Thanks everyone for the input. I sprayed them both with Murphys Oil soap diluted with water - hope that was the right thing to do. My county extension service said the treatment for mites was to spray with "horticultural soap," which I could buy at Lowe's or make my own. So I used Murphy's since I had read about others' using it. I have nothing to lose since they are quickly on their way out. I thought mites was a problem that the west coast/dry climates had to deal with and that it was not an issue in an extremely humid environment! Well, we'll see what happens. If I can salvage just one of them I will be happy. Oh, I think I could see the tiniest of specks on the undersides of leaves which came off when sprayed. If they were mites, they were really hard to see (didn't have a strong magnifying glass). And I see webs all the time, but thought thay was just spiders since they're everywhere. (I still wonder if there will be a worm in the tomato when I cut it open!) :-)

Just my opinion, but it looks like urns used for cremated remains, or urns used on headstones, to hold flowers. Many of those pieces disappeared from cemeteries when thieves started taking them to scrapyards. Maybe it was removed from a grave site for safe-keeping. I hope that suggestion isn't offensive.

It looks like an asparagus fern (which is really a member of the Lily family). If there's no other plant nearby that could be dropping sap onto the 'leaves' then - well, I'd be suspicious and get some just-warm water and a paper towel and sponge it off. I'd be looking for small creatures along the stems or under the leaves, too. Quickest remedy is - squish. I'd also ease up on the watering over winter.

Ahh. Back to school. With only one of four left in HS, Back-to-School is dwindling. It is so much simpler now. There is only one child in one sport. And only one to track along on their school work. We will have time to deal with our overdue HOUZZ projects now that summer R&R is over. So let me weigh in on the controversial mamby-pamby comment. Hate to see name calling. It's negative and unnecessary. As for patience with the new traffic patterns, this is to the parents who take their children to their bus stops and feel compelled to chat with the bus driver. Please DON'T. It is really inconsiderate. The bus drivers are at work. They don't have time for social hour. It may brighten your day to "brighten their day" but it is not the time nor the place to "make a difference in the bus drivers' lives". I have been part of huge lines where the same parents do it daily. All the cars that are stuck behind the bus (and lawfully NOT passing the school bus) actually have somewhere to go. They sure do. Maybe it is an appointment. Or maybe, just maybe, they are trying to get to their job. Keep that in mind. Fortunately it is a small number of parents who want to chat it up. Unfortunately it has a big impact.