I am coming out of lurkdom here because I attended Jason's rose class last year and saved the handout. Here is why his roses are so compact: "The pruning of Old Garden Roses is far different from that of the modern hybrid tea. Removal of all dead canes and clippings no more than 1/3 of the remaining bush is a good rule to use. This encourages full foliage, and heavy bloom without destroying the vigor and natural form of the plant....varieties which are everblooming can be lightly trimmed or 'tip-pruned' several times a year to encourage the new growth on which they flower. Once-blooming varieties should be pruned after they bloom." My notes: "Hard prune after first bloom. This is when Japanese beetles come and this way you avoid being troubled by them." "Climbers cut side branches 6-8". Side branches trim 8-12" Don't reduce # of canes." "Shrub roses reduce height 1/2 to 1/3 and make dome shape. Don't thin." I was at Petals from the Past yesterday and inspected his roses and they were beginning to bloom and were a mannerly size. I remember he had some growing up poles and he demonstrated to the class how he would prune them in the spring so they would grow up the pole in a demure way. I hope this helps and does not confuse anyone. Petals does have a web site and they are very wonderful about answering emails too :-) Sharon

Golly, I love all your stories! Some of your comments remind me of my own love affair with books, & one of them, 'We lived within walking distance of a branch of the NY Public Library', sounds like pure heaven! 'I can still remember how proud I was when I got my own library card when I was 5.' I was older, but I do remember that card! & the big steps up to the big door & the big balistrude (or some such) where I could sit & read until my mother came back to pick me up. the ceiling fans in the cool, hushed lobby area. the smell of the date stamps & the waxed linoleum floors... I read the "Black Stallion" series starting, I think, when I was in 2nd grade. read 'em all. The very first one "The Black Stallion", was an orange hardback book with the silhouette of The Black on the front. I loved that book. About 3 years ago, I bought a bunch of books that a library nearly 60 miles from my hometown was discarding, including an orange hardback copy of "The Black Stallion". When I settled down to re-read it, I found that it had been stamped in to the Ferris library in the 1990s, but it had been stamped in my hometown library in 1957. It was 'my' book. 'Oddly, I haven't done a lot of reading in the last couple of years' I've noticed that I too go through 'spells'; sometimes I read all the time, sometimes I sew all the time, sometimes I have to re-aquaint myself with the concept of 'books' & sometimes I have to make friends again with my sewing machine! Life takes us down different roads sometimes, but our old loves are always there. Sue, try audio books; I listen to them all the time, at home & in the car. I love 'em! 'When I was in first grade, I filled out a little tiny order form for a set of Brittanica encyclopedias and sent it in. A salesman showed up at the front door.' Bingo! I filled out one of those cards in the doctor's office, for a children's set of 'encyclopedias' of Bible stories. The sample book in the doc's office was a bright sort of turquoise marine blue with a technicolor-bright illustration of Jesus & a crowd of children. Out of that one card, I scored the Bible encyclopedia, the Book of Knowledge, & Lands & Peoples, an encyclopedia about different countries around the globe. The Book of Knowledge was my favorite; besides informational articles, it had stories & poems. "The Arab's (Something-Song? Call?) to His Steed" marked the first time I'd ever heard of Arabian horses, & they're still my favorite. My brothers & I were very lively, & the only way my mother could get us inside to take naps was to read to us from the Book of Knowledge! When she broke up housekeeping, my mother gave the Bible stories to her church's children's dept, & I don't know what happened to Lands & Peoples. I still have the Book of Knowledge.

Alabamamommy - It was a long and more complicated process than I expected. I expected picking stone counters would be difficult, paint colors are always a challenge but hardware? One thing to keep in mind that if you pick a standard size - I think that 3.5" or 4" center to center are common measurements - you can always change them (especially if you have not spent a fortune.) I definitely recommend going to a local hardware store and picking up a few - different finishes, different styles - to start to narrow down what you are attracted to. We also put the samples on the doors (we used that adhesive tacky putty but the tape mentioned above may work better.) You may get lucky and find one you love, but if not you will have a better idea of the style or finish that works for you. Then you can order samples - from one of the online knob sites, a local restoration hardware (they don't charge you shipping if you order from the store - I even ordered on the phone via the store so I didn't even have to go to the mall :) or other store that carries hardware. We have a great local hardware store that carries all kinds, BUT each manufacturer charges shipping so it stinks for samples (versus the online consolidators that will charge you one fee even if you order from different manufacturers.) I also found some online stores that specialized in more period hardware, even some more simple (www.whitechaple-ltd.com, wwww.houseofantiquehardware.com and www.horton-brasses.com.) The surprising thing was to me some handles looked good in some finishes but not in others. Additionally, finishes look different for each manufacturer - some lacquer, some don't, some times there is a "grain" on a brushed knob or pull that goes in a certain direction. Some knobs have an orientation. OK - maybe I have freaked you out more at this point. I surprised myself in the process - I originally wanted a silver color but not polished (actually loved the pewter but everything was either rustic or super expensive.) BUT - I ended up with polished nickle because it really complimented my natural birch cabinets AND I used ORB on my white island and cabinets AND used glass knobs and satin nickle on my desk/hutch. Oh yeah AND two different handle styles AND knobs. I also wanted something that was a little old (we have a turn of the century house) at the same time contemporary. I went with Restoration hardware bistro pulls - but almost went with the House of Antique Hardware's "Classic Early 20th Century Pull" (and don't even look at Sun Valley bronze unless you have an "unlimited budge" - they are beautiful :) Regarding you kitchen - I love ORB with white, but you have to decide do you want hardware to stand out as ORB does with your walnut accents. I became attached to PN because it actually reflects what is there and therefore doesn't stand out as much as an ORB but give a lightness and glow that I didn't expect. Chrome is "cooler" looking than PN to me. Satin nickle (stainless has a similar look but is more expensive) would be more "modern" and does look really nice on the white as well. There is also antique brass (sort of a dulled almost browned brass - not shiny) that would give you more of a classic feel and may be a nice compliment to walnut but based on what I read this may not be your cup of tea (I have just warmed to it recently.) Obviously I still have some hardware baggage based on my long post - I wish you luck and hope that some of this helps.

If that information is from the new book you mention, it seems unlikely and unreliable. Evelyn Nesbit was the notorious "girl in the red velvet swing", the centerpiece of one of the most famous crimes of the 20c. She was no Gibson Girl, as the type was defined, and it is inconceivable that Anne of Green Gables is based on Evelyn Nesbit. Nesbit was, of course, the girl for whom Stanford White, one of America's greatest architects, was shot and killed. Nesbit was married to a wealthy and unstable young man who took umbrage at White's seduction of his beautiful young wife. Nesbit had a bit of a history herself and was definitely not the all-American girl of perfect lineage, brimming with self-confidence and outdoors-y interests, portrayed by Gibson. The only thing they had in common was their beauty. Nesbit is known to have modeled for artists. Perhaps the author is implying that Gibson used her as a model. It would be interesting to see his evidence.