At first I tried many methods including the burrito method which all ended up with the black stems. I began my experiment with store bought roses purchased at the local flower shop. I've had awesome success with other hardwood cuttings with Dip n' Grow, so I figured it would work with roses. I proceeded to look up methods online, I followed the instructions in the Dip n' Grow insert with all of them resulting in black stems. One thing I did notice was that with one experimental method using water with an air stone bubbling (oxygenating) the water the stems would begin to callous and they began to show new growth at the budding sites, but after a while the stems would turn black and die. At that point I'd tried different pH's, nutrient solutions and growing mediums. After several dozens of roses and a lot of wasted money on roses, I eventually got fed up. So on my last attempt I realized that the blackness on the stems was actually an infection of the stem. So I thought to myself "How can I eliminate the infection factor?". I tried one more totally experimental method using and uninfected portion of the main stem that exhibited new growth from one of the stems that was infected in the lower area and finally, SUCCESS!! Here is my original method that I used to propagate the first plant: You will need the following: 1. Coir (coco peat) 2. Microwave safe bowl 3. Microwave Oven 4 Clear Container with a lid, (many Chinese restaurants use them for soups) 5. Dip n' Grow Rooting hormone 6. Cotton swabs Step 1: Add your Coir to the microwavable bowl add enough water to have the coir in a liquefied state Microwave for 20 minutes to sterilize the Coir and kill any fungal spores or bacteria it may have in it. Step 2: Strain the Coir using a piece of cheesecloth or other fabric that has been washed in chlorine bleach being certain to squeeze as much of the water out as possible. Step 3: Wash the soup container with bleach then thoroughly rinse. Fill soup container half way with your damp coir packing it down. Step 4: Take a cotton swab and dip it into pure Dip n' Grow then dip your swab in water as to slightly dilute the Dip n' Grow in the swab. and use the swab to cover the areas of the cutting where it has been cut, being careful not to put the rooting hormone on any part of the cutting that will be exposed to light. Step 5: Put the Hormone treated area into the coir being sure it is not exposed to light, then cap the container. Step 6 Put your cutting under some form of artificial light, compact fluorescent bulbs work well (at least 25 Watts). In the above steps you've created a sterile environment for your cutting to take root. In about a week or two check for callusing, when you see the callousing then add a small amount(a few drops) of very mild, high phosphorus fertilizer (promotes root growth) around the area where the callousing exists, so it can easily gain access to the fertilizer . Look at the bottom of the container periodically for signs of rooting In another 1-2 weeks you should see roots growing against the bottom of the container. This is the point where you can gradually expose the leaves to the environment because once root formation has begun you no longer have to fear infection Note: if you notice any fungus growing anywhere in the container, it is better to expose the cutting to dry air which will kill the fungus and let the cutting have chance at growth.

@ annie1971 Not washing in hot water because your machine only provides a cold rinse is, in my opinion, misguided. You do realize that if you wash at 120F or higher, your rinses will end up being warm? That's because any cold water entering your machine will be warmed by the higher temperature of the inner and outer drum, clothes, and door. And saying that cold water won't rinse away "fecal and other crud we can't see" is also not especially accurate. In this respect, there is no difference between cold and warm water rinses. It's the main wash portion of the cycle, through the use of detergent, that you are removing fecal and other matter. You may be in for a shock, but by washing in warm and rinsing even in warm water will do nothing to rid your clothes of germs and bacteria. Your baby clothes, underwear, sheets and towels are already not clean - by your own definition - when washed and rinsed with warm water.

Some photos: Us on the river, we're the three canoes in the front and the orange kayak in the middle. Us chowing down and toasting Prof. Larry Levine, who was killed Thursday in Umpqua. If you don't know much about him, check out his obituary, he was a heck of a writer and very colorful character. Lawrence Levine had simple needs and a passion for writing. Below, Larry's awesome, poignant essay that I read, in its entirety. Friday, June 07, 2013 An artist friend and I drove the river highway late in the morning, stopping occasionally along the way. He needed to inventory his paintings at The Inn upriver, and I needed to get my drinking water from the spring where watercress grows, but actually,anything done on the river is done to be on the river. Along the highway, the Scotch Broom was invasively yellow, and the wild Sweet Peas painted with watercolors. We've both lived here for decades; we're in our sixties; we've got experienced perspectives. We've done this a bunch. I learn from him; he sees more than I do; he's got artist eyes; I've got writer eyes. If memory serves me well, I can't recall a time that we both, in a rush of deep appreciation, didn't proclaim the North Fork to be the most beautiful river in the world and the watershed paradise. This claim can and should be disputed by anyone who lives on a beautiful river, or on a moderately beautiful river, even on a pretty or cute little river, because learning the lessons the river teaches is gratifying, and if a place makes you feel as if you're in paradise, you are. Why wait. The lessons can be comforting or terrifying, but, if the learner survives, they're meaningful currently, and, over the course of memory, I can appreciate the progression of my education. The education is ongoing, never complete. A headstone will be my diploma. When my artist friend can look out at the river and say, "I remember when..." and I'm on the same memory page, that's the essence of sharing. When I stand in a spot where I have stood a hundred times and am still awe inspired, that's way cool, because I've got this personal theory about how awe has the power to transform, however temporarily and however permanently. I see the scene, simultaneously remembering its many manifestations over time, remembering the man viewing it twenty/thirty years ago, and, for too fleeting a moment, the old awe adds intensity to the present. Obviously, the river can also make a person a bit strange and esoteric, but its a fine madness. Here's how I came to this eccentricity: Over a period of time, an eon ago, the river whispered to me so softly as to be inaudible. Little by little, its voice grew louder, until I could decipher the message. Much akin to the lyrics of The Band's song, "The River Hymn," it called, "Son, you ain't never seen yourself / No crystal mirror can show it clear, come over here instead." It made me an offer to which I put up no resistance, and I've been here ever since. I like that when it addresses me--and address me it does--it always does so as "Son." It parents; it taught me to walk its rocky, slippery bottom, taught me to walk its banks; it taught me a language I work to understand, and it gave me hope that eventually my voice would be accepted into the choir that sang the language that I alone could not. I wasn't born to it; I'm adopted, and being here only gets better the more here I become.

I don't go to hamburger or Mexican chain fast food places, unless I happen to be in Seattle and need food, then I treat myself to a Dick's Cheeseburger. A local chain with a loyal following. Nothing fancy, no sit down, just walk up and take to your car or home. Hamburgers, cheeseburgers and fries, real milkshakes - 3 flavors only, I think. Soft drinks. That's it. Yum. If I'm elsewhere with no time for a sit down, I will get something at Starbucks. I love their sous vide egg whites with red peppers. Low carb, low cal, low fat, very tasty. Or I might get a low fat breakfast sandwich or cold turkey or chicken sandwich. They are decent and predictable, ready made -fast. Starbucks doesn't HAVE to let anyone use their restrooms but made a corporate decision to let even non-customers use them. This came after some unfortunate episodes of what appeared to be discrimination against certain types of people who were perceived as being non-customers (probably not going to buy anything). It will be interesting to see how that plays out for them and their customers.