Pressure-Treated Wood and Perfectionism

Dear D,

While working on an article about commercial production of yellow poplar, I came across the following article concerning "the new generation" of pressure-treated wood.

You may wish to flag this email for easy retrieval in future.

I'm sure you can go online and find legions of perfectionists who will represent "micronized copper-treated wood" as Satan's handiwork.

As you know, I don't trust "those guys."

Rather, I believe in prudence and the inevitability of sin.

I also believe Thomas Merton cut to the quick of our contemporary condition when he said:

"The terrible thing about our time is precisely the ease with which theories can be put into practice.  The more perfect, the more idealistic the theories, the more dreadful is their realization.  We are at last beginning to rediscover what perhaps men knew better in very ancient times, in primitive times before utopias were thought of: that liberty is bound up with imperfection, and that limitations, imperfections, errors are not only unavoidable but also salutary. The best is not the ideal.  Where what is theoretically best is imposed on everyone as the norm, then there is no longer any room even to be good.  The best, imposed as a norm, becomes evil.”  "Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander,” by Thomas Merton http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2012/04/merton-best-imposed-as-norm-becomes.html

Paz contigo

Alan

PS "Is Perfectionism A Curse? Paul Ryan Tells The Truth" http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2012/09/paul-ryan-tells-truth.html

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Alan Archibald <alanarchibaldo@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Jun 10, 2012 at 2:29 PM
Subject: Micronized copper treated wood
To: DD

Dear D,

Here's the scoop on the new micronized copper treated wood that Home Depot sells - the same treatment applied to the two by four I recently bought for your raised bed corner posts  http://blog.ufpi.com/blog/pressure-treated-lumber---basics-and-beyond/use-pressure-treated-wood-for-raised-garden-beds

Excerpt: "According to Becky Wern, Master Gardener with the Duvall County Agricultural Extension Service and the University of Florida, today's pressure treated lumber "is safe to use around children and animals and for gardens with edibles."

Sounds perfect!

Shall I cut that 2X4 for you? Four 18 inch lengths. Verdad?

Paz contigo

Alan