Hi Derek, how are you getting on? Sorry, ARF = Antique Rose Forum :-) Re wichuraiana ramblers, I adore Albertine of course (who wouldn't?) also Alberic Barbier, esp. when I saw it used along a fence, scented and creamy-beautiful against lush dark leaves in a friends garden in Devon. I am thinking that maybe wichuraianas suit the British climate rather better than here? Hard to pick my favourite class of rose, I have 'fallen in love' so many times! Some of the loveliest blooms of all are on the old once-flowerers, which don't do terribly well here (no winter chill along with too much heat in spring I believe is the problem); albas and gallicas etc. only bloom for a few weeks if you're lucky, which is fine if you have a big garden/acreage and can have different areas of brief seasonal interest. Noisettes, teas and chinas do best here (= all heat-lovers). I especially love the noisette, Mme Alfred Carriere, something about her 'undone' grace, like a very beautiful and elegant lady in her boudoir, still flushed from sleep, before she's washed her face or brushed her hair... She used to bloom magnificently in mid-winter here, at the same time as the almond trees; the two together in a vase were exquisite. She has also done v. well for my sister in mid-Wales, so is fairly adaptable, I think. I currently long for a R. moschata (species or close) when I eventually get my new garden going. Hope her flowers won't fry. If you're still trying to ID your rose, I would suggest moving the whole thing over to the ARF once you get the more detailed photos and full details, hopefully someone there will grow it or know it. I've had a look through the various suggestions so far, and am still not sure. I just don't see those long sepals on any of the likely candidates. :-)

Hi Julie from Denver, I just went running on the trail here as the health club is shut down because of the Corona Virus. So I go out there and this old man told me I had better stop the jogging and this women put her hand on her hip and told me I am just showing off. Thank you for your kind post. It's overwhelming to pay all this money for a house and realize early on I have to move, sell the house, pay the big realtor fees, pay movers. But, I made a mistake and no one knows these things until they live in these places. Yes, Devorah could not attack me fast enough. She can't do the math of how old my parents would be and goes on to say my mother must have been raped at 13 and then says I am an ageist, right after I said she would blame me for what she is doing. This is the thing too, like if they hit your car, you are the bad guy somehow. If you jog, you are the bad guy. If they attack you for no reason, no matter how vile and you can see they are lying, they blame you. I think these older people in the sheltered communities where everyone is old and everyone is white, they have no ability to take responsibility for their actions. I think it is because they have been here for 20 years, they know everyone so they can simply gossip about the newcomer and control the situation. The HOA becomes a weapon people can use to mess with you. I bet I will be hearing from the HOA that it is not okay to run on the "walking" trails soon enough. Yes, I am glad I figured this out early on and I am happy to be leaving. I'm moving to an apartment in Midtown Sacramento May 5th. I'm happy to get out of here but obviously not happy to have to put the home on the market and deal with realtors and movers and all. Are you moving out of the senior community you are living in?

I retired at age 55 and enjoyed a year of 'retirement' but decided to venture out to do several other things after that period. That year provided my wife and I some time to get reacquainted and enjoy some distant time together. Following that first year I felt that I needed to spend time in projects that I enjoyed. It wasn't long after that that I found myself back to work full-time in a couple other endeavors. Now that I am 63 years of age I retired again and this time working on projects that I truly love involving social activities. Retirement is an evolving process. Even though your husband may route retire at 55 it is very likely that you will find other things to do that will be more fulfilling than the job that he's doing now. This is a good time of life for both of you so take advantage of what it has to offer. Best of luck in whatever you choose to do. Here is a link that might be useful: Active Empty Nesters

The Citristrip was good and wet when I took the plastic off. I use pieces of cheap plastic drop cloth, since one big piece is easier to manage than a number of shopping bags. After scraping it off, i scrubbed it with a soap and water solution and a scotchbrite made for paint removal. I know it didn't attack the stain, as the stripper was till orange despite having been on there about 16 hours. Around here, 1/2 gallon is $20, but it takes about 3 quarts to do one door, thus $30. I found one quart wouldn't quite cover one side of a door. Applying it too thin is a waste of time. We'll see what we decide for a finish. Our powder room is right on the foyer, and I wanted a rustic old door in that spot. It's going on barn door rollers, and I'm trying to find an 'interesting' handle to roll it back and forth. The foyer is small- 6X8, so I don't want to go too dark. It's surprising how light the wood dries- you'd think I got much of the stain off, but when wet, it's very dark and blotchy. Yellow pine is terrible for staining, so I think they used a very dark opaque stain. I imagine these doors came out of old mill houses, and were probably the cheapest door available at the time.