Last year, there was Ecoli episode in CA and the culprit were wild pigs which has visited the spinach patch. The interesting thing was that the ecoli was not on the spinach it was inside the spinach. The pigs contaminated the soil and the water was as absorbed by the spinach roots and the bacteria was inside the leaves.. So no amount of surface rinsing would have removed or killed the Ecoli. Thankfully, it was a small episode that was quickly contained. The triple washed baby spinach salad bags were quickly pulled from the shelves. Since I first posted, we just finished the countertop and sink install. I have hole for 1 soap dispenser at the sink and plan to keep a spray bottle of alcohol or bleach solution for disinfecting. I have the same sink as cottonpenny and plan to use the sink bowl as the rinse bowl after a cleaning disinfecting routine.

I wash my hands about that many times a day. We keep handi-wipes in the car and wash after each store we go in. We also have been using one after looking at the menus in restaurants because I read the menus are one of the dirtest things in a restaurant. We both have colds now, something rare for us, and blame shaking hands at church for that. I wish they would stop telling us to greet someone.

What's this, cynic - you brought tinder ... but no matches/(lighter?)? Yesterday, I visited the snowmobile-accident-confined landlord in the hospital, then went to United Way to work on this year's list of charities that my tax-free-capitaI-gain-stock-when-sold-to-support-a-charity is to assist. Then came to this city library till I'd planned to visit my son ... ... visiting the bathroom on arrival and, after my two-hour limit on the city's computer ... ... again when I stood to leave. On becoming aware that my bag was no longer with me ...pretty sure I didn't pick up my bag n the bathroom at the time of the second visit. Returning today ... no report of a bag turned in. Didn't take it in to son's place, or to a store or two I visited. Did someone pinch it out of the car? Whatever ... the stuff in it is no longer available. Guess I'll have to start out my accumulate my (bag-carried) stash of survival stuff all over again. Wait a minute - my bank book was in there, too! (Rarely-used credit card ... in wallet in my pocket). Oh, well!!!! ole joyful ... most of the time.

Landscaping is always good, expand the bed, maybe add a few more curves so it, to do it on a budget, hostas are easy to separate and make multiple plants out of one to sort of give a formal border that can be interplanted with other lower growing perennials or annuals until the the hostas fill out some more, I would shoot for 3 out of each. Instant gratification can have the budget soaring impact so I would choose plants that are easy to get seeds from or that self seed, you can always add or expand beds if you need the space or pot up babies to give to friends that have yards, you can also buy seeds that are the same variety of perennials you buy in pots to make bigger groupings by sewing them around your potted plants. If you do not want to neutralize the brick with paint, consider flowers with warmer tones, nothing cooler than a vibant deep purple . As for paint and trim, if the diamond grills can come off the windows, remove them the Tudor diamond look really does not work well with a house that is really a simple colonial, if the shudders are vinyl and can not be painted, replace them with a color that keeps with the colonial style of your house. I would maybe consider trim in Benjamin Moore Sand Dunes 1072 if the window sashes can be painted, Shutters in Black HC-190 (I know, so basic, but neutral enough to work with any trim color if the windows can't be painted,) and Damask Gold CW-405, not red because with the red brick, the contrast color stands out more without being too much since it is a subdued yellow. I would also add trim around the garage door opening to better separate the door itself from the brick, for both the garage and the front door, I would paint them to match. If the awning must stay, paint the top to match your roof and hide the the uprights and railing with lattice work with the square openings instead of the cheaper diamond patterned stuff, Major Wheeler honey suckle would be a good option because the coloring works with everything else mentioned above, and it does not lost all its leaves in winter so you won't have totally bare lattice work plus unlike ivy, it does not hold on with little roots so if it does come in contact with the brick there is nothing to worry about. Then add accessories, planters flanking the garage door, maybe with some topiaries or an evergreen of some sort. toss in a pergola for the space between the garage and the house and maybe repeat the vine from above after painting it the trim color if it is not a nice wood like cedar.