Ingrid, it really is wonderful to meet other rosarians, see different roses and look at how they grow in different settings. The Farmer's Branch garden is impressive, with huge bushes grown under very harsh "Earthkind" conditions. Then, the Heritage Rose Garden at Chambersville is astonishing, with roses grown at 20 ft centers in a pasture with longhorn cattle on the other side of the fence. Hope that at the very least you can make it up to Sacramento one of these days. Anita

plumorchard- I asked the gentleman that owned the store why he thought the results were different. I think between his information and my personal experience, the difference was in the ranges natural convection. It is a vaulted oven which allows the air to naturally swirl around the food. It is known that convection fans do dry food some, and without fans, this oven has the benefits of convection without the drawbacks. My husband and I are configuring colors now on the Chateau 120 with the double ovens. The Cornue fe cooked excellent as well, in fact, if it was made the same as the Chateau line of ranges, that is what we would be considering because it is the most beautiful range I have ever seen! We want to step it up a notch above the mass manufactured ranges like the Cornu Fe and Wolf etc. I just hope we can afford to do it..! Happy cooking.

all this thyroid talk is interesting. I just turned 53, but over the last 5 years, I've had progressively worse fatigue, joint aches and pains, dry skin, etc. My body temp has been between 97-97.3 for several years. Also, I started getting 'suspicious' mammograms (have always had fibrocystic disease) and have had several surgical biopsies that were benign. Two years ago I had to go to the emergency room for my heart murmur (born with it) as it got suddenly worse and they decided it's mitral valve prolapse with regurgitation. I take atenolol for it and have to take 2,000mg of amoxicillin just to get my teeth cleaned. My DH encouraged me to take early retirement last July to focus on my health. I had gone part-time the year before, but was still having health problems, so retirement seemed like the thing. Once retired, I started working in my garden on a daily basis. I was doing HEAVY work -- shoveling 28 yards of garden soil, equal amounts of mulch, digging holes, creating a dry stream bed from rock, building a flagstone patio. I did this for 3 months, mostly in 90+ degree weather. I didn't lose a half a pound! I didn't gain, either -- but, with all that exercise, it didn't seem right to me. With yet another mammo problem before Christmas (a complex cyst to follow-up in 6 months) I decided to do more research. I started searching the web for combinations of symptoms and hypothyroidism kept coming up. But, something else made a bell go off. Iodine deficiency! I am allergic to seafood and I don't use iodized salt. The body doesn't create iodine. I started researching iodine and kept finding a relationship between the thyroid and fibrocystic disease. So, I've gone many, many years without a source of iodine! On January 1st, I started taking a kelp (seaweed) supplement to get iodine. Immediately, my sinusitis went away (along with the dry nose/blood thing). My skin stopped itching (no more prescription hydorcortisone). My tinnitus (ringing in my ears) is almost gone. My cuticles look healthy instead of brittle. My energy is back! I no longer have to take a nap at 2:00! I haven't had a headache since I started the kelp. I was having headaches several times a week before the kelp. My temp is still only in the 97 range and I still haven't lost any weight. Everyone has to be careful with any supplement and not assume it's okay to just take anything. Since I am positive that I don't get iodine, I felt safe to take the kelp. Thought I would share.

I never worry about getting it again. I don't believe I've ever encountered a better living example of the descriptor "frequently wrong but never in doubt". Olliesmom, as you of course know one certainly can be reinfected with COVID, although your statement may be true that you simply don't worry about getting it again. Which of course is your privilege, as is the case with any and all incorrect and ignorant beliefs. DLM, like you my life consists of making daily risk/reward decisions on what's worth doing. The meeting I mentioned? An honor society at which I was nominating someone I respect deeply and wish to recognize. This Friday we're joining my son and DIL for dinner at a local resort (hopefully seated on the patio) where we are giving them a weekend babymoon. I went on that beach trip with my daughter and son in law this summer. OTOH for me it's not worth the risk to go out to restaurants right now. Or hang out with my neighbors in close indoor quarters. Or go to a movie. Or take off my mask in the sparsely populated gym when I work out a few times weekly--it's worth it to me to try to stay fit, but not enough to joyfully quit masking up even though as of Monday that's no longer mandatory. I'm perhaps foolishly trying to limit my exposure to only activities that mean the most to me. Whether my luck will run out, as your husband's did DLM, is a conundrum. But I surely hear and understand you....seeing beloved family is probably the most important reason of all to get out in the world today.