One thing to check is the overhead of the condo, for insulation. It might not be very good. I believe in the expanding spray foam which they are now spraying beneath the roof, especially in residences with the heat and a/c in the attics. And, if you also have a basement, well, I'm not sure how to deal with them, I've never dealt with homes in really cold climates. However, putting a fireproof glass door on the fireplace might make sure the chimney doesn't draw your heated air up the flue. The present resident in the condo might not know about the damper needing to be closed. They have these gages they use, like heat sensors, or cold sensors, maybe infrared? that they use now to detect hot spots in summer where there is no insulation, as well as cold spots in winter where there is no insulation. If the power cost in that condo are different by much from the power costs in nearby similar condos, then something is terribly wrong. I'd be thinking that the tall ceilings have some windows up high that need recaulking. Sometimes simple things like insulating around electrical outlets on exterior walls, etc, can make a big difference. For just a little cost, they sell those closed cell foam liners for your power receptacles. And my DH went up in our attic and discovered that two of the a/c ducts were not fully wrapped, and it has helped a lot to lower the electrical bill here. Phoggie, I feel for you, because I know it is a difficult thing to make the decisions alone, after all the years the two of you consulted and you came to rely on his expertise in the building trades. But, you can do it. Your DH is not that far away, and I'm sure God has made him your guardian angel. What is the quote: "Be still and know that I am with you." Listen. And look for the signs.

Went to the Cambria dealer who has 12x12 samples of the Waterstone collection. My future cabinets are stained a sort of milk chocolate and the sink is slate-colored (Kindred). So I thought Torquay or Waverton was the solution. When I held the cabinet door and a representative slate color against the Bellingham sample, I was blown away. Perfect match, lots of movement, loved it. But I'm still torn with going conservative (Torquay) or taking the risk and hoping I won't regret getting Bellingham.

I am using minera for my bathroom countertop. It is very pretty, but I was concerned that it is a lot to look at, and that in a space as large as the kitchen, it would be too much for me, and I would tire of it after a few years. It boiled down to I didn't love it for my kitchen. I went with Grey Goose quartzite for the kitchen instead. But if you love it...:)

Thank you everyone, and especially those of you who have posted photos. I have been on a little hiatus because I had some minor surgery, and to be honest I forgot that I posted this! I truly understand what most of you mean when you say that you should not prune until the roses are about 3-4 years old, I know they need their energy stores, I know that they have awkward teenage stages (hey, who doesn't?). The thing is that most of the ones I am having troubles with are Austins, and just judging by how much growth they put on last year, if I went this whole year without pruning them I think by fall they might be gathering up mailmen and loose dogs that wonder on to my porch. I suppose I am of the same mindset as Lori_elf, to help inspire new growth I want to get rid of some of this awkward growth that will not support strong, large canes, even if they seem a little young for it. I always get a little confused when talking about the ages of some of my roses anyway, Munstead wood for example is going into it's second year in my garden, but I purchased it as a large (4' at time of purchase), grafted, 3 gallon plant from my local nursery, so it obviously spent at least a year with them, if not more, so would you consider him to be 3 years old at this point? or still just going on 2 because that is how long he has been with me? Not that it really matters all that much because when I judge them, I don't really consider their age as much as I consider their overall size and the vigor that I have witnessed under my own care. For example, I have two Jude the Obscure plants which I got last spring, both have been living in pots that are 12" across since their initial transplant. One plant was a band from from Heirloom and it was purchased earlier in the year, the other was a gallon sized plant purchased from Chamblees purchased a little later in the year. The band from Heirloom really took off and put on a lot of growth last year & is now about 3' tall, he is the one with the odd candelabra situation. Even though the Chamblees specimen was supposed to be a "gallon sized plant", he has grown much slower, but has retained more of a pleasantly round & even shape, it is a little over 1' tall. I feel comfortable pruning the Heirloom specimen because the largest cane is very thick & long, the plant is tall and seems very healthy. I would however not prune the Chamblees plant, it is still very small and looks very young at this point. I think this is due to the unusually small root ball it had upon arrival, both plants I bought from Chamblees did (the other being Molineux) which is why I probably won't be ordering from them again, they were puny as gallon sized plants and have been surpassed by every single band I purchased from Heirloom at this point. I did prune both the roses that I mentioned in the original post, but I did it gently, not removing the entire candelabra, just a few of the smaller branches here and there, or the most awkward growth on the cane in question, so that the new growth that they put on this spring will help them evolve into more balanced, rounded shrubs. I don't have many roses large enough to prune, so these two being some of my only decent sized shrubs (3-5ft tall) I really wanted them to be presentable, even if it sets them back a tiny bit, I need something pretty to look at while I'm waiting on my herd of 1 year old gallon sized babies to mature. I really don't think it will cause them much of a problem, because as I said, almost all of my Austins have grown very quickly and vigorously so far, and I already see Jude swelling into large buds in all the places I was hoping he would, so I think he will do great this year, still waiting on MW, but I think he will do great as well. I'll try to snap some photos today. Thanks again for all your responses! Jessica.