Barbara, I will try to read or at least skim over that book (have difficulty concentrating for too long now) and next time I'm at the hardware store will get a respirator then, oh with glasses, goggles and that, it is not going to be easy. They are a little more helpful and knowledgeable generally than big box stores. I stuffed a bandanna into the masks, know from reading about other things small particulate especially liquid still can get through, but I'm old and if one thing doesn't get me it's going to be another, none pretty. I feel I'm ok for now, feel sorry for people who do that for a living. I know for fact the young guy who I FINALLY got to come in years ago and spray for cockroaches and fleas got some pneumonia-like affliction, and we both agreed it was probably from his work with chemicals. He used no protection other than pants and long shirt IIRC and did it all day, every day, inside and out, much of the year. I've always hated any sprays in my house for anything, one reason I like to stay independent because you have no choice in almost all community living situations. They spray on a regular basis; it's mandatory, and I'm not real confident they have but minimal concern for the occupants or people who do it, just so things "look" nice. Sometimes there is no other way. But it seems they spray routinely as a preventive. In spite of taking so many precautions and doing my homework as best I could w/new equipment and things I've never attempted before, I ran into several little problems. The spray itself once you get it going is easy enough, but anything can go wrong at any time. It's just faith that the dial actually delivers the correct dilution. I'll only mention a couple of things but there were more, that is nasty stuff to work with and hard to clean. I need some longer rubber gloves as found one unused pair left of surgical gloves, and by the time I was done, my hands felt slimy, could be from sweat, but I think some got in, washed several times with soap and water. The other thing was maybe stupid on my part but the way they tell you to clean the dial container. I could work at the faucet with that because there's bare ground, but you have to unscrew it while the spray part is still on the hose, rinse out as well as you can, on the other side of the two-way diverter I have there, and it takes several rinsings to get it out. NEVER unscrew the dial part from the hose connection until you've got it as clean as you can, why later. Then you screw it back on and clear out the spray part and uptake tube, says two short bursts (and even rinsed those other parts under running water, don't think instructions said. I did five bursts and maybe shouldn't have. But either way, when you finally think you are done, turn off the water, start to unscrew at the hose connection, the pressure left in the hose squirts water. And I noticed in spite of my care, there was still slight evidence of milky liquid in the container, much diluted but still there. Being alone, few people or pets ever come into my yard. I let the cat out for the night, he's back, hope he didn't walk through that area, it can take awhile to dry and for things to develop. So it's a good thing I quit when I did and not attempt anything in the front. Maybe from now on I'll just do those several specific plants I did and probably not as often as necessary because I procrastinate anyway. No way could I have suited up and done that if it had been hotter, so that's a future consideration. I don't know how other people deal with this stuff. It was quite the learning experience. If somebody locally could convince me that organics really work and show evidence of clean roses like I see so much here (this was mostly to save my cherry trees and a few other congregating plants that aren't blooming), it won't seem like as much trouble because spraying is trouble, too. Kelp I don't worry about any of it, practiced with that in my pump sprayer. Well, since I've done another one of my diatribes, I was thinking about writing a blog in our local paper about my experience with iminicloprid. The Bayer product for spraying that has evidently flown off the shelves. Here we are with no honeybees, and we want to keep our pretty blooms and kill bumblebees and other pollinators? At least I thought of them and took off the blooms or targeted things that aren't blooming now. Madness. But I think I'll hold off on that because I don't feel comfortable writing on one of those things, few read them anyway. My neighbor across the street says he has no JB's.

I have huge clumps of WS Digitalis that will bloom this June. Very excited to see how they bloom! I've purchased plants in the past, but this is the first time growing them from seed, and it was SO easy. I did not plant HOS, but as teeny little seedlings in between other perennials. The idea is for the Digitalis to shoot up and flower in a mass, while the surrounding perennials/grasses are still clumps of foliage. Then as they go to seed, I will cut them back. My experience is that they have been easy to move in either the Spring or fall, and it doesn't hurt the blooms. Since yours are HOS, this may not work so well - but if you have lots it worth a try. Dig out carefully because the roots may be intertwined.

Always something isn't it! I thought mine were goners when I started getting what appeared to be spotted wilt virus, but they've actually kept growing and it didn't spread as badly as I thought. I sprayed them with daconil, not sure if that helped or if the virus just wasn't too bad. Still getting plenty of tomatoes, they just ripen unevenly now. Taste fine though. It's tempting to just spray preventative, but I don't know if that would help or not. Now I'm battling squirrels. I'm trying Deer Off as it's supposed to work for squirrels too, but I'm not sure. The other day I went out to reapply and one of those damn varmints was up on my plants already, so I sprayed him directly. A couple of minutes later the SOB dropped a half eaten tomato from the tree above me, splatted a couple of feet away. Pretty sure I pissed him off and he was out for revenge.

Thanks for the replies. I guess anything is normal looking at the answers. Dances - did you ever look into Sheehan's syndrome? Not being able to breastfeed due to no milk production is a major sign of Sheehans. I don't know if you ever had a large amount of blood loss (especially while pregnant or shortly after), which is a cause of Sheehan's. That is what I am looking into since I had a hemmorrage after a miscarriage and D&C about 25 years ago. The syndrome affects the pituitary - so it can cause thyroid, adrenal and ovarian problems as well as diabetes.