my seed list was last updated 12/7/14. some seeds have been traded/used since then. but I have not found the magic link to update my list. can email current list to anyone interested.

lemecdutex (Ron) has brought up what I was thinking all through my reading of this thread: For me, this is another nail in my coffin. My nose is extremely sensitive, and not in a good way. I love the scents of the Teas, but there are times (when I'm working in the Sacramento Cemetery Garden) when my nose actually hurts, and I get a headache - this is when things are at the height of bloom, and it comes mainly from the really strongly scented roses. I love being there and working with the roses, so I try to think of it as a price willingly paid, like sunburn, etc. But catalogs that have been scented can just pole-ax me, and the world lately has become so fragrance-happy that those of us that can't handle it (and there a LOT of us) are in a bad way, because it's EVERYWHERE. I think, though I'm not sure, that most perfumes are now made in laboratories out of chemicals, rather than in France, from flowers. And I also think that the scents on paper are made up, at least in part, of chemicals that have been formulated to approximate a particular real fragrance - and the chemicals are a big part of why some people have such an extreme reaction. I've also noticed, in reading on this forum, that people seem to actually "read" rose fragrances differently, according to their individual nose, or olfactory nerve perhaps. Some people smell a tea fragrance, others smell it but don't think it "tea-like". Some consider Teas to be virtually scentless. I read the Tea thing more often than references to the fragrances of other classes, but I think there is probably an individual reaction to those, also. Sherry, I hope your DH doesn't feel insulted by my negative input. I'm sure it seems like a wonderful idea to everyone who loves all those smells, and they are, after all, in the majority. And, anyway, this is all probably just a delightful and jolly discussion, just to run with. Because, actually, I think the cost of such a book/catalog would be prohibitive - that is, if they had to get a good match of all those different roses. Of course, THEN we could have one of those wonderful long threads with people disagreeing like mad about whether a page REALLY smelled like Duchesse de Brabant... Laura

Georgysmom--Trader's wine actually crossed my mind! (But I thought it was 2-buck chuck--must be inflation! LOL!) Jannie: I've been to Stew Leonard's once--the same small chain as the store in either Norwalk or Danbury, Conn., correct? The only thing I recall was that they had big animated animals. (not live ones!) Yeah, people--find me something that will turn me into a once-a-month lush! LOL! There is actually chicken stock in the recipe, so there'd be no purpose in substituting, I fear.

@msrose -- a fruit forward wine really can occur with any varietal or blend, but is often a style associated with certain types. But if you enjoyed the Gewurtztraminer, then you might like ones from the Alsace or from the PNW (e.g., Hogue, Chateau St. Michelle). There are also good Rieslings and Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio from those areas. If you want something less sweet, you may want to try the Chateau St. Michelle Dry Riesling or an unoaked chardonnay/Pinot Grigio like those listed. If you find you still want a red and those other choices you tried aren't working for you, you might venture into a Zinfandel (Rancho Zabaco, budget Rosemblum slight step up). They can be fruit forward to the point of being jammy. Slightly OT, but I had read that much of the US red wine production was pushed to fruit-forward, bold wines by the palate of Robert Parker, an influential wine critic. He's the one who came up with those first 0 to 100 point ratings you see listed in advertisements, and now emulated by many publications. Thus the vintners let the fruit ripen longer on the vines, driving the sugars and resulting alcohol content up.