They don't get offered that big because the price would be too high. They cut them up and sell the pieces. 3 years ago, the Grandi I described earlier was in full bloom with 14 spikes, won 'Best Dendrobium of Show' at our modest little spring show and had 14 fewer canes than today. Someone offered me $1,000 which I declined in a nanosecond. If I wanted to sell it today however, I would be hard pressed to find someone with the ready cash, I'd be better off selling $100 pieces. I harp at our society sessions and at lectures I sometimes give at our shows about taking the plunge and paying way too much for what seems like a young plant with 3 to 5 canes. 4 to 6 years from, you'll be glad you did when you look at the spectacular display these guys put on. At every major show there are a few for sale, seemingly way overpriced in relation to what you pay for beautiful Cattleya types etc. If you take the plunge you'll probably wait a few years for first bloom. You can admire them at the spring shows only. Off the 'small' varieties I have a v capricornum with 18 to 20 fat canes which has yet to bloom and a v pedunculatum of equal size which finally bloomed last year. I heard that one of the two has a reputation for being a slow starter. Does someone know which one it is so Sue can be forewarned in case she jumps into the deep end. I sense she is tottering and needs just a little nudge. If and when you are ready contact 'Down Under Native Orchids' and order up exactly the type and size you want. He may go to a show in Canada all though I don't think so. I could pick it up for you in Santa Barbara next spring and mail it to you at a point of your choosing this side of the border. Check on the import requirements, I believe you can bring a bare-root house plant in without difficulty. I see Canadians in Santa Barbara every July who combine a summer vacation with orchid buying, who seem to have no problem bringing them over. You could always hide it in your bra. As you can tell by now its my favorite plant. One Aussie enthusiast wrote once that if they hybridize orchids for another 50 years, they may come up with something as beautiful and grand as a well grown D speciosum. Maybe a little exageraton there, but a point well taken. If you get one, it will be with you for the rest of your life or until you need to get rid of it because of size. My family of descendants is made up of 6 children, 5 and 8/9th grandchildren at last count, the D spec v grandiflorum , a 130 lbs Sulcata tortoise named 'Big Bob' and a mutt named 'Whiskey'. None are for sale. Nick

Cleo26, I was outside one day in Nov. looking in the garage at a new washer sitting there "worthless", I was very upset seeing it, not wanting to sell it to someone and passing on the problem, so I decided to call them one more time, I asked to talk to a manager again and explained the whole thing to them and she said "well I am going to have to send someone out to see what the problem is", I told her NO that was not possible because it is now in the garage and has been since Sept. she insisted that someone needed to come out and check it, I just kept being very persistent and kept telling her No that was not going to happen, I told her about the SQ set that I got to replace it and I explained how I haven't had a problem with them, so I know that it is the model 9200! I asked for a refund, she put me on hold and then she said that she would send it to the review board. The next day I got a phone call and they said they would send me a check. But it took a while. I actually got a phone call from her the 2nd week of Dec. she asked if I had got my check yet, I told her no, so she investigated it. I ended up with a phone call on Dec.19 from the company that came and picked it up and gave me my check. You just have to let them know that it's not exceptable, when you pay $1000.00 for a washer, you expect it to wash your clothes. It was a very long and painful process to go through, but it was worth the fight. I hope that anyone else going thru similar problems with any brand washing machine, take charge of the issue and don't let them tell you that they can't do anything for you. Because they can and will! you just have to hang in there and don't give up. I almost did.

I really know nothing about these machines but I will say I would think that you should be able to set any spin speed on the Normal cycle anyway. With towels, jeans, sheets you need a fast spin. I would call them and ask about this.

Well, now there's all kinds of stuff you are able to can, with a pressure canner! I had to look up that brand, I'd never even heard of it. First, you can put the stuff in smaller jars, just not bigger ones. So process the half pints for the same time you do pints. And you can do pumpkin and winter squash, but in cubes, not in puree. You can process broth, stock, vegetables, soups, all kinds of things. Right now on my shelves I have chili, split pea soup, french onion soup, chicken, beef and duck stocks, cabbage roll soup, base for chicken noodle soup or chicken rice soup, cubes of beef, sweet and sour chicken (which I haven't tried yet, so I can't make rash promises). I had a problem canning dried beans, about half of them unsealed and the beans just soaked up the liquid, leving the beans dry and overcooked. I haven't had time to try again since then. I've canned salmon and taco filling and beef stew, as well as most of my garden vegetables. You cannot safely can pureed squash/pumpkin, as it is too thick and heat penetration is an issue. Noodles and pasta turn to mush, they're disgusting and dairy is pretty much a no-go. Flour used as thickener will clump and cornstarch loses it's thickening power, ClearJel is the way to go when canning. Some approved recipes have a little butter or fat in them, but not a lot. Good luck, and happy canning! Annie