Our friendly neighborhood association recently sent their annual newsletter and dues billing. One of the tidbits of newsletter information asked all of us to be good neighbors and spray our weeds so they won't spread. They even suggested two companies whose services are frequently used by many good neighbors. If you know us, you know we aren't fond of toxic chemicals or toxic food. The dangers of herbicides, pesticides and even some fertilizers are well documented. In addition to pollution by neighbors, the city has a regular mosquito spraying program. After our street has been sprayed, the strong chemical odor lingers in the air for hours. As a result of all these "good neighbors," there are very few bees in the neighborhood and the number of birds is also on the decline. My front bed is well populated with cone flowers and bee balm. Last year, in spite of the magnificent blooms, very few bees were seen. I kindly forwarded a letter to my friendly neighborhood association and included two well-researched articles stating the dangers of the carcinogenic products they are pushing. I received a lovely response, thanking me for my care and concern. They said they will keep the information "on file" in case anyone asks.