Special? It's widespread around here - it's our normal soil. That was extreme during the 2011 extreme drought, but yes, it does that. It's TX black gumbo clay. You'll find about the same stuff in parts of Montana and, believe it or not, Hawaii. Nearer the coast where humidity is higher the cracking isn't quite as severe, but it still will get impressive in the drought periods. When it's wet it swells enough to be self-sealing. Rice farmers love that. Building on it is a bit tricky. To dig it you want it moist and plastic, then you take it out in slices working near vertically using a rice shovel. The funny thing about our coastal area is that soil like that is the widespread stuff. But there are sizable pockets of very clean sand. It seems there is a commercial sand pit about every 10-20 miles, and in those pits there is no sign of that clay. There was one ~ 60 acres in size being worked for years about 5 miles from me. About 10 years ago the remains of a Columbian mammoth were found in the pit.

There's an uproar in our area. We've had a drought all summer and have been told to conserve water.......not wash cars, lawns etc. And the water prices are going up on the property taxes. Outside of town Nestle has a bottling plant and they're pulling in millions of litres of water from the water supply. Our generous Premier is charging them just $3.71 for every million litres of water drawn. Bottled water is hardly a necessity, and getting that kind of a break, yet they charge a lot of money for a bottle of water. To say that people are upset is an understatement

OK, I have some test results, and I don't know what to do with them. Soil pH: 7.8 Phosphorus (P): 72 lbs/Acre Potassium (K): 1665 lbs/Acre Organic Matter: 13.4 % Soluble Salts: 1.7 mmhos/cm And a note that "You will need a total of about 3.5 ounces of nitrogen for every 100 square feet of garden for the entire year." I.e., that amount to be distributed over a year. On the one hand, from what I've read you should lower pH using compost. But I have 13.4% organic matter; according to here: https://blogs.cornell.edu/gblblog/files/2016/07/Veggie-Info-Sheet-2016-1jsq90e.pdf "Sandy soils with an organic matter content of 2-21⁄2% and clayey soils with 3-5% organic matter will perform fine. Organic matter levels twice this amount could lead to nutrient imbalances." My soil was described as loamy sand, so I presume it has way too much organic matter already. Am I reading this wrong? Do I need to turn to sulphur compounds to bring down the pH a bit? Just HOW high are those P and K numbers, compared to a normal range? The analysis also said, "Soil P level is very high, so no additional P is needed. However if you are planting into cool soils, transplants may benefit from a starter solution high in P. This will help plants recover from transplant shock." Does this mean a solution applied to the transplant at the time of transplant, or some time before, to prepare them for the high levels?

Not a fan of gabapentin. I had Bell's Palsy and some nerve pain from it (rather mild pain compared to shingles!) I was Rx'd a low dose and it sent me spiraling into the beginnings of depression like I couldn't believe. Luckily I'd read the possible side effects and knew what was happening, so I discontinued it. A friend has rather bad trouble with depression and had finally found a good combination of meds. She was Rx'd gabapentin for some hand pain and didn't realize it would through her other meds off. She was in tears because she could feel the beast of depression clawing at her again... Luckily my experience helped me warn her off it. She spoke with her Dr. and her depression receded once she got off of it. A close call. I'm an RDH, so my 2 cents about teeth: Anything that causes 'dry mouth' can exacerbate tooth decay. Saliva buffers the acid produced by bacteria when you eat, and lowered pH plays a major role in tooth decay. If you have to take a med that causes dry mouth do as ravencajun does and sip water. Avoid drinks with sugar, including natural sugars found in juices and milk. If the dry mouth is very bad it is easy for your gums and tongue to become irritated, and inflamed. Gabapentin messes with your nerves and can cause gingivitis and oral irritation. We often recommend a product called Biotine. A mouth wash/rinse that helps to keep your mouth from feeling dry and will offer some relief. Avoid any mouthwash with alcohol in it and anything flavored with cinnamon, as it is a natural drying agent. Use the softest bristle toothbrush you can find. If toothpaste feels too strong, skip it. The mechanical action of the brush is what is really cleaning your teeth anyway, not the paste. Biotine also makes a toothpaste. These products are not cheap sadly. I've also seen little clear, bead like dissolving tablets that adhere to the roof of your mouth and supposedly offer relief as the dissolve. I've never tried these myself. I've also read that gabapentin is used by opiate addicts in high doses to somehow increase the effect of the the opiate. It really is a disastrous med. It's original FDA approval was as an anti-seizure med. Now it's Rx'd off label for everything. I hope you feel better soon!