Yesterday's fog cleared up about mid-day and we had a lovely sunny, warm afternoon. The cookies turned out very well but today, since it is supposed to be clear and warm, I should get back out into the gardens.

This is an interesting development. For decades we have shipped our waste to China where it is supposedly recycled. How much is actually recycled and how much is added to their landfills or incinerators is unknown but some reports I have read over the last few years indicate it may be much more than we would like to think. When we think about it at all since once it is out of our vicinity we tend to forget it ever existed. The Chinese government claims the ban is for environmental reasons, which it might be; although our first thought was a tit-for-tat after #45's threat to impose higher import duties on Chinese steel. Both may be true.

I have a corner of the gardens pretty well cleared. And in the process thinking about next year. The begonias are coming back strong with the yellows continuing to bloom and the pinks budding. They are happier now that the areas are under more shade. I am debating digging out the plants, potting them and putting them inside for the winter. But my space inside is even more limited than that outside so that might not be a good use of what I have. I might just pull them later and put in new plants next year but in pots I can sink into the beds so I can take them out during the months I don't have shady areas for them and put them elsewhere. I think the shepherd's hooks will be hosting vining flowers next year with only one having a hanging decoration--the wind chimes.

In another "sign of the times" the Yellow Pages won't be published after January of 2019. The Naked Capitalism article segues into a discussion of classificatory systems, their uses and limitations and how they shape our thinking. However this article in the Guardian covers the history a bit more. I am not surprised by the development. I wonder how many businesses no longer bother with ads in the Yellow Pages which, if I remember correctly, they have to pay for. Moving to the internet listings may be more economical and productive. Over the years I notice that we don't consult the print books that often any more. Often the books are left on the stoop or the mailbox rack for months until someone finally thinks to throw them in the trash. I remember feeling frustrated by the computerized card catalogs when libraries started making the switch. I always found interesting material on adjacent cards that I might miss in the computer catalog. But then I had to use not only the title card file but the author and subject files as well. I can flip from one to the other to the third without changing my location now. In every technological change something is gained while something else is lost and sometimes we don't realize how valuable the something lost is until it is lost.

Back to the future?? Sounds like a good option given that a college degree now cost more than it is really worth and will put the graduate in debt for life.