Haha I really thought it was a big loogie at first too!! I've seen spittle bugs on my plants before and I didn't think this was the same thing... I always saw the spittle covering looking more frothy and bubbly. Maybe it's more mucus like now because it's so much hotter and humid out? And previously, any spittle bugs were washed off really easily, whereas this needs to be wiped with a cloth to get it off all the way. It seems very sticky and at the same time it will actually drip if you move the plant around. Sick! Either way, they don't seem to do any damage and they apparently only want to hang out on my sunflowers and nothing else! Thanks for your input :-)

I stopped by the store where I regularly shop and asked the butchers about "pink slime". The store was originally a family owned local chain that was purchased by Safeway a few years ago. The butcher I spoke with said they do not used pink slime in any of the progucts they grind on site - but he couldn't say for sure if it was in any of the pre-packaged beef or frozen pre-formed patties or any of the other ground meat type products. SO - I am feeling a little better about my store in general, but I do think I will be making more and more purchases from the local organic grass-fed beef place 15 minutes away. Alexa

Well I only have a few things to say about this whole discussion. I am in school right now to become a veterinarian so please don't get angry if you are a vet and find this discussion offensive I'm not trying to bash the profession I want to enter. There are slimes everywhere in every profession because there are going to be slimy greedy people everywhere in the world so why would this profession be any different? There are going to be extremists in every profession. The vet I am interning with right now has prices so low that he might lose his house while other vets are charging so high they can afford to shut their clinic down for a two week vacation. Are there vets in the middle? yes. Just like every other profession. Someone said that petcare is a luxury, which I completely agree with, so if you don't like paying for petcare because you think its too expensive then don't get pets because as someone that truly loves animals I can say that it is sickening to see animals not taken care of because "its too expensive". I am interning with a rural vet so this is probably more common in rural areas than cities but its still a problem. Is what this vet did really any different from what some medical doctors will do to patients that are terminal? no. does she have a right to complain? yes. The world in general is a crazy greedy and overall kind of depressing place to live in because a lot of people only care about themselves so this kind of stuff will always happen. I will say this though if you live in New York its not even a question whether something will be more expensive than elsewhere because its going to be so its not really that surprising that you got price gouged. If you read a lot of medical articles you'll see that they recommend you bring an advocate when you go to see a doctor so that you get all the information you need and so that you don't get tricked into treatment you don't want. While it is sad that this is necessary it really isn't any different than when you go to the vet. Ask questions, ask for opinions, and do you research. Vets are only human to and a lot of times people forget that you don't know what they know so they forget to mention anything. By far this is the biggest complaint that I get from the people at my barn, the vet doesn't explain. So ask or stay ignorant. In the end though pets aren't a necessity of life even though they do make it more enjoyable so if you just can't stand paying all those fees don't have animals its simple as that. Plus a really good plan is to invest in some pet insurance. We got some for our horses and dogs and while we haven't had to use it, it is nice to know that its there when we need it. Just like medical insurance for you, it keeps the cost to you for your petcare down. I guarantee that if you had to pay for medical care (even just a cold) without any insurance it would be a lot more devastating than your vet bill.

I read the information on the Peach Tree Borers, and that's exactly what it sounds like. Thank you so much for steering me!