Hello, All.  It looks like another nice day here.  The weather people predict high 80s with hit or miss showers.  So far, from the weather radar, it looks like we are on the miss side of that.  Just the usual chores to do.  I have a couple of spent plants to remove later.  I checked all of the cuttings and seed starts first thing.  So far only one of the patchouli looks very iffy.  All the others are crisp and standing up.  I did get the thyme and variegated marjoram cuttings started yesterday.  Our cable/internet went out for about two hours yesterday.  No idea why.  But that has happened often enough that we just put the computers aside and do some chores.  And it hasn't happened with the almost daily regularity it did in June.

This story is making the rounds--again.  The details haven't really changed from the coverage earlier this year.  The study cited claims that 40% of the food produced is thrown away--for a variety of reasons.  Some is plowed under because the farmer can't make enough to cover his costs.  Why not give it to food banks?  In some cases, state and local health regulations prohibit that.  The notion that the average family throws out a bit more than $2k each year while (according to the article) Gallup polls indicate that more people are having difficulty making their food budgets is mind boggling.  I remember a storage bag maker who used that as the theme for their commercials.  They showed customer at the meat counter ordered two large steaks and asked the clerk to only wrap one because 'we'll just throw the other away.'  They put out several commercials on that same theme.  I always thought the premise ridiculous. We are anything but average here but always look for ways to do better.    On another front in the waste war, I wonder what the value of the various food products recalled because of various kinds of contamination would amount to.  Or, how much undeclared allergen recalls cost.  Our industrial system of food production is inherently wasteful but no one discusses that.  I did like the 'buy one--get one free, later" program in some British stores.  But then we have found our grocery store will let you take one item at the sale price during their 'two-for-one' sales.

Update: it is already getting warm outside.  We just went for a bit of a walk around the block and, though it was comfortable when we started, it is getting a bit too warm to do much--especially in the sun.  So I think the gardening will wait till tomorrow.