Kater, I mostly have OGRs and just a few HTs on Dr Huey bought at Lowe's (cheap). My Mrs BR Cant is on fort from the Apopka nursery (forget the name). Personally, (and I think I must be outnumbered) I don't like the growth habit and I don't think it's necessary re nematodes when the garden is well composted. (The most important reason I water the whole bed is to create a moist and healthy environment for the microbes which feed the plants and repel the nematodes.) OGRs typically come only on their own roots, although Dr Manners buds them and puts them up for sale at the Lakeland meetings. If you google nematodes/roses/Florida, you'll find articles by the FL IFAS on the subject. Apparently, the acids put out by the decomposing organics repel the nematodes. Organics create a hostile environment for them, countering the effect of hot, dry sand. That's what I've read, and I hesitate to contradict anything that Dr Manners does. His USF garden is all fort-budded roses. Another consideration for me was the expense which is about double if you can find them. Roses on fort get very large. HTs get to 6 to 8 feet tall. I installed my micro system from parts bought at Lowe's. A semi-strenuous process and only sort of like rocket science. Do it in the winter when it's cool. With the 180-degree heads you can cover the whole garden by spacing them accordingly with little or no wasted water. My beds are generally 6 feet wide which is the spread of the sprinklers. Spacing of roses when planting is crucial. Roses start out tiny and grow quite large at maturity here, so the temptation will be to space them close, but be strong and resist the temptation or you'll be digging them up and moving them. No fun. Six foot centers are minimum, and your tea roses can get to a width of 8' in 3 or 4 years plus you need access room for pruning, etc. It may look funny for a while to have so much space between your roses, but you can fill in with annuals or perennials until the roses get bigger. That will give you a cottage-y look anyway. Pine bark mulch is good. It will decompose and add to the organics. Roses like alfalfa. I get the 50-lb bags of pellets from the feed store for horses. Rose Tone is good, and there are recipes for making your own organic fertilizer. Just google it. A soil test from your county extension service would be good. This is a great forum full of great, lovely people. Welcome! Sherry Here is a link that might be useful: Good info at Marion County Rose Society

Hi ~ I found it! In the fourth edition of Kitchen Glassware by Gene Florence it is listed on page 30. Keep in mind the book was printed in 1992. Gene Florence wrote: "The McKee water dispenser as shown below has a separate center holder for ice. I guess that idea never caught on, but it seems like a neat idea to me. The cooler sells for between $75.00 -85.00." Now my educated guess, having sold antiques and collectibles for the past 15 years is that the value has multiplied many times over. I would not sell it for less than $300.00, and that may be low. I will let you know if I find a current value. Kim in Pa

You did a fantastic job on your first big project, the worry factor is often the biggest obstacle, and proper research helps to overcome this issue...you did great asking the right questions and perhaps you are well on your way to becoming a seasoned weekend refinisher. There is a great sense of satisfaction in being able to "resurrect" old furniture pieces, many can been had cheaply because they're so ughhh! So here are a few extra hints to helps with the next project... 1). Use the powerful, nasty strippers, with methylene chloride, they just get the job done so much better than citrus strippers...gloves n goggles n good ventilation are important, you will love the fast results, use a green scotchbrite pad, rough steel wool, a stiff brush, etc. 2).strip the whole piece, never mind taping off areas unless the finish is pristine...chances are you will been able to do a much nicer job if you take the whole piece down to bare, especially once you learn how to seal, glaze n tone....shellac n stain powders/glazes are your friends... 3).automotive dewaxers are great, like ditzler/ppg # dx330....a big helps in cleaning up after stripping n neutralizing....helps to avoid contaminants like fisheye"silicone" and lets your get a look at the grain and possible spots, problem areas before your stain or seal the piece. 4).while your can always re-strip, sand or undo your work, try to think ahead and prepare...ie, test stain/finish underneath a tabletop first, dont stain or finish in the sun or winds at 90 degrees, read up , but only from truly problem sources, like mike dresdner, etc.. 4).have fun and dont be afraid, we all had to learn to walk and talk. There is great satisfaction in learning how to finish/refinish....drying times, dust free and stain/finish compatibility are the biggies, so dont worry, ask a lot of ??? And dont believe everything your hear.... 5).cheers, holla at me if ya want...veryspecialprojects@gmail.com....I only have three decades of finishing wood under my belt, but I'll try to help if I can....aloha

bumping up - although I did get some help on the Antiques forum, I know there are some regulars here also who are very knowledgeable about antiques and hope there might be more info available. I'll probably still need to find an expert but would feel more confident with some information up front. Thanks.