Anyone who has been working on emergency preparedness for very long knows he has to acquire an adequate amount of water. We publish a lot of information in this Water Purification series. You are probably already familiar that you should have a minimum of 1 gallon of water per person per day for two weeks. Or 14-gallons per person in your household. But that’s a minimum.

And you have probably learned how to use two drops of household bleach per quart or liter of water. You know to stir it in and then let it sit for 30 minutes. And of course, you are probably quite aware that you should filter your water BEFORE you try to purify it. See our water filter here and our other videos in the series.

But wait. The household bleach is only good if it is fresh. Clorox or other unscented household bleach will begin to lose its potency after only 6 months. It will degrade 20% each year until is is totally degraded to salt and water. That won’t purify your water.

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Question: The leaves on my Burning Bush Euonymus are turning mottled yellow and brown and then falling off. I cannot see any insects. Does this look like a disease? Is there some way to stop it?

Answer: The picture you sent as an attachment looks very much like mite damage. Mites are very tiny insects which are almost invisible without careful observation or magnification. They attack a wide range of plants including house plants, vegetables, flowers, and both evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs. You don’t usually see their damage outside until warm weather. When it gets hot they can multiply very quickly.

Mites feed on the bottom of the leaves. Their color is usually light green, which blends very well with leaf color. If you hold a piece of white paper under the leaves while you shake the leaves, you will usually knock some off the plant and onto the paper. They appear as tiny specks which move. Under magnification you can often observe two spots on their backs.

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This past week, the Utah Supreme Court made a landmark ruling that may unshackle individuals from the political wrangling between parties. In a clear 5-0 decision, the Utah Supreme Court ruled that candidates could count electronic signatures in order to be included on a general election ballot. The measure could change the way elections are handled nationwide.

Before you continue, please understand that I am not a resident of Utah. However, these landmark decisions may effect the very changes that may be necessary to break political gridlock.

See these stories  here and here.

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My brother forwarded the video below to me about two weeks ago. You may have seen it. If you have not, I encourage you to watch it. If you have, I encourage you to watch it again.

Being an American is not a cake walk. For most of us, even the rich and the very rich, it is hard. Sometimes very hard. Being an American means hard work to succeed. It is what made America great for as long as it has been. I believe it will remain great because Americans, at the core, cannot accept long-term mediocrity. We sometimes let our attention wane, as a child in school, but then our interest is piqued and we remember our intense energy.

The events of 911 turned our hearts back to greatness briefly. I believe debt on each American adult will finally grind them down to remember frugality and industry. I know it has in my own case.

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Question: My weeds are really growing fast and I can’t seem to keep up with them. Do you have suggestions for keeping up with the weeds? Are those chemical weed preventers safe to use?

Answer: I like to weed early in the morning. It is cool, and I can listen to the birds singing their morning songs. By weeding 10 to 30 minutes almost every morning I can keep ahead of the weeds. If you have a regular job, try setting your alarm 20 or 30 minutes earlier. There is something about being outdoors that invigorates you for the whole day. Then if you are gone for a week, it will not be an overwhelming task to catch up. If you are a weekend weeder, try working in the shade. Weed on the west and south sides in the morning and weed on the east and north sides in the afternoon. Weeding is easier when weeds are small. One swipe with a hoe will remove a dozen or more weeds. A big weed may take 3 chops with a hoe to get it out.

Weed Preventers

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Question: You wrote about spraying the suckers/runners on trees with a lawn weed killer to keep them under control. Any cautions I need to use spraying suckers on Canada Red Cherry trees?

Answer: A number of trees produce unwanted suckers or sprouts at the base of the trunk and from underground roots or runners some distance from the tree. Aspen trees are the worst, but other poplars and cottonwoods, Canada red cherries, purple leaf plums, apples, and some others are prone to produce sprouts.

Sprouts which are growing directly from the trunk of the tree, including portions of the trunk which are below the soil should not be sprayed with any weed killer. The weed killer can be transferred directly to the roots and damage or kill the entire tree. Sprouts which emerge from horizontal underground runners or roots can be safely sprayed with lawn weed killer without damaging the mother tree.

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