Those "soil tests" really are the pits. I've used them and had the same experience as you. The pH indicator seems to works reasonably well while the NPK tests were less than worthless. These tests are sort of like an immediate gratification soil test. They may not work well but you get results pretty quick. You can be a little more forward thinking and patient (very hard for some like me) and send a well collected sample to your state soil testing lab. In some states these tests are free and give detailed analysis with recommended fertilizer application rates.

Well, shoot. I am beginning to wonder what my findings will be next year after winter. Having a prety good mix of own-roots and grafteds will be interesting, too, to note how the plants all come back. I need to be sure and note in my journal (do I have a journal???)where each rose came from and whether it was bareroot or own-root. I can see the day coming when I will have too many to remember such details. michaelg, you must be at least partly right about the genetic/storage thing. (Sorry, tired!) I have a Garden Party (HT) that was a $1.50 body bag from Lowe's last year. Planted it LATE last year, buried the graft, and it still was the first die-back rose to put out new growth, and my first rose of ALL of them to begin blooming. It is BETTER this year than last. I have had two flushes form it already, and it is putting our growth for a third, wahoo! The circumstances should indicate the plant would not do as well, yet the reverse is true. Vigor absolutely must have so much to do with the particular scion variety. Just an aside, sort of on topic: do you remember that I had an 'oops' order and ended up with the china 'Old Blush?' You (michaelg) mentioned planning to grow it as a dieback, and hope for the best from a deeply-buried graft. I planted it and a Therese Bugnet in nearly identical circumstances, except that TB gets much less sun. She already blooms her fool head off, and explodes with growth, even after just a few weeks in the ground! There is no indication of her stopping, either. I deadhead every single day, and there is new growth every time. Just amazing. I'll have to start another thread on feeding such a prolific bloomer. OTOH, Old Blush is spindly and shy. Put out some tiny little blooms then went cowering behind the phlox. I doubt I will see her again next Spring, but I did expect that anyway.

When my parents had a blow out, formal anniversary party (but not a wedding style one), I designed the invitations and a matching thank-you note. The printing was nicely done on nice paper, but really didn't cost a lot compared to basic stuff like food. Having a large stack of personalized notes makes things so easy. It was a nice touch, having it match the invitations, seating cards, etc. There were plenty extra, and my mother still prefers to use them 10 years later. Kids could do the same kind of thing. Design their own thank-you notes and make a stack of them, keep them in a lovely box with a pen, ready to write (we always had bought ones; something one always had at the ready, however). They could be digital or linoleum block print or any image that can be scanned and printed. They should all be the same though, so the kids don't get stuck on wanting to keep the best one and the pink one and the one with the dog on it, etc. I think if you put the same importance on the object and ritual of writing as you do on the meaning it becomes more tangible for kids. I'm perfectly happy to receive the "draw JC a picture" type of kid thank-yous done on notebook or copy paper, but I know it's kind of a drag for them to do them. Creating a note, and acquiring or making envelopes that fit, and finding or decorating a beautiful box for them, is rewarding in itself, and then getting to use them in the beginning is something to look forward to, rather than a boring chore. (One can hope (though perhaps futilely) that before it's a bore it becomes a habit.) For a large formal party or wedding (well more than 50 guests, i.e., beyond what most can remember), where you have reply cards (or the digital equivalent), it's so easy to use a card file box or spread sheet to keep track of the addresses, gift received, note sent, etc. Just a little organization does wonders. I said my piece above about gifts without tags with names, but it's really hostess gifts that lack them, usually, except that occasional one where the card fell out and you have to use process of elimination and call the mom to confirm. Given that you have a gift and a tag and know you're going to open and separate the two, being prepared with a smartphone or spiral notebook, writing the description of the gift on the card as well, and keeping the card in or tied to the gift, are all strategies that let you know who gave what. Having the giver write it out for you and address the thank-you notes is TACKY and LAZY and RUDE. I would make an exception for a developmentally or mentally challenged individual who had a particular deficit in focus and organization and really needed help (most don't). I'm sorry. I'm going on and on. I'm just a bit shocked and really ticked off at the chutzpah.

Vee, that reminds me of when we went to an outdoor concert and the couple in front of us were really obnoxious. The concert was in summer time in a paddock which was rocky and had dry stubble and weeds and was quite rough. This couple kept standing up and dancing in front of their sets, blocking the view of everyone behind, and the security guard kept coming and telling them to either sit down or go to the dancing area off to the side. They also thought they were being so clever smoking (it was a no smoking area) and hiding their cigarettes under their seats so the glowing ends wouldn't be noticeable. At the conclusion of the concert we started the long walk back to the car park, and on the way DH dropped into a collection bin the garbage bag we had been handed on entry. I remarked to DH, "Wasn't that couple a real PITA?" "Yep," he replied. "And one each of their thongs were in that bag I just dropped into the bin." While they were up dancing, with their thongs (flip flops) under their seats, DH had reached forward, taken one from each pair, and placed them into our garbage bag. I don't imagine walking across that prickly paddock was a lot of fun, once they gave up looking for the missing thongs :-)