So the paint on the back of the garage gets a lot of sunlight, and is now chipping and decomposing before our very eyes. We decided to scrape the paint as best we could, and put new coats over the top.
It recently occurred to me that, since our house was built in the late 1800′s, we might have a lead paint issue on our hands. I finally got around to getting the lead test kit, perhaps knowing deep in my soul that the news could not possibly be good. Behold: 
The kit indicates that if the liquid is darker than the window, then you have an environmental catastrophe on your hands. This clean-up should be fun.
So I have two edibles right in front of the shed: my sunchokes and my impulse pear tree. UMN Extension gives some advice for leaded soil, and so I’m hopeful that it won’t be too much of a problem, although I will be researching this more. The rest of the plants are perennials including echinacea, american spikenard, red milkweed, and some other beaut’s. From what I can tell the major issue will be washing the sunchoke rhizome well enough before eating it. Done and done.
I found that Ramsey County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Site will accept the paint chips with mixed in debris for FREE, which is awesome. Hopefully the sand that’s mixed in won’t be too much. The website says that the collection sites are open to people residing in Washington, Hennepin, Anoka, Dakota and Carver Counties, too. Good deal.
In related news, my niece and nephew are visiting this weekend. It will kill me to have to tell them, “no, kiddos, you cannot put the dirt in their mouth.” sigh.
