Shall we start with a couple of propositions? The first is that a smell test is always in order. The second is that if the item in questions does manage to pass an initial smell test this should not be taken to mean said item is fit for human consumption. The latest edition of TrumpWorld in regard to the convenient SCOTUS retirement aligns with both our propositions.
Handy Observation: The USDA notes that pasteurized milk should never be left at room temperature for more than two hours. It may pass a smell test at this point, but the bacteria which render a $3.50 gallon of milk perfectly disgusting have already begun their assault on the bottle. In fact, the bacteria will start to grow when the milk reaches 40°F. Hence the advice to store milk on the bottom shelf of the fridge (the coldest area usually). Should ambient temperatures reach 90°F please don’t leave the milk out for more than one hour.
Supplemental Observation: When there are headlines and stories about Justice Kennedy’s retirement such as the ones in Business Insider, Salon, and the New York Times, a rational person would start assembling bits and pieces into a larger picture of an increasing coliform count in the milk bottle.
Handy Observation: Care of a household septic tank system is based on the septic tank capacity and the household size. In other words: A homeowner with a septic system should calculate a pumping schedule based on a design to retain 24 hours worth of wastewater assuming a fifty percent digestion of solid waste. Since there’s nothing quite so repellent and obnoxious as a clogged drain field and associated blubbering sink hole, it is advised that the tanks not be under-pumped (early drain field failure looms) or over-pumped (a complete waste of time and money.) There are easy charts for these calculations.
Supplemental Observation: When discussing the maintenance of uncultivated low lying ground where water collects into bogs, marshes, or quagmires, periodic drainage based on a reasonable evaluation of use and risk is advisable Over-pumping, i.e. removing processes and personnel merely for the sake of “drainage” without appropriate justification is a massive waste of time (usually departmental) and money (usually taxpayers’.) Under-pumping can easily precipitate the failure of a drainage scheme altogether. Failure to reduce obstacles and impediments to drainage will always result in drain field collapse. There are electronic monitors available for accurately measuring levels of tank (or swamp) scum and sludge.
A careful homeowner (citizen) may want to measure scum and sludge build up by regularly noting any of the following: Numbers of lawsuits filed by organizations such as CREW, etc., Increasing numbers of published reports from Whistle-blowers and their attorneys; and reports from independent investigative agencies and departments. (Congressional committee reports at present are unreliable monitoring devices.)
Thus, we might want to heed our initial propositions — smell tests of fridge contents and swampy bogs are always relevant; however, merely because the initial odor isn’t completely appalling doesn’t mean we should be ingesting it or living in close proximity to the source.
Pouring the soured, bacteria laden, milk down the drain into a well maintained national septic system can be accomplished in November 2018.
Desert Beacon 