Did you splash some vinegar on the leaves? I don't know about adjusting the PH but if you do a search for vinegar as herbicide, there'll be a lot to read. Caustic to the plant might be something as benign a splash of hot coffee, iced tea, or something like a bit of lighter fluid on your way to your grill or citronella oil for a torch, a cleaning product you might have been using around the plant. How long has this plant been in the same soil? My first reaction to the pics was about the soil looking thick, mucky/muddy, airless. Doesn't look too unhappy or unhealthy to me, but if you think it is, that's what I'd look at first. If there are spider mites, they can be sprayed with plain water. If I needed an insecticidal soap, I'd get one. Dish soap is not insecticidal soap although many can be safely used that way on some plants. I'd want a specific brand someone used on this specific species before trying that. Also, after you soap a plant, it can make suds for quite a few subsequent waterings. Almost every yard has at least one around here in full sun. I wonder if your plant needs more light, not less. If that's the case, that would also help with the mite problem, if the plant has one. The next time you post, if you type 8b in the "Zone (optional):" box, it should stick. It's disappeared sometime between Tues and today, should be attached to every one of your posts. Wish that Gremlin would go away!

Hello All!, I'm a newbie so to speak never been to the swap, but a member of the yahoo group. Sad to say I wont be able to come on Sat I live in 'the valley' and must come up to SA on Sunday, for Appt on Monday and Tues, then picking up my DD at the airport at midnight. However, I will be in the area on Sunday and if there are any edibles, bird/butterfly plants, or any natural dye or paper plants I would be so very delighted to provide a home for them. I am replanting 11 acres into mixed use, sustainable ag and education center. I have lots of natives like yucca, agave, mesquite, and non N some amaryllis, orchid trees (haven't had great luck with transplanting these, also have seeds, a few bananas, and if anyone is competent with grafting I have some unusual avocados, but it may already be too late to get any saplings, but I am a total novice in that dept. If any one is interested in any of these let me know and I will dig some for you, or comes down here and would like to come and collect we could make arrangements. Would love to come to the swap, but can't swing the extra day. Hopefully next time:)

Alek, I enjoyed looking at all the info on your web site. Recently I saw a NG Y0660 that had been returned to Sam's Club because the buyer really needed the LPG version. It was a bit dented-up in the front, and missing the rotisserie parts. Sam's wanted $700 for it. I started the task of trying to figure out just what it would take to convert it to propane and to repair the cosmetic damage. When I realized that the valves would have to be replaced, as well as the orifices, both doors and one drawer, as well as all the missing rotisserie parts, I almost bagged the idea, but decided to call Grand Hall and check on parts prices anyway. Am I ever glad that I did! The prices were so reasonable that the total cost to convert to LPG and restore the grill to new condition was only $270.00 including shipping. When my offer of $500.00 was accepted by the manager at Sam's I picked up the grill and ordered the parts. I've installed them all, with the exception of one valve that was not correct, a missing bracket to mount the rotisserie motor, and slides for the tank drawer ... basically just "noise-level" problems. Haven't had a chance to use the grill yet, as the weather hasn't been too cooperative, but I'm looking forward to it. My total cost for an "almost new" Y0660 grill is now $770.00. ! ! ! ! ! ! S C O R E ! ! ! ! ! ! There are a few things that I've learned from this exercise that I'd like to pass along: 1) Grand Hall's customer service folks are great! Their policies are pretty good too ... with the incorrect part it was "Oh, we'll get a replacement out today", not "Send it back and we'll see ...". 2) If you know what you need, and how to ask for it, you *CAN* buy the parts to convert these grills from NG to LPG and from LPG to NG. 3) The parts costs are ludicrously low ... the main valves, which include the orifice are only $5.00 each, and the side burner and rotisserie valves are $8.00 each, as they include a little more hardware. It probably makes more sense to just buy the darned things than to do the drilling for the LPG to NG conversion, and it's WAYYY better to buy for the NG to LPG conversion than to try filling and redrilling with smaller holes. 4) Rather than actually replacing the valves, which can be difficult to get off the manifold of the Y0660, it's better to just swap the valve cores and the orifices. I don't know for sure if the valves are common between the Y0660 and the smaller Y0101XC, but the conversion pictures on your site look identical. For example, the main burner gas valve part number is P03222007A for LPG. Also, the valve bodies have the number "0404A" cast into the side. This is the same for the NG and the LPG valves. How does this compare to the part number & valves for the Y0101XC? I have a full set of parts for anyone wanting to convert from LPG to NG. I'd also be interested in that guage that you've got left over from your conversion,...

If you have any in not-so-obtrusive places, you might test out an OTC skin-lightening cream with 2% hydroquinone, since they're mostly inexpensive, easy to get, and fairly harmless. A dermatologist will have many more options (many of which are inexpensive topical treatments rather than only pricey stuff like laser treatments). I have many freckles and moles, and when I was cooking professionally I had many small burns on my hands and forearms from spatters, bumping into hot surfaces, etc. which would turn brown after they healed, and of course a different shade of brown from my freckles - sort of a purply brown instead of the light caramel color of my freckles and darker warm brown of the moles, which looked pretty odd. It took years for them to go away, since I thought fade creams were just for old people's liver spots ;-) and I didn't have insurance to see a dermatologist. Here is a link that might be useful: article on lightening skin discolorations