Just built a 2 story retirement home. The only rooms upstairs are a small MBR and small MBa. I like going upstairs to bed and I like perching up there on the windowseat to look out at the world. And I'm also of the use it or lose it school. But I had a friend who became disabled in his 30s while living in an old house with upstairs bedrooms and only a powder room on the first floor. They had to add a complicated lift to the tune of what I recall as 10K, but it was worth it not to move. Decided then we would never have a house that was not at least livable on one level. So we have a curbless shower downstairs in a larger bathroom, wide-ish halls and doors, and one barrier-free entry. A guest room on the first floor that we could use if we couldn't get upstairs. But actually, the location of the place, far from medical services of any complexity, is not suitable for anyone who is too feeble, anyway. So that was our compromise. It also means that our house is "visitable" on the first floor for people with different levels of mobility.

The first time I saw Augusta Luise was at a rose show and someone was exhibiting a whole bunch of this rose - probably more than 20 flowers in the vase. At first I didn't really notice it but it was one of the prize winners and many people were standing around it and commenting on its strong perfume so I stuck my nose into it and WOW it was beautifully sweet and I knew I had to get one. I found one at a rose nursery the next day. They have grafted a whole heap of these on fortuniana but only a handful were successful grafts. The owner told me that this is one of those varieties that's really hard to graft onto fortuniana. (Hence the premium price you pay on roses grafted onto fortuniana). I was just happy that they still had 3 plants left so I grabbed one and it has done very well ever since.

Here is a local story I saw today about a couple's nightmare of problems with their luxury motorhome. Motorhome nightmare Here's a good comment from a reader: "If they had done some basic research they would have learned to avoid Thor and most other new motorhome manufacturers. This dream is definitely doable with the right coach. It is a bad idea to buy a new one. Almost all new coaches come with a long punch list of repairs and outrageous depreciation. It’s best to buy a quality used, well maintained coach that already has the bugs worked out. Foretravel, Newmar, Country Coach and Newall and Prevost are known to be the best used coaches on the market. Country Coach is out of business but they are still supported with parts and service. Look for family owned companies, avoid publicly traded manufacturers if you want quality and support."

I'm having a hellacious time trying to reply to you. I've put in a post with photos, and it just won't post! Check your messages and see if there is something there! I'll try one more time without the two pics I put in the post - Yay, Ida! You're right - it's stabbing wool into shapes with barbed needles. The needles come in various sizes; I use a 36 (fairly fine) for most of my 'stuff', but they come in many sizes. I'd suggest that you watch a few videos. Here is a link to some - Needle felting for beginners Because I have crafted for most of my life, I didn't watch any, and just dove right in. I did buy a book AFTER I started called Painting With Wool by Dani Ives, 16 projects to needle felt. I 'reserved' a copy before it was published, and paid $24.99. You can get it now on Amazon here for $11.15! Dani Ives book The only thing I've made from the book are some of these 'Bunny Brooches' for friends. I like to do animals more than anything else, and there is also a Panda in a hoop in the book, shown below my bunny brooch. A good way to start, if you are still interested after watching a few videos, would be to buy a kit. There are some on Etsy HERE I recommend a kit, as it will have the needles, the felting pad, and the wool colors that you'll need.