Aggierose, RMV stands for "Rose Mosaic Virus," one of 2 rose viral diseases I'm aware of; the other is Rose Rosette Disease. RMV is not natural to roses. It somehow got introduced through rootstock grafting or budding, and came, I think, from apple trees or some such thing. Anyway, its been a widespread problem in the U.S. for the past few decades, the latter part of the 20th century, as mass production through infected rootstock sources led to mass infection. I don't think there was much public awareness, though, until just the past several years or decade or so. Basically, RMV weakens the infected plants so that they don't perform as well as they otherwise would, are more susceptible to fungal diseases and more easily succumb to winter freezes, among other things. It's sneaky, though, becuase there is no easy way to identify all infected plants without laboratory testing. and different rose plants respond in quite varied ways to being infected. Some never manage to grow well and quickly die; others are seemingly healthy and productive for a few years, then gradually decline; and there are grades in between. One "clear" sign of the disease is mottled or varigated patterns on the leaves. But it is not always or even often present. There is no cure. VID or virus indexing is a method discovered to create clean rose plant stems from infected plants by growing the plants in strictly temperature-regulated rooms, hot enough that the virus can't reproduce but not so hot the rose dies. Whatever stems and leaves grow in those temperatures are, in theory, free of the virus, though the virus remains in the rest of the plant. UC Davis started a VID program several years back to help rescue more popular varieties that had been virtually or entirely taken over by RMV infections. Check out this address for more info, or you can just as easily do a web search on rose mosaic virus. http://www.marinrose.org/virus.html

Some flurries here too :( I see a light dusting now, possibility of accumulating 2-4" overnight and should be cleared up by tomorrow afternoon. I'm ready for spring, I want to see all my new cuttings grow and bloom, also my seedlings. Lets have Thanksgiving tomorrow, Christmas the next day, then make it spring again, OK? Shawn

I make about 75 Amish Dinner Rolls every year to take to a huge Thanksgiving dinner. Photos can been seen and a repeat of this recipe here: http://community.livejournal.com/bakebakebake/1573919.html I use 2tsps. of regular table salt in this recipe instead of the 1-1/2 tsp. that recipe calls for. I'm thinking this recipe uses salted butter, and if that's the case don't add more. I use unsalted. I've tried it both ways and 1/2 more salt is better. (rule of thumb is 1/2 tsp. per cup of flour for bread) I start out in the Kitchenaid and finish on counter...it get's too sticky in Kitchenaid and easier to finish by hand adding more flour It will still be sticky dough though. I make double batches. I weigh the dough and divide by 15 then weigh each roll. (They touch and pull apart when done) I let the dough rise for about an hour, covered with buttered or Pam sprayed Saran wrap and refrigerate overnight to rise the rest of the way. (butter the bowl first, flip the dough butter side up, etc. to keep from drying) After about 4 hours in fridge or when the dough has finished doubling, I gently secure the wrap to sit on the dough to prevent drying out. Note: If I were using a bread machine I would remove the dough as soon as it's done kneading and place in buttered bowl to rise ( for an hour if going into fridge to rise the rest of the way) Refrigerating the dough adds flavor and also makes them easier to shape because they are sticky. Next day I shape them. Dip your hand in flour and shake off excess to form rolls. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment, and let them freeze solid, (covered with sprayed Saran Wrap), then put them in a gallon freezer bag. Thanksgiving day I take them out of the freezer about 5 or 6 hours before dinner. Depending on room temp, they will take 4 to 5 hours to thaw and do a second rise. Place frozen rolls in appropriate pan, brush with melted butter, cover with Saran wrap to rise. (No need to spray the wrap with buttered rolls) Make sure and remove them from pan after baking or they will get soggy on bottom. I try to take the whole connected batch out and let them cool whole on a rack. They won't dry out that way.... I'm always stuck bringing the rolls now. They inhale them! Oh, I cook the potatoes in the microwave covered with a cup of water, then I use the potato water for the recipe. I run them through a ricer. I just use Idaho. I use a 9 by 13 inch baking pan (buttered) because I like the sides to stick together and not form a crust. They are like Grandma used to make looking just like the photo on the link above. I hope someone enjoys! :) Here's the recipe: Theme Post: Amish Dinner Rolls These dinner rolls literally melt in your mouth. The secret is the mashed potatoes, which add starch, but don't make them the least bit dry. 2 eggs 1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) butter 1 cup (7 1/4 ounces) unseasoned mashed potatoes, lightly packed* 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast 3/4 cup water (potato water, if possible) 4 1/4 cups (18 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour *1 medium-to-large baking potato will yield 8 ounces of mashed potato. Manual/Mixer Method: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients, and mix until the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased or floured surface, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it's smooth and shiny. Or knead it in a mixer, using the dough hook. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or rising bucket, turn to coat, cover the container with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise till it's doubled in bulk, about 90 minutes. Bread Machine Method: Place all the ingredients into the pan of your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer (usually, liquids first, yeast last). Program the machine for dough or manual, and press Start. Check the dough about 10 minutes before the end of the final kneading cycle and adjust its consistency as necessary by adding additional water or flour to form a soft, smooth ball. Allow the machine to complete its cycle, then allow the dough to remain in the machine till it's doubled in bulk, perhaps an additional 30 minutes or so. Shaping: To make stand-alone rolls, divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. If you want to make soft-sided, pull-apart rolls, divide the dough into 15 pieces. This isn't as challenging as it sounds: first, divide the dough into three equal pieces (about 375g, 14 ounces, each). Pinch off one piece, about the size of a racquetball or handball (75g, 2 3/4 ounces), off each of the three pieces, setting the pinched-off pieces aside; then simply divide what's left of the three pieces into four pieces each. Presto! Fifteen balls of dough. Gently roll the dough balls under your cupped fingers till they're nice and round. Place the 16 dough balls onto a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet or sheets, leaving about 2 inches between them. Or place the 15 dough balls into a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch pan, spacing them evenly in five rolls of three balls each. Cover the pan(s) with a proof cover or lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the rolls to rise for about 2 hours, till they're quite puffy; the rolls in the 9 x 13-inch pan should be touching (or almost touching) one another. Baking: Bake the rolls in a preheated 350 deg F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, till they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, carefully turn them out of the pan -- the pull-apart rolls will come out all in one piece -- and brush them with melted butter, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I've been pouring over Rejuvenation, but I have no idea what would be good in that space - pendant, flush-mount, semi-flush, chandelier? Two lights, three lights, four lights? In a round arrangement or in a line? I seem to like the mission style type lights best, and I'm kind of liking the billiard-style kind, so I can get two or three lights in a row by the sink...but will that be weird with nothing underneath? I have 8' ceilings... I don't want it to be too low. And then what for the other fixture? Does the table make a difference? It seems that 90% of kitchens these days have islands, so in a kitchen with a table instead of an island, I have no idea what to do! I'm worried I won't have enough light if I do flush or semi-flush, but I don't want the fixture to hang too low. Any ideas?