Someone, in light of the report of a baby food with lead in it, asked how lead could get into baby food. I can't recall who it was so if Bill lets this pass I'll be really quick: plants draw various nutrients from air, water and soil so they hold them. Then when animals eat these plants some things like a number of minerals become concentrated in the bodies. It's already known that there are areas where the pollution levels are so high that the plants should not be eaten, let alone the animals. This process is actually being used by some N.Z. scientists who have figured out how to mine gold this way, with a treatment to get a 20 ppm -- economically feasible. There are other possible sources, of course, but having some lead in any food item should not be a surprise, though sometimes the LEVEL should be. Folks, things like Linatone or Ferretone aren't laxatives. Just reminding people because I recently ran into someone who thought they are. Okay, here's the kicker. Yesterday I could NOT find many of Steve's socks to wash. Steve's got size 14 A feet so I buy his socks in quantity. Right now we are STILL waiting (two months now) for the replacement parts for our Westinghouse washer -- which Frigidaire says will finally be in their main center next week -- so I've been amassing things and then hand washing same-item types. When I went to fill the bathtub with Steve's socks I could find only 3 pairs. It was stash search time. After drying them I counted the pairs. Those ferrets had 23 pairs of Steve's socks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (They had only one of mine, but last week I did something sweet for Ashling and all day she kept returning stolen Mommy-socks to me.) I am still sick with this flu, but Steve worked from home today so the ferrets got closer to their normal level of romping, as they will the next three days. I hoping to be past it before Monday. Right now I am feeling guilty BIG TIME because I haven't cuddled the ferrets in DAYS since I don't want to get them sick. Bad Mommy, Wicked, terrible, cruel Mommy!!!!! Awful, awful!!!!! [Posted in FML issue 2464]