It's especially important to have your soil tested if you plan on being a fertaholic! Also, if you feel you just 'must' add lime every year, which some people think is so important. I think that vegetable gardeners should have their soil tested occasionally, too. Vegetable crops are very demanding of the soil, and it's important to keep the mineral and calcium level at the proper levels. Most plants are very very forgiving regarding pH, as long as fertilizers and other chemical amendments aren't shoved down their throats, so to speak. If you use compost, or organic based fertilizers, or no fertilizers....most plants will do absolutely fine!!! Now, if your azaleas (or other plants) are watered improperly or excessively (aquaholic), there could be problems. I am a one hundred percent believer that nature does a much better job of nurturing plants than we do. IF severe signs of pH problems or mineral deficiences show up, then a soil sample will be a good tool in solving the problem properly. We've just moved into a new (for us) property and have started with some landscaping projects. Our red clay soil does get amended with organic matter, but I haven't taken a soil test yet. The existing plants and surrounding neighborhood are a pretty good clue for us that we aren't going to have too many issues with the soil. The important thing for a new gardener to remember is that fertilizer is not a medicine when plants don't look quite right. That's when the results of a soil test can be very helpful.

gsciencechickl good find! She says she got an additional guarantee back too; I wonder if it was double as it should have been. For something like this; I'd also consider writing to corporate. Hopefully there is a cashier name on the new receipt or a way to tell who the person was because I would report them. I reported an Avon lady this year after she accused me of lying about a message she sent to me via facebook. I was looking in the "other" folder where FB puts what would be spam messages & found her message to me there. I explained the reply was 2 months late because I never check the spam folder; she called me a liar because she knows FB doesn't have a "spam" folder. When I told her where it was; she never said she was sorry. Reporting her did no good as they're independent reps; apparently Avon doesn't care how they treat customers. I've yet to respond back to Avon about how sad it is but eventually will.

I didn't think earlier, but this is an excellent dish for using up cooked meats. It calls for beef or lamb, but I have made it with roast pork or chicken as well and it is delicious. Lamb or Beef Jhal Fraizi -from, "Foolproof Indian Cooking," by Madhur Jaffrey-with slight changes and notes of my own. 350 g (12 oz) cooked, boneless roast lamb or beef 3 T olive oil 1/4 t cumin seeds 1/4 t brown mustard seeds** 8 fenugreek seeds*** 100 g (1 medium) green bell pepper, cut into strips. 1-2 hot green chilies (such as serranos), cut into long, thin slivers. (****Ms. Jaffrey says not to remove the seeds, but if you've a tender mouth, I would scrape the seeds & pith out to cool the dish down.) 150 g (1 medium) onion, cut into half rings, similar in size to the peppers. 1 t Worcestershire sauce 1 t ground cumin 1 t ground coriander 1/4 t ground turmeric 3/4 t salt Freshly ground black pepper to taste. Julienne the cooked meats in 1/4 to 1/2 inch strips. Heat the oil over a medium high heat until quite hot, then add the cumin, mustard and fenugreek seeds. The mustard seeds will begin to pop, when they do, add the bell pepper, onion, and chilies. Stir fry until the onions & peppers are wilted, and perhaps beginning to brown a bit (but not much) and add the meat and other seasonings. Heat through. ****************************************************** This is very good with some plain rice and a side of plain yogurt or a yogurt raita of some kind as a cooling foil to the spiciness of the dish. A simple raita can be made by mixing half a cup of plain yogurt with a couple of tablespoons of grated, squeezed (to remove excess liquid) cucumber and a teaspoon or so of minced mint or cilantro, adding a bit of salt if you like. **Plain, yellow mustard seeds will work as well, if you've got some on hand already and don't want to search out and buy brown just for this recipe. ***It doesn't sound like much, but fenugreek is quite potent, and the flavor is distinct. Fenugreek also keeps a long, long time, much longer than most spices. There really isn't anything I can think of that would be similar, but if you need to do without it, something slightly sweet but pungent would work--maybe some minced cilantro or mint, added at the last minute.

Mich, I've seen that in the stores and wondered about it. Some detergents don't have enzymes, I stear clear most of the time, however not every load is tragic, so not every load needs enzymes. If there's not a bunch of stains and the clothes just have the normal dust and body oils, that bottle of All probably does a nice job on darks and colors. I'm a powder fan but lately I've been enjoying some liquids, lol. Actually I have found liquids without enzymes make my sheets feel very smooth, I've been using a new boutique one I've run across, I'm not sure yet though if its the lack of enzymes or because its a liquid, but they do feel better I'll send a pic of it in a sec.