Most of the time I am an organic gardner but not over iris borers. When I spot them I dig up the clump and cut out all rotted areas and trim the leaves to healthy parts and fungicide them. It postpones bloom for a year with some irises but not others. I do not dig up all the clumps not showing a problem however for most seem healthy and usually I do not get the borers back again for many years. What is bothering me this year is slugs and snails all over the iris. Never had that problem before and that might be from rain, rain, rain so I stomp, stomp, stomp the offenders.

Oh, that's wonderful Summerfield! I wish I could just build that almost as you have drawn it! Unfortunately, I've got some restrictions I have to work within due to the lot I have and city setbacks. I've been reading "The Not So Big House" book (loving it, thanks for the recommendation minneapolisite) and was looking at some new ideas from my original layout. **This is pretty rough** and there's a bunch I really don't like on it just yet, but I wanted to give an update. What I like most about my latest update is more windows in the main living area on the south side of the house and all three living areas having direct windows instead of the dining room being sandwiched into the middle of the house. I also like the shared entry so that the 'nice' entry doesn't end up being for guests only. I hate the way I have the pantry laid out, but I do like the idea of a good sized pantry with room for the chest freezer (currently in the basement in our house today). Also, this opens up the living room for a bit more space. My favorite things about the plan you've drawn, Summerfield, are both of the bathrooms, laundry and master closet. Those are the areas I'm struggling the most with. (as well as the whole bedrooms side of the house...) We may have a small television in the kitchen, and temporarily in the living room, but once the basement is finished we would only have the kitchen tv. So no need to build a dedicated spot for it on the first floor. Site Plan:

Last night I finally finished Paul Murray Kendall's famous biography Richard the Third. It was a fascinating, sympathetic biography of a controversial figure. I found myself agreeing with Kendall's hypothesis that Richard was defeated at Bosworth, not as the result of some sort of poetic justice, but rather due to the betrayal of self-serving nobles, who in turn found just as much to grumble about during the reign of Henry VII. I found it poignant how hard Richard III worked to cultivate and favor the very people who meant him the most harm. Fundamentally, Richard seemed to have an inability to maneuver and pirouette through the politics of court life. Kendall finds countless examples of traitors whose were left off easy by Richard, only to redouble their efforts to conspire against the King. Kendall raises many interesting points, but often lacks the objectivity needed in the biography of such a complex subject. In an afterword regarding whether Richard was responsible for the murder of the "Princes in the Tower", Kendall argues that the boys may have met death at the behest of other figures at court, most likely the Duke of Buckingham. Though ultimately unsolvable (mostly due to the Tudor historians who apparently destroyed countless records portraying Richard in a positive light), I still feel that he had the most to gain from the murder of his nephews.

Make sure any disinfectant is thoroughly thoroughly rinsed off everything before returning before using. Best to just use some diluted bleach for cleaning algae off things than rinse rinse thoroughly. Generally just a rinse (no chemicals) is best for most of the changes. How much water volume did you add that 1/2 tea of salt to? Don't want too much salt. Bettas will actually do fine without a filter. Your biggest problem in small volumes of unfiltered water is uneaten food. Food that is not eaten immediately begins to rot and pollute the water. Rather than drastically changing everything once a week it is better if you once a day or so siphon out poop and uneaten food from the bottom and replace with equal water (a small fraction of the total volume.....maybe 10-20%). The advantage of larger volumers of water is that they are more buffered from the pollution of a tiny bit of extra food. OK what does your refrigerator filter do to filter the water? Is this just a carbon filter. That is probably ok. The bigger problem with small bowls in temperate areas is temperature! Bettas really like warmer water, at least in the mid to high 70s (F), and your room temp may not be that warm (probably is not). Stress leads to all sorts of potential diseases. If the fish is healthy and in the right conditions you don't need all the chemicals etc. Get him in a warm spot and maybe even skip feeding for a day or two (he won't starve, but he is probably not eating well anyway with his eyed clouded like that) and see if he improves.