I don't think you can go wrong with 'White Cap'. It is my very best white climber, by a MILE. (Unless you want to count 'Alberic Barbier', but that will easily get to 20' and try to take over your house) White Cap's flowers are creamy white and they are fragrant. Its foliage is dark bluish green, and it rarely has any blackspot on it. Mine is trained to a pillar, and I can keep it in bounds without a whole lot of effort. Remember, a rose is a living plant (not a prop) and there are many times when no rose can possibly fill the garden spot that you have in your imagination. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut ... if it sounds good, buy it and try it ... if the negatives outweigh the advantages, choose something else. Your perfect plant for your porch may not be a rose. (The link below takes you to one of my blog posts from a couple of years ago. The third photo down is 'White Cap'.) Here is a link that might be useful: The Garden in our Hearts

Oh! Well that's easy, Christine. Duck would make a fine pie. The trick to a good red wine reduction is good red wine, not too tanic. I cook with Two Buck Chuck all the time, but for a reduction you need a pretty flawless wine, and I spent for a good California zinfandel. I did chop shallots for it, but the rest was also leftovers. I had part of a container of homemade chicken stock, and a little chicken stock and roux based mushroom gravy, which freed me from having to make a base for the reduction. Oh, and a good sized sprig of rosemary from the garden. None of that matters, though. One bottle of good red wine, about half as much chicken or vegetable (or duck or veal or mushroom) stock, minced shallots, or scallions or leeks or onions or even fennel, about half a cup, sauteed in butter or a truly flavorless oil like safflower with some fine flour worked in at the end to give body to the sauce, add an herb that pairs well with your duck. Cook on low for a long time. Like low enough that an egg won't brown. Stir regularly scraping the bottom--reduce heat if anything is sticking. Keep simmering. Reduce by 2/3 - 3/4. Strain well and cool. Season after it's cool as desired. This is the recipe for the spice rub from the goose. I used triple the cloves (pre-ground, old bottle) by accident but I liked the result. I might go a little more pungent and less warm-spice for duck, but as is would likely be great. https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/goose-recipes/spiced-roast-goose/ The real trick was that the leftover parsnip puree had been reheated on the stove and steamed out quite a lot, so it was very thick, stiff and pasty and worked well as a topping. It started as very light and fluffy and way too wet for the purpose. Good luck!

jakkom, swans are even bigger and meaner than geese, and very territorial. Here in Michigan we have the largest population of mute swans in the United States, somewhere around 15,500. It is not native to North America and the population is increasing by approximately 10% per year. They are considered the most aggressive waterfowl species in the world, they can have a wing span of 5 feet or more and they do not hesitate to attack humans. The real problem they are causing here, though, is that they nest 3 weeks earlier than the trumpeter swan, which IS native and is endangered. They like the same type of habitat and while nesting they defend the entire area, driving out the trumpeters. I only wish they'd drive out the Canada geese, those I have by the hundreds! Annie

Martha, I must have shown you just how much I know about gooseberries. I have seen the green but never have grown them ;0) Here in coastal Washington, we have red huckleberries. More East, there are blue huckleberries that are wonderful. We seldom get a chance to pick those. I rather like a tart pie, but now that I know what the blue and goose are, maybe I'll try that combination. I did not get a chance to add much to my stash of frozen wild blackberries for pies this year. I'm glad yours was as good as it was pretty!