two and I've been thrilled with it. I remember a picture of a vase full of MacCartney that Cindi posted a few years ago---it was stunning. I miss Cindi and her wonderful stories. I'm happy you have this rose. Floren

For something like that, I totally get the need for a simple way to stay in touch. A while back, my grandparents were living in separate parts of their house, and we wanted to make sure they could easily reach each other. We ended up getting them some Motorola UHF radios. They’re lightweight and super easy to use—just a push of a button to talk. My grandpa would keep one around his neck, and when he needed my grandma’s attention, he just pressed the button. They loved it because it felt more personal than a phone.

Haha, Larry! That sounds like me. . . not sure what I'm growing, but looks like plenty. The red mustard cracks me up. Just popped up here and there--in the original bed and out of the bed. I've been brining some pork lately. We're having a hard time finding loin and even tenderloin that's not tough. I've about decided to stick with pork shoulder roasts. Frankly, I think the taste is superior to the others. Happy second Thanksgiving. I was a bit worried about counter space, Amy. I measured carefully. But then I thought, "What can I get off these counters that doesn't need to be on them. Actually was room where the toaster and coffee pot are. The toaster will be gone anyway because of the toaster oven, . . And that's a corner of the counter space that had plenty of room where the toaster was. PLUS I moved some other stuff off the other counter space next to the fridge and then on either side of the stove. I'm excited about the electricity we'll save--really, used the stove almost every day. And for two people--awfully big stove for just two people. I guess you know now I'll NEVER make it to a Vitamix. Or to a nice Kitchenaid mixer. Besides, those things would take up serious counter space, too. Do you like the piricicaba? How does the taste compare to heading types? I think I might like to try it, depending on your opinion. I'm a little jealous about all your greens, Larry and Amy, which I think is nuts, considering I'm not that crazy about greens. But with the new scare with romaine, I can definitely see the appeal of growing one's own greens. And since I don't have any big plans for the garden, I guess I'll plant a bunch of greens. HJ. . . I would think Dispelling Wetiko would be perfect for Oregon! My kids in Mpls have talked about how much they love that area--and how beautiful much of Oregon is. I've only been on the coast, not inland. I got a chuckle about kolaches/klobasnek/sausage rolls this morning. I was all excited about trying them out, Danny, so was looking at recipes specifically with the crescent roll dough. It seemed to me they might be a little crispier fixed that way? Are they? One of the bakeries in town sells sausage rolls. We get the jalapeno sausage ones. BUT. I have kind of a love/hate relationship with them. I can't love the soft roll-like quality. I start out liking them (with mustard), and by the time I finish one, I decide I don't like them. I tried crisping one up in the skillet, and liked it much better. But found a really good-looking recipe--they used ground sausage and mixed it with cream cheese. I might experiment a bit. Why I chuckled was that when I got up this morning (slept in until 8:30), Garry had left me a note that he was on a trip to town for sausage rolls. He must have felt the vibe. Okay. . . to work!

I'm not familiar with Echo Snow but perhaps you could ask someone at the facility? They may have experience, or if not, some pertinent thoughts to share. I empathize. We dealt with this very issue with my mom. It's truly difficult to believe how difficult things can be for seniors with even mild dementia which comes and goes (as my mom's did). I had the simplest phone in the world for my mom, attached her charger to the wall, laminated and hung a speed dial chart on the wall, and more. I sent her a special pocket bag for her wheelchair so that the phone would always be available, etc. And still, it was just one frustrating issue after another. It was so, so difficult for her to manage. And since three of her kids lived out of town, we were very dependent on the phone as a way of staying in touch. I just looked at the Echo Snow, and one thing that comes to mind is to figure out if you can simplify the screens. I don't know why manufacturers of phones and other devices haven't figured this out for seniors, but lots of choices just means complexity many times. If you could customize it to get rid of all the built-in apps, so your dad just needed to look at and press one icon, that may work.