Exactly, Stush. I was looking for that plant picture I posted here several months ago of a Futura that had sprouted a stolon/rhizome within the center of the plant. I believe this is what Pirate Girl has. The Hahnii 'Crest' is not Loop's Pride although 'Crest' may have mutated from 'Loop's Pride'. 'Crest has a narrow, very heavily keeled leaf that might be considered brittle. Crest is quite the leafy Hahnii and its leaves appear to all begin at a single central point. Like Loops Pride, the leaves are very dark green and are folded into the shape of a 'V'... at least a "U". This Hahnii is not crested in the botanical sense. Did I not send you one? I can post some pictures of it here if any want to see it. Silver Queen is a BEAUTIFUL trifasciata, I think, as long as the leaves are young. However (darn these howevers!) it behaves just like Moonshine. When the leaves mature, they become a granny apple green with some gray banding. I meant to show the attached picture of a beautiful young 'Silver Queen' earlier, but will post it here now next to a trifasciata 'Compacta' for comparison. You asked how do they grow such nice full pots of plants for under $10. They are grown by the 10s of thousands in places like Costa Rica where labor is cheap and climate is perfect. They sock the water and fertilizer to them and the plants respond.

Ani - I'm one of the ones with the issues w/the Wolf AG range. Chances are you "might" be OK with your new purchase. We, however, are quite glad to be rid of our problematic Wolf and very happy with the new American. That said, if you do have issues, Wolf was very good about servicing (except for the one guy that thought I was crazy) and in the end, did the right thing by buying back the range, in full plus installation. In other words, they stood by the product. I do think though there are still some unresolved issues with the AG ranges that were put in to production for the 2007 year. (mainly because no one could figure out what the problem was and fix it!) If that has been resolved, you should be great for many years! As to your solutions listed above - a - tried on some ranges, didn't completely resolve the issue. b - the riser is not the issue as some have had issues with the taller risers c- the problem was not the regulator but it was replaced anyway. d - gas line - be sure your gas line from street to house, house to range etc meets the standards of Wolf as stated in docs (ours did, but still had problems) If you stick with it, most if not all problems with the ranges I know about were noticeable right off so it shouldn't take you long to see if the burner/oven issues are evident in your range. Good luck with your decision -

Thanks everyone! He went out to dinner last night with someone who is high up in the ranks and been with the company for years and got more information. There are going to be 4-5 more people laid off in a company that has only 24 people total, plus some overseas. So I don't think it was entirely personal or ageism though that may have been a factor. You never know. The company is suffering right now because of the economy, like a lot of others. My husband's position was fairly new and created for what they projected the next year would be, but now they are cutting back on everything so the position became redundant. Or at least that is the official word, which looks good when looking for a new job. He sent out a ton of emails last night to others in the semiconductor business to put out feelers. Yes, he is starting to feel it and I think it is going to hit him emotionally though he won't admit it. He has been working as an engineer in Silicon Valley since 1977 and never been laid off before. He has his Masters in EE so that is all he knows, or feels like he does right now. I think he should think outside the box, but maybe that will come later if nothing comes up in his search. What worries me more then the money is insurance. Our son has a lot of medical problems and is on medication and sees a lot of specialists. I know he can extend his insurance through COBRA, hopefully it won't be too expensive. And he did get one month's severance pay plus can apply for unemployment for the next year. We have always lived pretty simply and cheaply because we have only had one income. We will exam things more closely again and see if we can cut back some more. Maybe I will look into going back to work myself, though that will be quite a change after 25 years of being home. I would do it just for the insurance coverage. I know we will get past this in time, we have survived many bumps in the road for the last 31 years, so I am not too worried. That is one thing you learn later in life, this too will pass. Clare

What a wonderful story! And congratulations on your lovely new furniture. I can hardly wait to see them in your home. Your story reminds me of something similar that happened to me about 15 years ago. I drove past an antique store every day on the way to work, and kept admiring a maple corner hutch in their window. I told my husband about it and said that I wanted to run in and check the price when I had a chance. But a few days later it was sold. I told my husband I was kicking myself for not making it in sooner, because I had really loved it. The next day when I got home from work, it was all set up in the dining room, with my dishes all arranged on the shelves. Turns out he was the one who had bought it! It was such a lovely thoughtful thing to do - it made me cry! What a guy!