Wow! Okra is related to hibiscus?? I got this from seed at Renee's Gardens. The only seed that "took" and then I got this plant, and then I looked it up, and turns out it's an annual. That was a lot of work for a very few flowers... Yup -- that arbor cost me $10. Plus some sweat equity! @rosecanadian - Carol -- that's not a bench, that's my worm box. But I think I killed all the little wormies... Thanks for your good wishes, all. I am watching my Rouge Royale closeley these days. More buds coming! Such a good bloomer already, and in its first year. Diane -- you crack me up. Always. And make me think. Kristine -- I do love Huntington/Life -- but right after it blooms at least half the leaves turn yellow, so it's a bit higher maintenance than I'd like. But it's still quite young (year 2) so maybe it will have more roots soon and can support its blooms without freakingout afterwards. It is pretty and has a lovely fragrance. Okay geniuses -- totally off topic -- not even about roses! But how do I get old tea stains/deposits out of my go-to tea thermos that I take to work?

Bitter is usually too long of extraction so try reducing your extraction time. Can you adjust the grind & tamp pressure? Generally you want a grind+tamp that results in about 9-12 seconds from initial pressure to espresso first coming out and then 20-25 seconds of pour for a total extraction time of 30-35 seconds. These all vary by bean, roast and batch so if you cannot adjust them then finding a bean & roast that most often results in these might be your only option. Keep in mind that these Miele machines do not maintain the pressures and temperatures of regular espresso machines nor do they use a proper tamped puck so it's difficult/impossible to get a good shot from them. For a semi-automatic a Breville Oracle (regular or touch) is a better option.

Interesting thoughts -- we could all improve on paperwork storage in our homes. Two things I think I'm doing well that differ from the above mentioned Script, and someone else might find some ideas in my methods: Taxes. Yes, like Script, I am scrupulous about maintaining records for my taxes. About a dozen years ago I went to the office supply and bought two big boxes of BRIGHT GREEN folders (green like money). I labeled them Taxes 2000 ... Taxes 2001 ... Taxes 2002 ... Taxes 2003 ... and so on. Given my family's typical lifespan, I made enough green folders to take me to age 110 -- probably more than I'll need, but I'm ready! They're all stored in my file cabinet, taking up very little space. Now when I receive anything tax-related -- a charitable receipt, an end-of-the-year bank statement, whatever -- I have a place to file it. In April, I have a place to file a copy of my taxes, and I can go back and see previous tax years. For the rest of my life, this system is in place. Death folder. Ours is a notebook. Two identical notebooks, actually, since we have two children. Our girls are young adults now, but they've never dealt with an estate -- even if they don't open it 'til they're old, it'll be useful to them. It contains a lot of stuff: - A personal letter to the two of them - A list of our wishes about funeral and items we'd like donated to various family members or charities - A list of things they must do immediately; it starts with going to our house and taking possession of the dog, but it also includes small details like canceling our voting registration and destroying any medicines in the house. At every turn this list includes addresses and phone numbers, including the lawyer we suggest for probate, the funeral home our family's always used, and family members who should be contacted. - A copy our will; they know what's in it -- everything split between the two of them - A list of our financial assets -- bank accounts, investments, insurance, deeds/maps of real estate ... when our youngest became a legal adult, we made the two girls co-beneficiaries of every account; note that this was done before either was married, so our two kids -- not future son-in-laws -- will own these items. - A list of the bills we pay each month -- electricity, phone, even the guy who cuts our grass. - Official copies of our birth certificates, our marriage certificates, and the girls' birth certificates -- they might not be needed, but the girls won't have to scramble to find them - A flashdrive with all of the above in digital format plus photographs that might be useful in putting together the funeral Our rule: We keep two years of tax returns in the notebooks ... the reason being that someday an accountant will file our final estate tax return, and he or she will want our last two years of returns -- so every April we pull out the notebook, discard one old return and insert the newest ... so our rule is that every April we look over the notebook and update anything that's changed. For example, last year we changed bank accounts, and someday we hope to add items concerning grandchildren to the book. Our girls know that the notebooks are stored in the safe, and they know where the key to the safe is hidden, and they know it's labeled with a misleading name so that a thief wouldn't look at it twice. Last thought on this notebook: Though this project took us the better part of a year --- we kept remembering one more thing, one more thing that really should be included -- we didn't find it difficult emotionally. I suspect that if we were older and/or one of us were in poor health, it might've been different.

While I agree with the need for a new chipped card, my current card will expire in September. If I were to request another card now, it would still have the same expiration date leaving me to have to update all my information twice in a short period of time. However, before they send me a new card, I need to find out if the new Visa debit card would be chipped. I don't want to use cash. The convenience of using a card is important to me. Nor do I want to be writing checks. Checks are no longer free with my bank and I'm happy to be done with check writing. While on my way to the next town over today I thought how ridiculous it was to allow myself to get in such a huff over something so simple. It takes all of maybe 30 seconds to enter the information. And, usually I begin to plan my grocery shopping on Wednesday, loading store coupons onto my MVP card and making out my shopping list. Wednesdays are when I begin getting in a mood. Unhealthy, to say the least! So, I was all ready to let it go. But, oh no... not a single problem using my card and I just had to bring the situation to the attention of the manager at the other store. Sounds like they need to be train the manager AND the cashiers at my local store! Thank you, everyone. I need to start doing some meditation. :)