Believe it or not I got Ducher instead of Duchess of Brabant last week. That is really funny. Same exact problem but, I got mine from Chamblee's. Luckily, I noticed it 2 days later when I was planting it. I called them right up and they apologized and sent me my Duchess on Monday. It should be here by Thursday. The best part was they told me to keep Dutcher. Of course, being that they were sending another order, I had to add to it. It must be a label thing as when I first opened the Box and looked at all the Labels I didn't notice it either. I think we both got lucky as I've done some homework on Dutcher and think we'll grow to like him. Dan

I do believe we have a winner, Robert's Wondrous Ruthie, and I never would have known it without your help. Thank you, ladies. I may post my photos at HelpMeFind, to add to the references there. I agree, it is a lovely rose that flowers abundantly and has thrown up new canes like crazy. She's been a bit plagued with BS in my no-spray garden but I'm hoping that settles down. The misidentification turned out to be a fortuitous mistake because her colors actually play off a nearby Belle Epoque and some other old HTs and HPs quite well. The Jeri Jennings I finally got is at a patio corner, underplanted with an indigenous flower we have here in south Louisiana, called Indian Pink. Thanks again for your help. Kind regards, Janice

Thanks Ragna, I appreciate the input. For now I ended up eating them whole/intact. I tried pressing the pulp/juice vesicles but the yield was negligible. (Like trying to squeeze juice out of a single pomegranate bit that's mostly seed and skin and gelatinous fiber.) I baked some at 350 for a short time but that didn't help much. I think the ultimate would be in a slow cooker or crockpot for 12+ hours, to where they are softened enough to "pop" or burst in the mouth with only gentle pressure. But the temperature is low enough so there's no carmelization or dehydration or other added flavor artifacts. I suppose another motivation is that the birds eat most of the edibles I grow (tomatoes, strawberries, blackberries, grapes). This is the only edible they haven't beat me to (as of this morning anyway). So even if I only get a couple dozen "pods" that produce 1/4 cup of pulp the entire month, by golly I'm not passing it up. For a while in the 1990s there was a passionfruit flavored frozen lemonade concentrate made by Minute Maid or someone that really hit the spot for me. They no longer sell it and I haven't been able to recreate it but that sparked my initial interest in the passion fruit plant. Now that I'm growing one I also appreciate the GF butterfly connection and the visual complexity of the flower (so many features, absolutely ridiculous, in a good way of course).

I laughed at your title. My dad was cut from the same cloth as your DH. He also had CHF when he refused a lot of the medication and treatments they told him he needed for COPD -- which led to the CHF. He lived alone after my mom went into memory care and I worried about him. I bet we could trade a lot of stories. But you did well in getting him to take the test (maybe even making sure he got vaccinated), use the string of chairs and go to the hospital. Those are not small feats with a stubborn man. How are you feeling? Have you been able to take another test? You might want to get an all clear before they send DH home - or be able to arrange some help with his care if you are positive. Either way, take care of you and get some rest.