Good morning, Everyone.  Can you believe it--one quarter of the year gone.  I don't think I will get much done outside because we have the good possibility of rain today.  I have four milk jugs to cut down today so I think I will start another stand of spinach, lettuce, beets and radishes.  Otherwise, just some rearranging and cleaning up a bit.  The plants in the mini greenhouse seem to be doing pretty well as are the blueberries, mums, roses, lavender, lemon balm, thyme, strawberries and mints.  They provide a very welcome bit of greenery on the patio.

We should know by sometime tomorrow if the FDA will act to remove bisphenol-A (BPA) from plastics that come in contact with foods.  I hope they do but I won't hold my breath.  We made a decision some time ago to eliminate as many canned goods as possible and to shift from plastic storage containers.  We didn't make that choice on BPA alone.  Too many of the canned veggies contain way too much salt, sugar, or preservatives.  And the plastic containers have become way too inconvenient because when the lids get separated trying to get the right lid back with the right bowl is very frustrating.  Besides they take up space we could use for other things.  The last line also sums up my own attitude--they may remove BPA but that doesn't mean 'safe.'

I have seen several stories like this one over the last couple of days.  I was surprised when one of the compounds they listed (in another story) was 'synthetic pythrethroids.'  I usually use pyrethrin on my plants when the Colorado potato beetles decide to hold their summer convention on my veggies.  I like it because it is the least toxic and the most transitory of the alternatives.  If you use sevin you have be careful of the timing because it persists for several days to a week after you apply it.  Pyrethrin lasts only hours.  However, I will make sure to change how I use it--only early morning before the bees are active or late in the evening after they have gone back to the hive.  And, maybe, the pyrethrum mums, and the tansy, interplanted in the garden will discourage the little &%##^s.