Lloyd: No worries, I won't fire ya. :-] pnbrown: No experience with clay and P outside of my two properties in this county but that's 2 for 2 so far. The house/garden is on a former farm field, topsoil stripped, graded several feet into clay and some topsoil replaced. Low P from day 1. The 'lawn' test is a tiny spot virtually right in the woods, cleared in 1989, probably little ever done to it. May be just the type of clay we have here... kimmsr and garg, thanks very much for that detailed analysis, I'll be digesting it. I like the blood meal idea, did not realize it had no P and K at all. Perfect. Garden pH was 7.5 years ago so I'm thrilled with 6.8. I put the city compost on the lawn area last spring and what lawn there was went nuts. Very inexpensive, screened but not 1/4", but this ain't Better Homes here anyway, it's a redneck cabin in the woods. kimmsr, I've studied the drywall thing and we're just of different minds on that one. Probably wouldn't use it in the garden but this is a good application for it. JMO. Over time I'm concerned about boron buildup from the borax binder though. Probably won't use it forever. This exercise was very enlightening. My garden generally sucks but apparently it's not from lack of nutrients, except maybe N. Beginning to suspect sun/shade, water and nitrogen. I have never used that much fertilizer, so looking at mostly the effects of compost here. Blows me away, although I suppose it shouldn't. ;-]

If an employer has a reason to request a test it's called 'reasonable suspicion'. If an employer does random testing, then you were notified of that either when you were hired or when the program started, if it started after you were hired. If they started it during your employment, it's likely they gave everyone 30 days notice that they were now included in a random program. In either situation - reasonable suspicion or random - a positive test is cause for immediate termination. A refusal is deemed to be the same thing as a positive test and is cause for immediate termination. If you have a problem and you come forward to ask for help, help is arranged through the Employee Assistance Program. This does not result in termination, but there is random testing for 12 months. Admitting to drug use and asking for help only after you are notified of a pending test would be too late. BTW, you don't 'ignore' a request for a random drug screen. You either do it or you refuse it. "...if I worked as a clerk in a store..." - theft is a major issue in retail and is tied to drug use (it's expensive!) probably more often than you think. Many retail corporations do drug screens during the pre-employment process, after injuries and for reasonable suspicion. Some even do random testing for those employees who handle a lot of cash.

Good point! I should have mentioned that when I took the measurements I did them in different places on the counters, at the ends, near the backsplash, in the middle etc. The range I put up reflects the different locations. When I took them I set the Geiger counter down and walked off. I then came back and took a picture with my camera so I could remember where the measurement was. The time that elapsed before I came back was variable but longer than 40 seconds. Could have been minutes or hours (as in the case when I left it out on the deck to get an outdoor measurement .17). Or when I left it in my built in Japan car which also was .17. Yes I think the .83 guideline pertains to putting it outdoors to check conditions. If you see it that high they suggest you stay indoors for optional trips and not go out in the rain no matter what. Given that my husband did see one slab at .6 I would probably change that out if I had it. My kitchen and buffet tops are fine but I must admit I look at my bathroom granite a little differently given that it sets off the alarm and comes it at .3 ish. It is probably fine for it to be that high but I don't mind using it as an excuse to remodel. The decorative granite tile that was on my humidifier has already been relocated to the garage. I don't need even that little extra bit of radiation next to anyone sleeping.

@becky: Good point! I should just boilerplate a disclaimer up top. In some cases, I'm slamming the grass with N. In others, nothing... >>Because the soil was so hard; I thought it may be a heavy clay based soil. So I had the irrigation system programmed to water the lawn every third day applying a half inch of water at a time to eliminate run-off. (So much for what I know!! ) Is the half inch at a time schedule okay? Or do you think the lawn may require more than 1" of water per week? If so; what would you suggest as a watering schedule? I folded all this together. :-) Observation will show you what's required; during cooler weather, like spring and fall, very little watering may be required, or even none at all. I haven't used the sprinklers since September even though rainfall's been a bit low. Half an inch on very sandy soil is generally a good place to start, and figure you may need it twice a week in hot weather. Weekly in pleasant summer weather. I always play it by ear and water when my grass starts to wilt--which also sends the signal to the grass that more root mass might be a good idea. >>Based on the soil test results do you think my soil problem can be corrected On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being very bad, and 10 be very good. Where on the scale would you put my soil? All soils can be corrected and yours is certainly no exception to that. Mine started out more than ten times as acidic, with essentially no calcium, modest magnesium, and very low potassium. Not to mention a nearly complete lack of every other resource. These days, it can grow anything I throw into the soil (as long as the plant is compatible with my climate and the sunlight it gets, of course). The problem isn't getting plants to grow, it's getting them to stop taking over! There was a visible battle front between the ageratum and zinnia this year. Overall, I'd give your soil about a 5 at the present instant...it's almost exactly what I'd expect for your locale, without modifications. That can easily be turned up to the 7 to 9 range. 10 is possible but would take years of work.