It's nice to hear some good rosy news this morning. Thanks! Of course, now you are obligated to show us some pictures when it starts blooming. ;^)

Why you have some lovely blooms indeed. SA bloom doesn't have to be the very latest thing out to be a thing of beauty. I love Howard Goodson...it is a very rich dark red. Destined to see is always lovely and your photo is very clear and very good. (All of your photos are excellent). I think all American Tiger is my favorite, but I always love to see Primal Scream. It is great to have a new person posting pretties. Welcome to the forum. kay

My new nightstand has arrived (finally). For those of you who don't know/recall, I bought a floor model Stickley mahogany dresser from a local furniture store last summer on clearance (about 60% off MSRP, which is still insane at just shy of $3800 on sale). But Stickley had discontinued the line (why it was on clearance) and I wanted to get a nightstand to match. At the time, I had just bought the Henkel Harris pineapple bed (#29 cherry finish, which very closes matches the Stickley mahogany in the hampton finish) and the dresser to "match." I looked everywhere, and no one had any stock of the Stickley nightstand I wanted. So one day, I asked the same store where I bought the dresser to call the factory to see if the factory had any white stock of that style of dresser (white stock is furniture that's been made but is waiting to be finished and lacks hardware). After Stickley made the banded mahogany version I have (it's solid, not veneer and is "banded" by using a silkscreen technique) and discontinued it, they went to a solid in the same fluted style but with different hardware. But that solid was discontinued, too. So the nightstand in white stock was solid. After checking with their engineers, they got back to me and said they had enough of the matching hardware to do the nightstand and that the engineers could specially make the banded treatment for me (at a slight up charge). So, 10 weeks later, I received it, and it's perfect. It's hard to imagine being able to get this sort of treatment, and I truly commend Stickley (and my local furniture store, which had the idea to see if Stickley had any lying around anyhow). It was pricey, however, at $1950. But worth it (to me, at least). So now, I've pushed the bed over toward the windows and French door, and it's given me great space when you walk into the room. But I cannot decide what type of lamp to get and where to hang art. All ideas appreciated. (I had bought a Ralph Lauren blue and white ceramic/porcelain lamp, but I hated it once I put it on the nightstand, so that's out.) I think most of you know that I just had the drapes made, etc., so don't comment about those being changed out. You may also know that I'm still hunting for a plain duvet that will work so that I can fold up the quilt at the end of the bed, but that hasn't come up yet. Thank you all.

Glad your whale watch actually found some whales! Our winter breaks on Maui coincide with Whale Season in Hawaii -- best viewed from Maui and Big Island of Hawaii. Whales migrate from Alaska to warmer waters to calve -- and to mate. There are astounding breaches by bulls competing to impress the cows. Using binoculars, I can see a lot of 'showboating' from our condo's lanai. Last Christmas we took our son and his family on a morning whale watch out of Maalaea harbor. We were fortunate to have a calm day, with a sea like glass. The bay is a favorite 'nursery' for whales, and we were only out five minutes before seeing a cow, her newborn calf, and an accompanying 'auntie'. (Auntie cows aid with the babies and help keep too-eager bulls at bay.) Later, we were still in the water watching a pod of dolphins when a young bull came alongside the boat and then went under us to the other side. We could almost scratch his back! I don't expect to experience that again. (By law, boats must keep a good distance from whales, but a pilot can only cut engines and wait when a whale decides to approach.)