I'm glad Straw's methods worked for you, Jess! I'm going to try them next season!!!

Lovely roses!!! It's nice to see a picture of your yard too!

Carol

thanks so much Carol

Lots of great looking roses Jess!

Jess: Yours are the most healthy, most blooms/buds roses that I had ever seen in my 4 years frequenting forums .. no one ever post such healthy & deep color colors, not even in Rose Gallery. YOU ARE THE 1ST ONE to achieve such perfection without spraying. I'm very happy for you & very impressed with the amount of blooms and healthy leaves from South Africa.

My 13-year old daughter (Lynn) made me scroll through your pics. the second time to admire your roses. She really likes your Fairest Cape Panarosa .. orange color is her favorite !! The toddler Cameron is the 3-year old neighbor of Jim, who had a stroke & in rehab now.

Pork don't have much antibiotics, but chicken and beef are loaded with antibiotics. The Japanese Okinawans have the longest life-span, they eat mostly fish and pork. My cholesterol was 224 when I had yogurt and cow milk everyday .. I cut that out, and ate soy-milk & cereal, and brought my cholesterol down to 180.

Last year I posted on the danger of carrageenan (in soy milk) .. and trashed my Organic Silk Soy Milk. Today I went shopping, checked Organic Silk Soy Milk and they took out carrageenan !! So I'm going back to organic soy-milk, since it's high in protein (7 g per serving). The internet really helps consumer to shop, the lady behind me in check-out line, her cart is full of soy-yogurt. Lots of grass-fed, no antibiotics beef are offered at grocery store.

Kefir (fermented cow-milk) is supposed to be healthy with 12 beneficial bacteria. But no one could prove that Kefir helps prevent colds, but there are plenty of studies to prove that Brewer's Yeast helps to lessen chance of catching colds & boost immunity. Last year all 3 of us: I, my husband, my daughter caught the worst flu in our lives ... we were drinking tons of kefir & ate yogurt at that time. I will do anything, including taking brewer's yeast everyday, just to avoid that nasty flu: 1-month of constant coughing.

Agree with Jess that we are born genetically deficient in certain nutrients, and crave for that later in life. My mom has diabetes, and I inherit her genes of magnesium-deficiency. A study showed that diabetic patients are most deficient in magnesium. I always love greens since I was 5 year old ... my sisters teased me about how much spinach I consumed as a kid.

Jess: chewing sugar-less gum might help with less smoking. There's chewing gum with sorbitol, which is safer than aspartame. An lady told me she was really skinny when she smoked. But once she quit smoking, she ate candies instead and gained weight. I cut down on my chewing sugarless-gum, like splitting one stick into 4 tiny pieces per day. A lady told me the tip of tiny-dark-chocolate chips (the type to make cookies) .. she would eat 3 to 4 tiny-chocolate chips for desert (only 10 calories total)

Brewer's yeast is best tasting with soy-milk & honey, and blah with almond-milk, that's why I'm going back to Organic soy-milk (30% calcium and 10% magnesium, a better ratio than cow milk). Soy milk is high in protein, 7 g per serving, versus very little protein in almond milk. Coconut milk is very rich & yummy ...it's like a desert in itself (but zero protein). I stop using coconut milk since I need more protein to lose weight.

Here's info. on brewer's yeast from University of Maryland Medical Center:

http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/brewers-yeast

" Diabetes

Some studies suggest that chromium supplements may help people with diabetes control blood sugar levels. Because brewer's yeast is a rich source of chromium, scientists think it may help treat high blood sugar.

High Cholesterol

A few studies suggest that brewer's yeast may help lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels in the blood and raise HDL ("good") cholesterol levels. .

Weight Loss

Although some studies suggest that chromium may help reduce body fat, the amount of fat lost is small compared to what can be lost with exercise and a well-balanced diet. Brewer's yeast is also used as a protein supplement and energy booster. So it may help maintain a healthy weight.

Other Uses

At least one study has found that brewer's yeast may improve acne. Another linked it to a reduced risk of a second skin cancer. One large, preliminary study found that taking a specific kind brewer's yeast product (EpiCor) may help prevent colds and flu.

Source: Brewer's yeast | University of Maryland Medical Center http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/brewers-yeast#ixzz3q5lZeLga

Jess raised a good question as to animal meat has growth hormone, yes, plenty in beef. Each country has its own rules on what's allowed in what animal. See below info. I don't trust McDonald claim. They made false claim before, WAY-BEFORE things are actually done.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/21/antibiotics-meat_n_6916932.html

As awareness of this threat grows, some companies have removed antibiotics from their meat supply. Earlier this month, McDonald’s vowed to remove human antibiotics from its chicken supply, though animal antibiotics would continue to be used and the human drugs would remain in beef and pork products. Chicken chain Chick-fil-A removed all antibiotics from its chicken last year.

But Chipotle remains the food industry’s poster child for antibiotic-free meat. The burrito chain showed its commitment earlier this year when it suffered a pork shortage after discovering issues with its supplier

• Thanks so much Strawberry Hill, but that is because I studied these forums, and especially took note of EVERYTHING YOU ADVICED, ALL YOUR TESTS AND EXPERIMENTS.......

The gypsum, the sulfate of Potash, no pine bark for mulch, no bone meal either, the leaves on top with horse manure etc etc....

and no, there's something I don't agree with - YOUR ROSES are the first I saw on the internet looking great - without spraying or using chemicals at all... at that stage mine was a BS fest and had maybe one flower each at most...

so - thank you - again.. :-)

also thank you so much Lynn, for liking my roses :-)))

many thanks Jim :-)

I took out one last thorn in my toe this morning :-)))

Some quotes from the book: My Year of Meats - Ruth Ozeki*

http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-my-year-of-meats/#gsc.tab=0

During one day of filming, the director from Japan has a bad reaction to the meat he is eating at the home of a featured housewife. Jane learns that this reaction is caused by the man's severe allergy to antibiotics. Jane learns from the doctor that all beef has some residual antibiotic in it from the antibiotics given to the cows at the feedlots to keep them from getting sick.

In Chapter 6, Jane does research on a hormone known as diethylstilbestrol or DES. This is a hormone that was used in cows in the fifties to promote growth. The drug was also given to pregnant women to help prevent miscarriages. When men began having similar symptoms to those that Purcell experienced, the FDA outlawed the use of the hormone in cows. Similarly, it is now known that DES caused defects of the sexual organs in female children born to women who took DES.

http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1054&context=tapestries

DES is a manufactured estrogen originally
used to fatten up chicken and cattle for slaughter, but simultaneously prescribed to pregnant
women across the country to prevent miscarriages. Jane pieces together that the DES that her
mother was prescribed during pregnancy has rendered her incapable of having her own children.
Ultimately, Jane decides to use the show to expose the beef industry for what it really is
– “unhealthy, corrupt, inhumane, and out of control,” as Dyann puts it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diethylstilbestrol

DES gained notoriety when it was shown to cause a rare vaginal tumor in girls and young women who had been exposed to this drug in utero. In 1971, the New England Journal of Medicine published a report showing that seven of eight girls and young women (ages 14 to 22) who had been diagnosed with vaginal clear cell adenocarcinoma had been exposed prenatally to DES.[28] Subsequent studies have shown an approximate 40-fold increased risk of vaginal/cervical clear cell adenocarcinoma in women exposed in utero to DES. As a consequence of this evidence, DES is considered an established human carcinogen. DES was one of the first transplacental carcinogens discovered in humans, meaning a toxin could cross the placenta and harm the fetus. It had originally been believed that the placenta protected the developing fetus but it is now known that is not true. Daughters exposed to DES in utero may also have an increased risk of moderate to severe cervical squamous cell dysplasia and an increased risk of breast cancer.[29]

DES daughters

In an animal model designed to study environmental estrogens, DES turned out to be an obesogen capable of causing adult weight gain in female mice which had been exposed to DES during neonatal development. The excess weight gain was not apparent at birth or in infancy, but occurred in adulthood.[36][37]

DES sons

Various neurological changes occur after prenatal exposure of embryonic males to DES and other estrogenic endocrine disrupters. Animals that exhibited these structural neurological changes were also shown to demonstrate various gender-related behavioral changes (so-called "feminization of males"). Several published studies in the medical literature on psychoneuroendocrinology have examined the hypothesis that prenatal exposure to estrogens (including DES) may cause significant developmental impact on sexual differentiation of the brain, and on subsequent behavioral and gender identity development in exposed males and females.[49][50] There is significant evidence linking prenatal hormonal influences on gender identity and transsexual development.[51][52][53]

Psychological anomalies[edit]

Most of the initial research documenting the psychological effects of prenatal DES exposure was poorly conducted, often by mail card. Despite that, some more carefully conducted studies show a clear link to depression.[54][55]

https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/265218-my-year-of-meats

“In this root sense, ignorance is an act of will, a choice that one makes over and over again, especially when information overwhelms and knowledge has become synonymous with impotence.”
― Ruth Ozeki, My Year of Meats

I'm wondering now - for how many generations this will have a negative impact on any child that is born?

And - what other terrible things are used now that we aren't told about - until it's too late, of course...?

Hi Jim, how is little Cameron doing? Can't stop thinking about her...

and your eyes Carol? Have you been to the doctor?

Cameron is still in rehab... They are trying to get her to regain some movement she lost.... Thanks!

I won't stop praying for her Jim...

JESS: Glad to hear that last thorn is off from your toe !!

CAROL: I'm still praying for your eye-sight everyday. that's too precious to lose.

JIM: I'm praying for your wife's eyes, so she can enjoy the beauty of Garran for many years.

THANK YOU, JESS, for posting info. on DES, hormone used in cows to promote growth .. dangers not known until later. Very interesting and important info., that helps me to understand the transgender crisis, cervical and breast cancer, and weight gain. New hormone came out to replace the old ones, but we don't know about the dangers of new hormone until later.

Just like the medical community used to recommend HRT (hormone-replacement therapy) for menopausal women .. LATER ON they stopped, after finding out that cause a rise in breast cancer. Here's an excerpt from below link:

"It has been estimated that HRT has caused 20,000 cases of breast cancer in Britain alone, and is known to double the risk of breast cancer, and increase the risk of blood clots, strokes and heart attack.

The bubble started to burst in 2002 when the Women's Health Initiative trial was stopped prematurely after it was discovered that oestrogen plus progestin increased the risk of stroke in post-menopausal women."

http://www.wddty.com/the-problems-with-hrt.html

From STRAW: the moral is: don't mess with nature, one pays dearly afterwards.

My daughter loves beef, she's anemic (low-in-iron). I can see teenager girls having menstruation NEED beef since they lose iron in their monthly-period. But there's no point for males or menopausal women to overload in iron, rich in beef. Babies need milk since they have no teeth & need to grow ... but us adults don't need milk from a mommy, let alone a cow-mommy loaded with growth hormones.

Livestrong.com sorts out the confusion between FRESH meat vs. processed meat:

" Processed Versus Unprocessed Meat

"Unprocessed red meat is NOT associated with an increased risk for coronary heart disease or diabetes, according to a review published in the May 2010 issue of “Circulation.” People who ate red meat eight times weekly did not have a higher incidence of either disease than those who ate meat once a week or less.

However, processed meats contribute to both diseases. Every daily serving of processed meat increased the risk of heart disease by 42 percent and the risk of diabetes by 19 percent, according to Harvard Health Publications. Any meat that contains preservatives or is preserved by smoking, curing or salting is processed meat. A few examples include hot dogs, bacon, sausage and luncheon meats."

http://www.livestrong.com/article/431065-why-is-red-meat-bad-for-you/

Milk isn't bad like in the old days .. but modern society wrecks havoc with milk with its greed: milking cows when it's NOT appropriate, or pumping artificial growth-hormone to induce more milk. The below is from Havard University Gazette:

" Ganmaa Davaasambuu is a physician (Mongolia), a Ph.D. in environmental health (Japan), a fellow (Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study), and a working scientist (Harvard School of Public Health). Natural estrogens are up to 100,000 times more potent than their environmental counterparts, such as the estrogen-like compounds in pesticides. Dairy, she added, accounts for 60 percent to 80 percent of estrogens consumed.

Part of the problem seems to be milk from modern dairy farms, where cows are milked about 300 days a year. For much of that time, the cows are pregnant. The later in pregnancy a cow is, the more hormones appear in her milk.

In a study of modern milk in Japan, Ganmaa found that it contained 10 times more progesterone, another hormone, than raw milk from Mongolia. In traditional herding societies like Mongolia, cows are milked for human consumption only five months a year, said Ganmaa, and, if pregnant, only in the early stages. Consequently, levels of hormones in the milk are much lower.

One study compared diet and cancer rates in 42 counties. It showed that milk and cheese consumption are strongly correlated to the incidence of testicular cancer among men ages 20 to 39.

In another study, rats fed milk show a higher incidence of cancer and develop a higher number of tumors than those who drank water, said Ganmaa. "

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/12.07/11-dairy.html

Jim: I saw that you-tube, cute-baby !!

Jess, turns out my eye appointment is in March. Yay!!! That gives me a long time to not worry about driving or not. :)

Jim, love little Garran. He has very big hands, doesn't he? :)

Carol

Carol: I checked on the Monsanto's hormone added to cow-milk in this country (more testosterone?) .. and sadly found that Canada is no longer safe from Monsanto-hormone. Here's Oct. 2015 news:

TPP would allow milk from cows receiving hormones into Canada

U.S. allows bovine growth hormone currently banned in Canada

By Janyce McGregor, CBC News Posted: Oct 23, 2015 5:00 AM ET

" 'Incoherent' approach

Yves Leduc from the Dairy Farmers of Canada says this "double standard" concerns farmers because it creates confusion.

"It seems incoherent to restrict the use of rBST in Canada, when products made with the hormone can still enter the Canadian market," he wrote to CBC News. Health Canada banned bovine growth hormone because of animal welfare concerns."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trans-pacific-partnership-milk-imports-hormones-1.3276739

Before my research on rBST Monsanto's growth-hormone ... I was reluctant to pay double-the-price on half-half milk for my husband's coffee just to get rBST-free. But after looking at the immense suffering inflicted on cows, I'm going to pay double-the-money. Below is from Wikipedia:

" In the United States, public opinion led some manufacturers and retailers to market only milk that is rBST-free.[11][12][13][14]

A European Union report on the animal welfare effects of BST states that its usage often results in "severe and unnecessary pain, suffering and distress" for cows, "associated with serious mastitis, foot disorders and some reproductive problems".[15]

Two meta-analyses have been published on rBST's effects on bovine health.[6][7] Findings indicated an average increase in milk output ranging from 11%–16%, a nearly 25% increase in the risk of clinical mastitis, a 40% reduction in fertility and 55% increased risk of developing clinical signs of lameness."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bovine_somatotropin

Yesterday the Dean of my daughter's school called me. First time ever !! She was mad at the glitches in the kid's blog website, so she typed a bunch of swearing words at the website (just to get her frustrations out). She saved that as DRAFT, she meant to delete that later, but forgot. That was months ago !! But the school checked all the files that kids created on their lap-top. She was called into the office, and missed 2 hours of her classes.

Swearing-words are not acceptable on-line, they said, even if you save it in your personal "DRAFT" file, rather than publish it. Months ago she was heavily into cow-milk: yogurt for breakfast, ice-cream twice a day, and milk in baked goods, plus cheese for lunch. She had bad pimples, got angry & frustrated easily, and her blood test showed high testosterone.

Ever since I cut out her 3-servings of dairy per day, she's more mellow, happy, and easy-going, except when she's asked to write 4-paragraph in 1/2 hour span in gifted English. Now she gives me a hug when I ask for .. This morning I fed her soy-milk after a 2-years absence. She LOVE IT!!. Thank God they took carrageenan out of soy-milk, it's an inflammatory extract added to ice-cream. It makes the texture smooth, but inflames one's stomach, so one has to eat MORE to feel satisfied.

Magnesium oxide (bland & chalky powder) added to ice-cream suppresses stomach acid, so one eat less. That's how I gave my kid magnesium, but I'm going to put magnesium powder in her soy-milk from now on. Soy-milk has better ratio than cow at 3 calcium to 1 magnesium, but I'll going to UP the magnesium.

Below is an interesting link that shows how nutrition can moderate aggressive behavior, written by an M.D., on studies done on prison-inmates. For kids low-iron is one factor toward aggression and mood instability. Cow-milk, high in calcium, suppress iron. In the same way, liming roses make roses pale (calcium plus high pH zap out iron):

http://orthomolecular.org/library/articles/webach.shtml

Swear words do make you feel better sometimes though...lol... But yep make sure its deleted before someone with authority sees it... yeeee!

This is from Google News today: "

The research, which was published Friday in The Lancet: Diabetes & Endocrinology, analyzed 53 clinical trials and discovered that low-fat diets don’t help people lose weight and maintain that weight loss for more than a year as well as diets that contain higher amounts of fat.

Researchers discovered that, on average, study participants on low-fat diets lost and kept off six pounds after a year, while those that followed low-carb diets (which contained more fat) lost about 8.5 pounds within a year."

https://www.yahoo.com/health/scientists-low-fat-diets-arent-as-effective-as-175618834.html

Agree with the above, due to my dry hands with rash, I increased liquid-fish-oil (NOW brand, imported from Norway). I'm at 128 lb. ... gained 1 lb. from NOT walking for 1 week, it has been constant rain & cold weather. The 1 lb. gain is from NOT walking and gardening, rather than from fish-oil. In my life, I easily gained 5 lbs. per week through sugar alone: either a baked apple-pie, Halloween candies, or working at a bakery with 1 sweet-treat per day .. exercise can't burn the sugar, but fish-oil high in Omega-3 helps to keep me warmer in the winter. Below is NOW liquid-fish oil sold for $13 for small size on Amazon. We have been using that for 1 year ... the lemon flavor is strong, no fish taste. I drizzle that on pancakes for my kid.

I take it straight by the spoon, it's less fishy than Barlean's liquid fish-oil, which is sweetened with xylitol. NOW brand is 100% liquid fish oil from Norway, no sugar nor additives added:

http://www.amazon.com/Now-Foods-Omega-Flavored-7-Ounce/dp/B000VH7140

Garran & Gunnar left to go home just now... Seems to quiet now...lol

Straw - thanks for checking into the milk stuff for me! That was kind!! :) Hopefully your daughter has shaken off the shame she might feel at being brought into the principal's office. I think a letter mailed to you might have been a less emotionally painful way for your daughter. Or just a five minute talk with the principal. Two hours?? What were they thinking??? That's interesting about needing fat in our diet in order to lose weight. I don't think it's fat that's made/keeping me fat. I think it's the sugar/carbohydrates.

Jim - yes, I suppose it must be a lot more quiet. :)

----------------------------

I'm pretty cheesed off.

I just finished deleafing my roses, cause they're going in the garage today. Almost every rose had canker. I've taken off huge canes, etc. I went out one day to look at the roses after a really cold night (-6C/21.2F), and I discovered that I had let the roses dry out (why didn't I check the pots?? Argh) I'm sure they were too stressed out from being dry to deal with the cold.

Big Purple (*)

Rock & Roll (*)

Nicole Carol Miller

The Alnwick Rose

Paradise Found (my favorite rose) (*)

Ch-Ching (*)

maybe some others that I can't remember are too far gone with canker in the graft.

The ones I've asterisked are ones I've taken cuttings from.

There are some that I think I got out the canker far down enough. Time will tell.

Darn!

At least I've learned how to get cuttings to root this summer.

These are roses which I've decided I don't want to keep

- Double Delight - I was thinking of keeping it - but there's too much canker

- Mr. Lincoln - not one bloom this year

- Oklahoma - meh

- Audrey Wilcox - the flowers are pretty for about two days, then they fade

Darn, darn, darn!!!

Carol

Only time I experienced cankered canes is when I piled shredded oak leaves up against canes to overwinter a couple past winters. Do not have that problem now because I no longer do that...lol

I never seen canker happen during the active growing season...

Mister Lincoln does not like cooler weather... He struggles to bloom even in slightly lower temps... I got about 8-9 blooms in the Spring, 8-9 more awhile later then if it got cooler no more blooms for that season. If it stayed warm later in the season then we might get 4-9 more blooms. So we averaged anywhere from 16-25 blooms per entire season off of ML... ( I was fertilizing Mister Lincoln most of those 4 years we grew it.. It died last year..)

Update on Cameron...They had to stop her rehab due to complications... Doctors trying to figure things out...

Jim: I'm praying for Cameron everyday.. 3-year old is too young to be handicapped. Flu & cold UP the risk of stroke & heart-attack. Here's an excerpt from below link: "Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine report that heart attack and stroke risk rose sharply among study participants during the first few days following the diagnosis of influenza, pneumonia, bronchitis, and other respiratory tract infections."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/2004/12/16/flu-can-trigger-heart-attack-stroke.html

CAROL: I'm so sorry that your favorite roses got canker. Would hydrogen peroxide help? Hydrogen peroxide kills fungi & bacteria & used in rooting roses. My daughter's school is behind in everything (it's public school). She had to wait for a long time to see the psychologist .. they asked her questions, then let her go .. but she missed 2 classes. That taught her a lesson NOT to swear and curse, even in a personal rough draft on-line.

I'll make sure to give my daughter brewer's yeast & soy milk right after she gets out of school at 4 pm. Brewer's yeast is a laxative, it helps to eliminate toxins from the body & boost the immune system. A friend got grumpy when his girlfriend gave him chocolate, he swore that every time he eats chocolate, he comes down with a cold. Same here, my gal-friend used to give chocolate every Christmas .. I got constipated and came down with the WORST cold twice ... I had to tell her STOP GIVING ME CHOCOLATE.

This Halloween I bought non-chocolate, healthy fruit-snack with 100% vitamin C. I don't want any kids to catch cold, or have cavities. We gave out 71 bags of fruit-chew to kids dressed in costumes ... it was rainy & cold. Normally we give out over 100 pieces. Last year my entire family got constipated with dairy (yogurt, Kefir, cheese) .. we all got the WORST FLU ever. One time I watched TV report of U.S. troops in the Middle East, the soldiers reported that they got very constipated from the cheese & meat diet. Brewer's yeast works against cold & flu, since it's a laxative. An excerpt from below link (Harvard Medical Teaching Hospital, Beth Israel):

" A large, randomized trial found a positive effect for brewer’s yeast in preventing colds and seasonal influenza (flu). In the study, 116 adults who had received a flu shot were given either 500 mg of a brewer’s yeast product called EpiCor or placebo for 12 weeks. Researchers found that those who received Epicor had fewer colds and flu. And those on Epicor who did get a cold or flu were sick for a shorter length of time compared to participants taking placebo. 4 Far more research is required before brewer’s yeast can be routinely recommended for the prevention of colds and flu. -

See more at: http://www.bidmc.org/YourHealth/Holistic-Health/Herbs-and-Supplements.aspx?ChunkID=625843#sthash.4QYYn3ex.dpuf

Jim - yeah we can get rose canker here in the spring and in the fall. I like to get my roses out early and in the sun. Then I cover them with flannel sheets. Sometimes, though it's just too cool, and they get canker, especially since springs are so rainy. This year, I'm going to keep them in the garage much longer. Mr. Lincoln gave me 1 bud this year, and I just cut off the bud.

Some roses that are more hardy, and didn't get any canker are

Valencia

Fragrant Cloud

Chicago Peace

Acapella

Poor Cameron. Keep fighting girl!

Straw - school can be rough. I guess she learned a hard lesson. :(

We got 9 kids for trick or treating.

Carol

Garran has beautiful hands, what a beautiful baby, sorry to hear they've left Jim....silence is not always golden, especially when loved ones leave... and now with winter it must be even worse...

Poor little Cameron... it's terrible to hear about a small child suffering like that...I'm praying for her Jim, also for you and your wife and Carol's eyes....

thanks for the info on milk Strawberry Hill...also, about the 2 hours in the Dean's office...that was just plain sadistic I think - to put a young girl through that just for venting her anger in a drafts file... I don't agree with that kind of torture...and humiliation...

When I was very young I also became angry...often...the adults always broke down swear words like when you spell it so that kids couldn't hear the words, but I quickly figured out that must be swear words...so one day I became really angry and told them : "you K-L-M!" hahaha they nearly broke out in fits laughing (that stands for the Dutch airline company) - that of course, made me really really angry! :-) but I figured I got my swear word in! :-)

the profiteers (milk, meat, oil, etc etc...) are basically insane, I think.... no far reaching positive vision for mankind & the planet and all its inhabitants, as long as they get their quick cash...they are - as far as I'm concerned, what would be classified as 'successful psychopaths'...the unsuccessful psychopaths are the ones that land up in jail...

I've quickly re-checked on Stinging Nettle... it contains more iron than spinach and meat..

http://www.mariatrebenherbs.com/index.php/component/sobipro/?pid=54&sid=79:STINGING-NETTLE&Itemid=0

From a certain age on the body has less iron and there are symptoms of fatigue and exhaustion; one feels old and less efficient. The Stinging Nettle with its iron content is used with great success and after a period energy, vitality and a bodily well-being is experienced.

As a blood builder it is beneficial for anaemia, chlorosis and other blood disorders.

From these accounts it can be seen how quickly the herbs bring relief. Of course, 1 cup a day won't help, especially for bad cases at least 2 litres a day have to be sipped.

http://www.nestle-family.com/nutrition-health/english/mythbusters_spinach-contains-more-iron-than-meat!_23.aspx

they are delicious to eat as well, even the flowers are edible :-) (below are some recipes)

http://mariquita.com/recipes/nettles.html

http://www.wolfcollege.com/stinging-nettle-harvesting-processing-and-recipes/

http://www.npr.org/2013/04/17/176668359/nettles-bring-spring-to-the-kitchen

It is so sad to hear that your roses have canker Carol....that must have been such a shock.... I am so glad our winters here aren't as cold...

How does one use Hydrogen Peroxide Strawberry Hill, for rose canker?

I read somewhere that one can paint the stems before it gets that cold? but haven't yet done that - I'll be looking into that before winter starts here for my baby trees... is that correct Strawberry Hill? Can the stems be painted, and if so, with what product?

I stay right at the bottom of the valley where all the cold gathers, seeing that I'm also right next to the little stream & dam....

before last winter I mulched my roses up quite high with grass clippings, and when it warmed up I removed all of that...but I think roses are much stronger than baby trees....

Straw , Henry posted a link on using Hydrogen Peroxide as a fungicide back a couple years ago.

So who knows hydrogen peroxide might help canker... Worth experimenting on 1-2 roses to see?

It's raining and raining.... and raining....

what a blessing, I am so grateful...

all the streams were dried up, the grass dry - even the aloes were turning red and black... there was no water left for the bush animals... what a miracle...

CAROL: Thank you for listing the roses which are resistant to canker. Hubby gave out candies to kids last night, he said most of them came from across the street in cars with their parents. There are apartments & condos across the street, so we get over 100 kids every year, except for last night's rainy & cold weather;

JESS: Agree with you on Stinging Nettle, I give that to my kid EVERYDAY in liquid-drop. I take freeze-dried stinging nettle tablets for my allergies: work great & I sleep great too. I want to grow Stinging Nettle in my garden, will have to order the seeds.

Jim: My itchy hand is BOTH a fungal infection and a chemical-sensitivity My hands itchy intensely AFTER I work in the garden, wearing damp gloves. But in sunny weather, when my gloves are drier: less fungal infection & less itchy hands.

Only in wet & week-long rain that my gloves are damp, which foster fungal-growth in my glove, which rubs on my skin. Now I don't even wear gloves when the weather is damp. Same with the nitrile-glove (NOT latex) which I use to wash dishes, I turned it inside-out, there's blackish mold growing inside. So I trash it. Thick gloves that are worn again, and again, carry fungal spores in damp conditions.

It's really easy to treat fungal-infection on skin: I rub hydrogen peroxide on my hands, let it foam up for 5 min. then the itch is gone. But it's HARDER to treat chemical-sensitivity, I have to stay away from trigger-foods: pineapple ... hands itch like crazy about peeling pineapple. Certain seafood can trigger rash on my hands & body. Fungal-infection is limited to hands only, while chemical & food sensitivity affects my ENTIRE BODY.

Msdorkgirl asked me the same question about fungal-treatments for plants. Two things which are STRONG ANTI-FUNGAL: hydrogen peroxide (full-strength), and Milk of Magnesia (thick chalky liquid). Drawback of hydrogen peroxide: it's a liquid, and drips down. Milk of Magnesia (magnesium hydroxide) is a thick & chalky solution which can be painted on plant tissue. Magnesium is VERY DRYING, plus high pH over 12, that's how it kills fungi so well. Zinc oxide, used in baby-diaper-rash-crème, is another anti-fungal agent. Zinc has intrinsic anti-fungal property, it strengthen cells' walls, and oxide is what makes it VERY ALKALINE, the high pH zaps out fungi.

Snow...I just checked the weather report...tomorrow, in areas all around us...plus flooding in some places....

Great to hear Jess! Drought can be rough on everything!

Snow in Africa? Flooding is not good though! Stay safe!

thanks Jim... :-)

Also thanks for the great info Strawberry Hill...how would one use Hydrogen peroxide/ milk of magnesia/ Zinc Oxide for roses?

the rash on your hands sound really painful Strawberry Hill..

do you have a homeopath in Chicago? I ask because sometimes there aren't any - even in 1st world countries, like Oman...not even a health shop..

I found this site with a few recommended remedies...

https://www.elixirs.com/products.cfm?category=Allergy

The reason why I always suggest homeopathy is because I've used some remedies which cured my ailments almost miraculously...

Yes Jim, very strange weather all around the world...

Snow in the middle of summer in Africa...not normal...

we have lots of snow during winter in many places here, especially around Lesotho...brrrrrrrrrr..........but for this time of the year it's not normal...They predict 55.4 Fahrenheit for tomorrow...

The flooding possibility always scares me...

I'll just stay indoors...however, this is a great time to dash out to apply the chicken manure... :-)

lots of snow-pictures in SA if you type into Google images: snow in south africa 2015

I seen those snow pics Jess! Wow! I never would of guessed it snowed in Africa...Learn something new everyday...

Jess: Same here ... didn't know that it snows in South Africa !! That was funny about how you swore as a child. Kids are learning swear-words from internet chat.

I checked on tree-canker, it can be both fungal or bacterial diseases, one site recommended the below. Personally hydrogen peroxide is better, since it kills BOTH bacteria and fungus, versus alcohol only kills bacteria. Rubbing alcohol is handy to sterilize pruning tools & it's fast drying.

"Treat all bark and wood injuries promptly. Then swab the wound surface liberally with an antiseptic such as 70 percent alcohol or shellac. The use of commercial wound (tree) paints and dressings is not recommended."

The Morton Arboretum, 20 min. from me has a website on tree-canker, they state "DO NOT PRUNE WHEN IT'S WET. Best to prune when it's hot & sunny, the ultraviolet light (sun-ray) disinfect the cut. UV light kills both bacteria and fungus.

http://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/plant-clinic/help-diseases/canker-diseases"Do not prune when the bark is wet, to reduce spread of the fungus. Pruning tools should be sterilized between cuts using rubbing alcohol or 10% household bleach.Once a trunk canker develops, the tree may begin to seal off the area by forming a callus around the canker. Avoid cutting into such cankers because it may renew fungal activity and increase damage. "

Jess, thanks for your sympathy. Sometimes we need someone who understands. But, all the roses are in the garage. Hopefully they'll be fine. :)

Straw - Yes, those roses never get canker!

Jess - snow in the summer for you!! We get snow in the summer quite often. But where you are??? Hopefully you'll stay safe. :)

That's interesting info about canker. I got sick of cutting canker and cleaning my tools, so I just didn't bother. Although, if you get a couple of inches below the canker, doesn't that negate the risk of canker transfer?? So one just rubs straight H202 on the canker, and it goes away????

Carol

Guess what!!!! I did something that I've never, ever been able to do this in my life!! I walked heel to toe for about 8 steps!!! I've never (because of my neurological disease) in my entire life been able to do one!! I think it's because of my personal trainer. She's working miracles with me. I do weights with a machine, but I also do work with elastic tensile bands to work my balance. I cannot believe how incredible this is!!

Carol

Congrats Carol! Awesome! :-)

Wow!! Carol, I'm happy for you. Heel to toe for 8 steps takes a lot of coordination, and YOU DID IT. When my kid was 4 years old, she would be so happy when I lost weight on the scale ... health for my friends cheer me up more than roses. I'm elated when I heard Garran home & healthy, and I'm happy about rain for Jess & no more thorns in her toe.

I am happy when my daughter is happy. I'm sure that's how God, our Father in heaven, feels .. He's happy when His children (us) are happy. My kid has a friend came over today (same age). The friend was on Ensure (canned nutrition with soy milk) .. her skin was clean this past summer. I did research on soy milk and thyroid disorder, yes, there's a slight link, esp. with carrageenan added. So I e-mailed this teenager info., and her nutritionist switched this gal from Ensure (soy-based) to Kefir (fermented cow-milk).

Fast forward today, this friend gets pimples on her face. I feel bad since the bad news about dairy didn't come out until this year. I google thoroughly when I switched my child from soy-milk to cow milk .. could not find a link between cow milk and acne until recently. But I learn something: always look at how many people are involved in any study. The thyroid & soy link are just a few personal testimonies, versus the below:

" The famous Nurse's Health Study examining health habits of 47,000 nurses found that those who drank more milk as teenagers had much higher rates of severe acne than those who had little or no milk as teenagers. In other studies of over 10,000 boys and girls from 9 to 15 years old, there was a direct link between the amount of milk consumed and the severity of acne."

Today I'm back to the diet that I was on when I was skinny: soy milk (new formula without carrageenan) & high fiber cereal ... I feel so much better & more energy. My kid loves her cereal & soy milk. She could NOT handle cow-milk either .. she's lactose-intolerant. I checked on soy milk again before I switch back: if the soy-protein is concentrated, like soy Isolate in faked meat, then it will screw up the thyroid. If the soy is concentrated and made on aluminum equipment, like tofu, then that will UP the risk of Alzheimer's.

But soy milk in low dose with cereal, isn't bad ... at least it's freed of hormones, antibiotics, feces, and pus like in cow's milk. Soy milk is easier to digest, plus zero cholesterol. What I like the most is: it smells clean, NOT strong like cow-milk.

http://snowreport.co.za/updated-snow-forecast-01-03-november-2015/

I am just below Cradock ...brrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

Thanks for all the encouragement and good wishes everyone :-) - makes everything feels warmer...It's great having you as friends :-)

the rain (torrents) came with a terrible gusty wind and one of my huge trees broke a branch which landed on the car port - the beam is broken on top but fortunately no other damage..

I quickly ran out this morning when the rain stopped and added my organic mature chicken manure as Strawberry Hill suggested, tied up a few branches that got whipped by the wind, just in time before the rain started again.

everything is wet wet wet, the streams are running again. I am so grateful for this rain. The roads will be a total disaster though - we only have dirt roads between here and 'civilization'

Carol! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW! that is such great news, that you are able to walk heel to toe, it must be fantastic exercises your'e doing....wish I had such an instructor...I'm very clumsy and always hurt myself due to that...I also hope your roses get well soon and survive this winter...

thanks for the info on the canker in trees and roses Strawberry Hill, I will save that info in my rose-folder...where all your other info is kept... :-)

Wow - you're pretty far south to be having snow!! Sheesh! Too bad about the tree. But, luckily no one was hurt. :) Awesome that you had rain. What a blessing!

Well, the instructor is pretty expensive, but she has changed my life as I no longer need a cane, and a wheelchair seems way far off in the distance. :) Being clumsy can seem ridiculous to others (and myself), but we do get bruises, don't we!

Thanks, Jim!! :)

Carol

I know...but we are very close to Antarctica...the southern areas are always colder than our Northern parts....I found this a while ago and then realized why it gets so cold here sometimes...this little town is just about 1 and half hour's drive from the coast upwards...it gets very cold in NZ as well...especially North Island

And yes, I often get bruises...

wish I could get an instructor like that! :-) so glad you have that opportunity Carol!!!!!!!!!!!!! sounds like she's doing magic for you, with you doing the hard work of course :-)

Thank you, Jess, for posting that excellent map of South Africa being near the Antarctica .. I wondered about it last night and was looking for a map of South Africa. I googled for "snow in South Africa", that's something new I learned. I really appreciate Jess, Carol, and Khalid being from different countries ... I learn new things, thanks to all of you. Today is November 2, let's post in a new thread, entitled, "11/2/15: New things you learn, wonder about, what you hope for?"

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3479414/m=3/11-2-15-new-things-you-learn-and-wonder-about-and-what-you-hope-for