Thanks for the comments and support! I walked around singing "GLOOM, DESPAIR and AGONY on me" for a while, but things are looking up again! I really didn't do much of anything last year - just keeping myself from jumping ship. The medicine that caused my depression was Lyrica - if ever you have to take it, be careful! I nearly did myself in because of it - huge shudders to think that a chemical that is supposed to make you feel better can cause such hard-wire screw-up's in your brain. After I got surgery and had the arm cath, I couldn't use my arm very well, so sort of lunged around a la' the Mummy in an old black and white movie... no gardening and haven't done any hats in over a year but plan to pick it up again when I can... The flying furbabies are still buzzing around stealing nuts from each other and harrassing the dog. they will run right to his bowl while he is eating, grab some of his food and then stand and laugh at him while he tries to appear unconcerned. he isn't allowed to react to them, so he gives us pathetic-puppy-dog looks as if to say "PUUUULLLEEEZE, just once, can I get my food back??" the girls just giggle, poke him with sticks and buzz his head when he is trying to sleep. The clinic in Florida specializes in treating people who have spine injuries that are supposedly un-treatable or that cannot be fixed. This dr. uses laser surgery and arthroscopic techniques and is a few years ahead of the neurosurgeons who put plates and steel rods in a spine and call it a day. Basically he uses lasers to kill the nerves that are causing pain. You are mildly sedated during the procedure so you can respond to questions and nerve stimulation - that way he doesn't kill off a nerve you need! Hurts like the dickens, but worth it in the long run - or so I hope! I didn't really get to give it a fair trial the first time. You can even watch the surgery through a monitor placed directly under you as you lay face-down on the table - kind of like a Star Wars fight scene,(complete with sound effects) with the laser blasting away the bad guys! If you know anybody who is in pain with back problems, tell them to check it out. http://www.bonati.com/ The party is going to be huge - anybody I have ever met in my whole life is invited, and if I don't know somebody, they can show up so we can say we met!!

Thanks for sharing that explanation. It's quite scary to see what soap can do once it's absorbed into the body of a plant. I agree with your "weak soap short soaks" summary. It doesn't take that long for soap to do what it needs to do to the bugs as long as it makes direct contact. So there is no need to expose the plants to more of it than necessary. I guess the reason I felt the way I did about using the lowest effective concentration of soap is because that's the way I treat my own skin. We know soap is an enemy to human skin. It strips away the natural barrier of fatty acids, which keep skin moisturized and help prevent infection. There is also some research that shows that it interferes with our skin's ability to absorb vitamin D from sunlight. And it decimates populations of good microbes along with the bad ones. There have been studies that showed that these good microbe populations are correlated with lower levels of inflammation on minor everyday injuries. So, they are probably just as important to our skin as they are to our digestive system. Now, I'm embarrassed to say I don't know enough about the composition of a leaf to know how all this impacts them, but I think there's every reason to err on the side of caution. Especially after what you've learned, I'm going to be even more judicious about when I use soap. Of course that's not to say that it is more harsh than other insect preventatives. Who knows what negative impact systemics or neem oil or alcohol might have too. Keeping our plants strong and healthy in the first place is always going to be preferable to any invasive treatments - same as with us.

I know it has been some time since your post. How are you doing? Do you have a weight loss buddy?

I saw some of these type thingy's on ebay a couple years ago. Never bot any, but I was curious too, at the time. Funny thing is that my elderly Mother who is 'a little kinda' into some natural, homeopathic and etc, fwd'd me an e-mail this past Fall saying put Vick's Vaporub on bottom of feet and then place socks on and sleep - to HELP remove toxins. I haven't done THAT either yet! But, I wonder if there is something to this. (I thought I might use big 4" squares of gauze taped to my feet and then socks over.) Anyway, if I try this, I will go for the Vick's method first. I've seen those pics of ugly greys, greens & purples on those 'day-after' pics...discusting! (I think if I had some of those foot pads, I would want to put a little moisture on them overnight to see if they turn colors-as a test. LOL!) Obviously, I'm not really motivated to pay for & try these things. However, I DO think there 'might' be something to this. Afterall, some people spend lots of money on their feet whether it be soaking, pedicures, massages, shoes, insoles, etc. And there are even the 'pressure points' on bottoms of our feet that, according to some, when proper message techniques applied, help the whole body function. But, who doesn't like pampering their feet? I say try it, and if it works...wonderful! Of not, well your feet STILL might feel good. (Just come back to post results! LOL!) OK, a LOT of people buy vitamins & supplements, etc., and don't really KNOW that they actually work...maybe there's a placebo effect going on? Maybe can be justified by blood & urine tests? MAYBE, it's state of mind. (I take care of myself, therefore, I feel better...and, I AM better.) I say go for it! It's not like a major expense...is it?!!! I have a little vaporub left that I've had for years...I will try that first. (altho- I don't know how active the vaporub is at this point! haha)