Always write as you "find it" Vee. It makes for a much more interesting discussion! :) Yes, even Nao made much of her name being pronounced Now and how it related to the time theme. Read the link I posted on bullying in Japan. Nao was an outsider who barely spoke Japanese after coming to that country from the states when she was a teenager. She had American customs and not Japanese ones, so of course whe would have stood out from the pack as a non-conformist. There is a racist remark that I have heard here where an Asian/American/Cdn who has lost his heritage is referred to as a banana, yellow on the outside and white on the inside, and that term is usually used by other Asians. That link explains why some teachers tolerated the bullying as a way to help the one picked on conform. Bizarre, I agree. The Jungle Crow? He too was blown off course and ended up far from home, just like the freezer bag and its contents. We do get birds like that here, and then the birders and their cameras camp out in some poor persons backyard so they can see the exotic visitor and cross it off their lifelist of birds. But in the novel there was some sort of bafflegab symbolism going on there, I am sure. Like I said earlier, I was in Ruth's area a little while ago and stayed on one of the islands. On a Friday night, they had what is called an 'open mic' and the villagers show up with musical instruments. Some brought tea, coffee, home made desserts and all were put on a table for everyone to share. At least 100 people showed up to listen. You just sign up if you want to display your musical talents or whatever and it goes in that order. Believe me, there were quite a few eccentric people, including a former US draft dodger who sorta twanged an electric guitar and then gave a stand up comedy routine which was, well, interesting. Some guy from Iran gave a speech on the human race, a native girl sang a song she wrote about bullying, a couple of guys had banjos and played some stuff they wrote. Lots of others, some were really good. Finding someone who speaks French is not hard at all, and there are plenty of Chinese and Japanese as well. The Japanese fisherman actually were an integral part of the fisheries during the 1920's to the 1950's. After Pearl Harbour many of them were gathered up and sent to internment camps, at least 145 of them from one cannery near Prince Rupert, causing the cannery to just about shut down. People on the coast are often aware of currents, especially after the tsunami. I think that was Oliver's specialty, wasn't his brain wired for things like that? Where I was staying, a couple of retired people beachcombed as a hobby. The woman found a Japanese fishing boat washed up on shore and using the numbers, she researched it and determined its original owners and confirmed it was from the tsunami. She actually visited Japan and eventually visited the elderly owners who had lost everything (the fishing...

Lol... I suppose the blame for 'telephoned' lies with me (if I'm thinking right, this refers to that old game where one person whispers a long sentence in someone's ear, and they whisper to another person, and so on until it 'returns to sender'. When it is finally repeated out loud, it can bear no resemblance to the original message.) I really did not mean to cause trouble lol. I just wanted to make the case that if the test isn't readily available, or if - as one person posited - that California no longer offers tests through the University and County Extension Services, that a test is not ALWAYS necessary. Like I mentioned above... there are some very good reasons, in some circumstances, where a test is of more value and importance than in other situations. However, it is sobering to realize that human civilization was built on agriculture. Total ignorance about how to manage land can lead to future problems, but if all you have is a small plot (some people only have a 4' X 4' bed, or even a few containers) then one should really take a sober, reasonable approach to a $100 commercial soil test! And again, before someone challenges my opinion, I'm not saying that it's wrong to get a soil test - there are real benefits - but all one really has to do is drive around one's neighborhood if they want to see what grows well in their native soil, or get on Yelp! if they want to read reviews of locally available mediums. If you have the extra money, are having problems you can't solve, or are seeking to optimize your return, then by all means... get the test. However, if like my Great grandfather's lifetime of gardening... the soil test is not available, or is beyond your means, then just plant already lol (I'm not talking about Nancy, just in general.) Ecc. 11: 6 - "In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good."

do another different one @Nicholas Robinson

another test @Nicholas Robinson