My money's on phytotoxicity from the insecticidal soap. You may also be over-watering for all I can tell from here, but that usually manifests as drooping, yellowish leaves and leaf-drop, not blotches. A picture would be good, though. I can't get my head around what you were doing with the foil, so I have no if that might also have an effect. According to the University of Florida link below, these are the symptoms of soap-burn: Symptoms on foliage include yellow or brown spotting, "burned" tips, and/or yellow or brown scorching on the leaf edges. Sound like what you've got? Some of the standard recommendations with Insecticidal Soap are not to spray in hot conditions, and not to spray on tender seedlings. Oops! I probably just would have left the white-fly alone, but it sounds like you're setting up a new garden and may not have a background population of beneficial insects yet. One gentler option is to give the leaves a high-pressure squirt every day for about a week to remove adults and also check leaves for larvae and remove by hand. Since you only had infestations on a few plants that had hardly any leaves that probably would have been do-able Another soft option is to vacuum them off in the early morning (when its coolest and therefore they are slower moving). Empty the vac into a plastic bag and freeze it to kill the adults. Again, if only a few plants that wouldn't be a huge chore to do a few days in a row. You can buy Encarsia wasps to control whitefly (often used in greenhouses), but honestly hardly worth it for a few seedlings and the blazing heat probably wouldn't help them either, especially if your garden is sparse and inhospitable. Anyway, don't give up on your eggplants yet, unless you really need the space. They may recover from their shock and surprise you. And look on the bright side, the whitefly are gone ; ) Here is a link that might be useful: Info on using insecticidal soaps

Do peppers (chili, super chili and jalapeno) return next year? I was under the impression that they were annuals, but some of my Mexican friends told me that they will come back next year. Thanks! Here is a link that might be useful: Our Home

That's so sad. Over the years I've had to face this many times, and it hasn't gotten any easier. In fact, I think it's harder. I have a 14-year-old Briard mix, and I think about this often. Two consolations: One, that my dog and yours have lived with love and care and fun for all of their time with us. And other is that I truly believe our animals and we will see each other again in a different world. Do you have a picture of Biscuit to share? We'd love to see him. You have my sincere sympathy. Susan

Well, tonight has certainly been an education. Robo, thank you for taking the time to do the layout. I think your recommendation of down by 3" sounds right to me. What puzzles me is that the certified framer, with training and years of experience, centered this piece on the wall in both directions. Apparently her training was different. I think I'll ask her about it as she's a lovely person and won't mind. After looking through the houzz photos again, the take away is that dining room art is usually hung lower and that the entire composition of the room, and size of the art, has to be taken into consideration. I've also read online that when one has a vaulted dining room ceiling, chandeliers are hung higher than the norm. Most chandeliers in the houzz photos, especially with large art, were hung high. At this time, mine is at 31" above table top. I think I'll experiment by getting a S-hook to temporarily raise it and see how things look. I'll think about your advice to keep some mystery, Annie. Mahalo, which means "thank you" in Hawaiian.