Bun, What? The Questions and Ponderations Thread

[Heidi]

Bun, I have a plant issue... and I'm concerned about the issues it could create if I ignore it - aphids. I brought my outdoor plants inside and they all seemed to be well and good until recently when I noticed an aphid infestation on the backside of the leaves and on the branches of my ivy plant. How do I get rid of them? Should I be concerned about them? I'm considering even throwing the plant into the trash bin so I don't have to worry about them or deal with them. I even left a mint plant outside when I realized the soil had ants - I did NOT want ants in my home. :(

What is your advice on this?

[Kenneth P.]

There is a biological control for aphids called "pyrethrins." If that doesn't work throw it out. Once you lose control they spread like Republicans.

[mark]

BunWat is special because she helped my wee lil' brain understand James Tiptree Jr.

soon - but not right now because i just gave up, so this is perhaps only a placeholder - i hope she will help me understand Samuel R. Delaney. because he makes my mind hurt.

[Scout]

Bun, I recently read that ground cloths are not recommended because they might leach toxic chemicals into groundwater. Have you heard anything about this? I'm about to plant my spring garden and, for the past couple of years, I've used this cloth to prevent weeds.

[Sarah]

mark wrote: "soon - but not right now because i just gave up, so this is perhaps only a placeholder - i hope she will help me understand Samuel R. Delaney. because he makes my mind hurt. ."

Which book did you try, Mark?

Delaney is speaking near here on Friday. A whole day symposium put on by the queer studies department at the university of maryland. Some of my friends are going but I can't.

[mark]

the most recent was The Einstein Intersection. although i've also tried and gave up on Hogg, which i loathed. unlike Hogg, i do plan on returning to Einstein Intersection.

in the past i've read and enjoyed Dhalgren (took a while to read that one; a frustrating but ultimately satisfying experience) and Triton.

i didn't even know that Delaney was still alive, let alone speaking at symposiums!

[Scout]

Don't know what to think about those last two posts.

When I buy groceries this week, I'm going to ask for extra paper bags. Your idea sounds like a good way to keep the weeds down without contaminating the soil, as long as I leave room for water to get to the roots of my plants. Thanks.

[Sarah]

Scout wrote: "Don't know what to think about those last two posts. "

Why not?

[Phil]

BunWat wrote: "But when working as hard as possible becomes turning dwindling resources into more and more mountains of plastic crap for people to buy and sell and haul away to bigger and bigger landfills so that everyone can be "productive," well maybe working as hard as possible isn't such a virtue any more."

Unless you re-channel from making plastic crap into... something more beneficial to the race/planet for the long-term.

[mark]

i think that "evolve" could also be seen as spiritual or related in some way to enlightenment (whatever that means) or some form of higher conscious.

not that i believe in that. i see the idea of society as much like almost anything else: perhaps physically evolving due to basic evolutionary needs, but in general exhibiting varying degrees of repeated or cyclical behavior patterns.

i agree that in a modern capitalist society, the concept of "work ethic" is in many ways hollow, particulary within work that is based around producing commodities and luxuries. but i think the concept remains vital in other sorts of societies.

[Cheri]

Have you ever noticed that the person who works the hardest physically (ditch digger/ carpenter/waitress) makes so much less money than the person who sits on his ass and moves paperwork around (banker/insurance broker/CEO)?

[Scout]

"Got to start thinking of something else for people to do with their time, I say. Hard work as a virtue in and of itself may be nearing the end of its usefulness."

Inordinately sad.

[Scout]

I find it inordinately sad that American "salt of the earth" types who WANT to work hard are being devalued and displaced by machines and people in other countries who are made to work for less than minimum wage.

[Scout]

WTF. Ethnocentric? More like centered on keeping Americans employed, whatever race or ethnicity.

[Jammies]

BunWat wrote: "I think rechannelling from making plastic crap into doing something beneficial would be a terrific plan. But I also think that if the choices were
1. Do something beneficial.
2. Be a lazy slacker and do nothing.
3. Build more plastic crap.

Then I vote for either one or two but not three.

Anyway, not my point. My point is, with the continuing rise in the efficiency of mechanization and computerization we will soon be able to build all the plastic crap anyone could conceive of without any need for anybody to lift a finger at all. So what are all those hard working salt of the earth types going to do with themselves then? Just mill around in circles?

Got to start thinking of something else for people to do with their time, I say. Hard work as a virtue in and of itself may be nearing the end of its usefulness."

Yes! Americans since the Puritans have made a very silly virtue of work and have let this idea take over our society. Just look at the average vacation time available to workers in the US vs. Europe!

We need to re-evaluate, and imo, simplify. I don't need more toys made in China, I don't need more food than I can eat, I don't need a 40,000 square foot house!

Now, if only I had some concrete ideas about how to change society...

[Phil]

BunWat wrote: "Are the wheels of commerce hamster wheels? If they are, how do we get OFF?"

The answer you would hear from many (though not from me): "Go live in a commune, you hippie."

[Courtney]

I think having a value of hard work is important. I know I was raised to be proud of the willingness to work hard and earn things for myself. Not that just hard work alone is the virtue. Along with the working hard comes an accountability for the "fellow man". Work hard to produce for the greater good, and yourselves.

I do agree that things are moving to a more mechanized society, however, most Americans can begin to provide for themselves in ways in which have become lost.

Plant a garden, bake bread from scratch, teach kids to sew and repurpose materials instead of buying anew, eat dinner together around the table, take an interest in what your kids are doing, teach kids to fix things again instead of just replacing them. Hard work does not have to be present just in the work place. Take the value of hard work and apply it inwardly towards the family, the earth and our fellow man.

I think if we all start to do this than the demand for the cheap, superfolous chinese crap will greatly diminish.

This change comes from a value of "work ethic" just explained and performed a little differently.

[Phil]

What is a simple way to cut a peach, removing the pit without damaging the flesh of the fruit?

[Jammies]

Bun, I keep forgetting to ask you if you can compost dryer lint even if half of your clothing is made with unnatural fibers.

So, can you?

[Jammies]

Thank you! You have saved me uncounted numbers of plastic shopping bags being used as trash can liners. :D <3

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

My grocery always has a huge pile of cucumbers for pickling for sale. Maybe the sign says "pickling cucumbers," I can't remember. Of course they are dill pickle-sized. Given that not that many people are doing their own pickling these days, what am I supposed to do with these? Eat them just like a cucumber?

[Félix]

Or, you could eat them like a carrot.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

[Félix]

Cuke skins give me the burps.

[Carol]

Today I gave away a dozen cucumbers from my garden.

[Félix]

That's like 24 12 of them. [I thought you said 2 dozen.]

[Heidi]

I FREAKING LOVE CUCUMBER SLICES WITH HUMMUS! OMG! I love them sooooo MUCH. :D

[Cynthia]

I love cucumber slices with sesame oil and rice vinegar (the kind you put on sushi rice.) Good lord I sound like molly Ringwald in that Breakfast club movie. Ugh.

[Carol]

they were pretty big