Hi again, rose friends! Just popping in to say 'thank you' to all of you for your enthusiasm, kind words, and for appreciating roses like I do. That 50-degree day was short-lived. I guess I shouldn't have gotten so excited. Tonight it is down to 17 degrees.....tomarrow it will struggle to get out of the twenties. Winter is hanging on. melva....,my Duchesse de Buccleugh is about 5 1/2 feet tall; she is only a couple of years old though....not sure of her mature dimensions. (I'm not sure if it will get the same size in your warmer climate or not.) york rose.....believe it or not, with over 350 rosebushes I still water all my roses by hand, by myself. We live out in the woods so we have our own artesian well (very deep) so I never have had to worry about running out of water, just time and patience....lol. Watering all those roses is probably my least favorite rose-chore, especially getting all tangled up in the extra-long hoses. Krista....its good to know you see what I see in 'John Hopper'.....he's FINE. Carla....Thanks for your sweet comment! organic....Yes, she is a DIVA, that Gloire des Mousseux...lol! Gean....so glad you are getting something out of my posts...thanks. I like 'introducing' you all to the roses, because I am so enthusiastic about them. aroidgardener....Excellenz is a wonderful, charming rose. You were SO smart in getting that one! I forgot to mention that the blooms last a very long time on the bush and are great for bouquets. Mark....Happy Spring to you as well....thank you for taking the time to read my post and for letting me know you enjoyed it! Tammy....Pinks are my favorites as well. I have way more pink roses than any other color. Eric....careful of those roses....they like to whip out a thorny cane when our backs are turned! Centifolia variegata is the sneakiest of my roses....I swear she waits for me to turn around and hooks me like a big fish and reels me in...lol. (but I love her still) Deb....I think you are right....roses do need that extra caress and a few 'sweet nothings' once in awhile. My neighbors can attest to the fact that I am in love with my roses....quite a few times I have gotten weird looks from them when they hear me talking and there's nobody there....lol. twohuskies.....I know what you are going through....I placed all my rose orders early and yet I am still pining away for yet more roses that I don't have room for! I am running out of land, time, money, etc. but I can't stop myself! Luxrosa...Pink or white Albas...there is nothing more beautiful. I am glad you know this too! And I can well understand your wanting to marry Long John Silver. I have him too, and he's a charmer. He can make you weak in the knees, can't he? Rose-fever is one 'sickness' I hope I never recover from....lol. Thanks, everybody! Celeste

For our dear Canadian friends and other confection-deprived nationalities, let me present candy corn. And, in the believe-it-or-not department, today is actually, no-foolin', National Candy Corn Day. I kid you not. This is according to the National Confectioners Association, and I'm sure they wouldn't lie about it. Too bad it wasn't Nov. 1. It would have made a good trivia question. Patti, I used to eat them a layer at a time, but eventually gluttony prevailed and I just throw a bunch in my maw now, preferably with peanuts. Lorna - cashews sound even better. How are they? Annette - Eatmores? Maybe we're the confection-deprived country. I haven't heard of them. Georgeanne - You're right. Ya gotta start at the pointy end. DW is calling me for din-din. Ciao. TM

sjarz ~ I keep both corn meal and flour in the freezer. I've done it for several years so I wouldn't get those little bugs in it. I have absolutely no problem at all with it. If I know a few hours ahead of time that I'm going to use it I take it out of the freezer then so it will be room temperature. I have no particular reason for doing that because I've used it many time right from the freezer. Linda

Hi, Slow! I knew you were back when I saw all the new posts when I signed on. (grin) The grout/no grout issue...First, I was taught this no grout method when I learned. With no background, it's all I knew. The reasons now I prefer no grout (for the birdhouses) are two: First I use Tile Perfect Premixed Tile Adhesive and Grout (Sanded Antique White)to adhere my tess (when I can find it), and when applied liberally enough it kind of oozes up between the pieces and gives a kind of rough grouted look that looks good with the stones. Secondly, working with the rough stones and wood, grout cleanup would be truly difficult. The problem has now been that the Tile Perfect product has been harder to find (I found now that it can be ordered through ACE). The Mapai Thin Set sits very flat (no oozing, is very messy and the color isn't as good for this application. (The house above shows the gaps in the tess from using Thin Set and not the adhesive and grout product. (Looks fine anyway I think, but I like the other better) If I were going to build a house that could be used outdoors, I'd grout it for sure, but since they're decorative, I just haven't done it. Welcome home! Glad you had a fun time with Flag! I am sooooo jealous.