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Where's Tony??
- Thread starter Whimgrinder
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Just came across this thread -- glad to hear Tony is OK, and thanks to Whimgrinder!
That doesn't sound very "temporary" to me.
Whatever the case, my best wishes to Tony; his well-being is the only important thing.
I'm afraid I have some unpleasant news. No, its not Tony - he's fine, so not to worry. However.....this is a sad tale about cultivating tropical plants in a cold climate like NY state in the winter. You best sit down, folks.
I just got off the phone with Tony and here’s the deal: his gas company stopped filling his propane tanks late in November, and DIDN’T TELL HIM! (He was paying through automatic debiting, so its not like he was missing bills or anything) Well, last night its minus 15F at his place, and the propane tanks run empty. A neighbor informs him that there is no exhaust coming from the greenhouse stoves, so he goes to investigate, and the propane heaters had been out for hours. Hours. Everything froze. It was cold enough that even buckets of water had formed ice on top. You can imagine what that does to Nepenthes. Tony says it looks like a sea of wilted brown lettuce in there today.
Tomorrow he is meeting with insurance and gas company personnel to find out what they can/will do for him. However, he finds this deeply disappointing and is not going to make any hard decisions about his intentions for a while, at least until he can determine what, if anything, survived. Can’t say I blame him, of course. Its not the monetary value of the plants - its the personal investment of love and time and effort to get to where he did. Insurance can’t redeem that.
I think its safe to say that if you have pre-orders with Tony for plants, that all bets are off right now. So, please don't nag him about plants you've been wanting to buy or trying to order - odds are that's not going to happen, at least in the foreseeable future. I'm sure he needs some time to get his head around this. :-(
That said, I'm sure he wouldn't object to hearing from appreciative customers and friends offering a supportive greeting - should you feel a need to say anything at all, that is.
Paul
I just got off the phone with Tony and here’s the deal: his gas company stopped filling his propane tanks late in November, and DIDN’T TELL HIM! (He was paying through automatic debiting, so its not like he was missing bills or anything) Well, last night its minus 15F at his place, and the propane tanks run empty. A neighbor informs him that there is no exhaust coming from the greenhouse stoves, so he goes to investigate, and the propane heaters had been out for hours. Hours. Everything froze. It was cold enough that even buckets of water had formed ice on top. You can imagine what that does to Nepenthes. Tony says it looks like a sea of wilted brown lettuce in there today.
Tomorrow he is meeting with insurance and gas company personnel to find out what they can/will do for him. However, he finds this deeply disappointing and is not going to make any hard decisions about his intentions for a while, at least until he can determine what, if anything, survived. Can’t say I blame him, of course. Its not the monetary value of the plants - its the personal investment of love and time and effort to get to where he did. Insurance can’t redeem that.
I think its safe to say that if you have pre-orders with Tony for plants, that all bets are off right now. So, please don't nag him about plants you've been wanting to buy or trying to order - odds are that's not going to happen, at least in the foreseeable future. I'm sure he needs some time to get his head around this. :-(
That said, I'm sure he wouldn't object to hearing from appreciative customers and friends offering a supportive greeting - should you feel a need to say anything at all, that is.
Paul
It is indeed a tragedy for the community as a whole, but most of all for Tony. I've told him that when/if he decides he wants to resume growing Nepenthes, that he's welcome to pieces of anything I can spare. But Tony won't likely make any big decisions for months yet, so there's no need to rush into making specific offers. He's going to watch to see if there are any survivors.... :-(
Two growers in one winter - and only a few weeks apart, even. How sad, how upsetting.
This is really sad news. 
I hope he's able to get everything back up and running as quickly as possible. Knowing Tony, it's going to take a while. Even if he's able to restock quickly, he won't send any plants out until they are established and he's happy with the health of them. He's had plants I've been waiting over a year for but won't ship to me.
Thanks for the info, Paul. Good luck Tony!!!
I hope he's able to get everything back up and running as quickly as possible. Knowing Tony, it's going to take a while. Even if he's able to restock quickly, he won't send any plants out until they are established and he's happy with the health of them. He's had plants I've been waiting over a year for but won't ship to me. Thanks for the info, Paul. Good luck Tony!!!
wow wow... That sucks big time. I've lost about 1/3 a greenhouse of HL Nepenthes when my cooler went down and things cooked at above 150f which was really really super frustrating. To lose likely the whole greenhouse which is much bigger than mine with many more plants that me which are much nicer than mine... I can't even imagine. Hang in there man and when the time comes, let me know if there is anything I can do for you.
Andrew
Andrew
Such unhappy news...I've been a customer for many years, and Tony is what my wife calls "a good man". He's a class act and has always been
ready to help with my questions/growing problems. I hope he can recover quickly. This is a sad day.
Whimgrinder -- thanks again for keeping us informed.
ready to help with my questions/growing problems. I hope he can recover quickly. This is a sad day.
Whimgrinder -- thanks again for keeping us informed.
Dexenthes
Aristoloingulamata
This is the most incredible tragedy in the world of Nepenthes since the wildfires of Borneo...
Thanks for keeping us posted Whim.
My most sincere condolences and best wishes go out to you Tony. This is a hit for all of us. You are a pillar of the Nepenthes hobby in North America.
R.I.P.
Thanks for keeping us posted Whim.
My most sincere condolences and best wishes go out to you Tony. This is a hit for all of us. You are a pillar of the Nepenthes hobby in North America.
R.I.P.
