It depends on the rose and the problem. I've found that I can accommodate a rose that isn't the color I'd hoped, or isn't the size I'd hoped (although I do try to move them) and I'll try for years. I can't bring myself to remove a healthy rose. But a rose that clearly isn't going to be healthy for me? Early removal is better than later. Blackspot is here to stay, sadly, so severely affected roses need to go bye-bye. Roses that aren't tolerant to heat and humidity also can't stay. Neither are roses that, for no good reason, begin to commit suicide as soon as they cross the property line. I watch slow growers. I try moving them. I give them more than a year, a lot more if they're generally healthy. But if they can't do what they're supposed to do here, we need to part company. I have several that I received this year, still in pots, that will need to find a new home. One, a Biltmore rose that I thought would surely be at home here, has gone through several cycles of leaf loss due to blackspot. Another came to me with chlorosis and it hasn't improved much. I will give it a little more time and see if it can get better. A third seems to be entirely unhappy here, although I've tried moving it and even repotting it. It will improve for a time, but then lose its leaves and look pathetic again. Surprising to me, since it was hybridized in Tennessee. I have only so much time, space and energy to put toward roses so they need to be able to thrive here. If they can't do that, I figure that I shouldn't have them and they shouldn't be here. I haven't always felt this way, but over time, I've realized that saying yes to a sickly rose or one that will never thrive means saying no to a rose that would be happy and do well here.

Those Fairy lights you showed are from the mid 1970's I know because I have one and I know from whom and when I bought it...I believe the year was 1977 and it was sold as part of a group of stuff for a high school club fundraiser. You're right it likely wasn't a souvenir because there is nothing commemorative on it. I don't know when the Chicago Merchandise store was in business. Here is a link that might be useful:

Dang...you guys ask too many questions :^) They are smaller table lamp size...not chandy's not big table lamps...something like you might use on a desk.... The leopard one is just slightly flared and sort of plain, the red and white toile one is more bell shaped...flared more at the bottom... I have taken pictures, but I need to get to Walgreens to get them developed...I really have a lot of pictures of different things...be careful what you ask for!! Hugs to you all :^) J

I've been following this thread and wanted to throw in my two cents for encouragement. I have a twist on a Scriptural truth that I do live by, "Don't expect to get what you want, if you don't ask specifically." Do not talk to anyone about a grievance unless you are prepared to state the remedy to the matter that will leave you in a justified state; so that you will be able to recommend a contractor's work again. Just compensation for the grievance(s) need to be accurate and stated firmly, but not harshly. At this point, it's best you put this in writing so that he can think about all of this before you see him again. I formed a little something for you to see what I was thinking. "You know John, I was excited about working with you on our kitchen. I had every confidence that you had the skill to handle this job. However, I must tell you that even though the wood floors are beautiful and the cabinets are coming along, and I do believe you will get them right, I have to tell you, this granite situation is not working for us at all. The bottom-line is: I want that counter with the broken granite replaced. We've worked hard for our money and I wanted a brand new kitchen without compromises. I don't want repaired granite, I wanted granite installed and fabricated by professionals correctly. With all of these delays and mistakes, I feel as though I'm paying for you to attend a granite seminar and you're the student. When you installed granite that had been cracked and you repaired it, yet failed to admit it to us, I was deeply disturbed and frustrated with this situation. I would be thrilled with your fix had my child broken the granite and you did that repair; but in this case, we are paying for brand new counters that we expect to be made of solid and unbroken granite. Anyway you look at it, it is broken and I want it replaced. Nothing else will satisfy me concerning the broken granite. As for the template layout, I do believe that if I had been present when you laid out the template on the granite, then we would not have had the other problems with the grain running in the wrong direction. If we work this out, I want to be present when you layout the next templates. You want to be satisfied with us paying you. I want to be satisfied for what we contracted you to provide. We are already weeks behind schedule. If you cannot get this granite finished professionally and installed by date certain, then please let me know as soon as possible. I know this is very stressful on you, so if you do not want to finish the granite that is OK; we think it more than fair that you deduct the price of all of the charges associated with fabricating the granite counter tops from our contract; we will then go with another fabricator and start over. Please let me know your decision as soon as possible." And remember, "Don't expect to get what you want, if you don't ask specifically." Also, let this be a 'lesson' for anyone shopping for granite: be present when templating and when laying out your templates on your granite. There was a gal on GW a few years ago that had the grain running in the wrong direction on each side of her range. I do not believe her fabricator changed her granite. Her entire kitchen was a mess. The templates were placed on the granite any which way, just to save stone, with no thought or care to how the finished product looked.