2nd Day

[howeird]

Domino pooped in front of the fridge again. The whipped cream experiment was a failure.

Worked. Got a little bit done but mostly not.
Called eye doctors' office, mentioned I have not received my annual appointment which was due today, they made one for me for tomorrow morning but not with my doctor. We'll see how that goes, new doctor is new, online shows her to be highly qualified for a new doctor.
Also called the pet groomer's, they said just drop Domino off between 8 and noon. First come, etc. Will aim for 11 am because they are a bit of a drive from here, in Palo Alto.
Lunch was Sizzler, worst rib eye steak I have ever seen. Would have sent it back but as usual the waiter disappeared.

Home by way of Lowe's, returned the thermostat. Browsed the garden area, saw only 1 bee. Looked at the insecticides they sell, the warning labels would make me not want to use the stuff anywhere on anything. :-(  However, no one was around who could tell me if they spray their flowers with it.

Home briefly, then to the library for a talk on ham radio. Interesting 20,000-foot survey. The presenter is a heavy duty NASA physicist turned attorney who bounces morse code off the moon and meteor trails. But he gave some good tips for beginners.

Home again, Lasagna for dinner, strawberry/blueberry whipped cream on pound cake for dessert.

Plans for tomorrow:
up too early for 9 am ophthalmology appointment
Wait for eyes to un-dilate
Go to work after lunch


 

Comments

[lemmozine.livejournal.com]

I'll sum up the article I'm about to paste so you don't have to look at it. Traces of controversial bee-killing pesticides were found on plants sold by Lowe's, Home Depot, Target and other big-box retailers. They are confronting these retailers. Blah blah blah. http://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/bee-killing-pesticide-found-garden-store-plants-what-does-it-f6C10919523

My opinion: if you want bees to survive, and who doesn't, since without them our food supply would decrease and many of us would die of starvation (worst-case scenario - has anyone done the horror movie yet?) - the thing to do is either shop at a garden store that guarantees itself neonicotinoid free, or plant seeds and don't use any neonicotinoid pesticides.

[howeird]

Thanks - that's the article which I'm protesting. When I bought flowering plants at Lowe's during the last several months, I have had to wait for the numerous bees to finish before putting plants in my cart. This IMHO argues strongly against sudden hive death happening in the area. I have not been able to get a straight answer from the authors on which stores they tested, and what levels they found.

From what research I've done, http://youtu.be/3QceID-Vb64 is a very comprehensive video on the subject, there is no doubt in my mind that neonicotinoids are horrible things to get into the groundwater, and they can kill bees in large quantities.

[lemmozine.livejournal.com]

Sorry to be a pest (please don't spray me) but here's another article: http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2013/04/bee-death-colony-collapse-epa-sued-neonicotinoids-controversial-pesticides