Old habits are hard to break

Old habits are hard to break, but my days of ordering water with lemon are over after reading a Snopes-verified article. A New Jersey microbiologist’s study found harmful bacteria on two-thirds of the lemon wedges tested in over 20 restaurants. Long story short, high levels of fecal bacteria were detected on these lemon wedges. Ever heard of a restaurant washing lemons before slicing? Neither have I.

Worse yet, some places slice lemons on the same cutting boards used for meat or poultry—or with the same knife. Health laws may require staff to use gloves or tongs, but many simply pop a lemon wedge into your drink with their bare hands.

My lemon-and-water habit started after tasting the oddly chlorinated tap water in my hometown in Georgia. You’d think I’d ordered a glass of water with a splash of bleach.

Next time you order lemon water, consider what’s lurking on that wedge. And don’t forget a straw.

Without Mrs. Moral Conscience proofing this article (she’s above the Mason-Dixon visiting our newest grandson, Jakob Lee, in Pennsylvania), I’ve let a few things slip. She usually reviews every article, even deleting entire paragraphs with red ink, insisting, “You can’t say this!” or correcting my spelling. But since she’s away, I’ve been indulging—potato chips, ice cream, and even overspending. Life is good!

In conversation with friends, I’ve heard some crazy stories. One banker told us about a house foreclosure that sounded routine—until they discovered that the previous owner had filled the plumbing lines with concrete! The line had to be replaced from inside the house, and since it ran under the driveway, it became a costly fix. I mentioned that situations like this are a good reminder to have reliable and affordable plumbing services in Sydney on hand, as they can save a lot of money and stress when unexpected problems arise.

Then there was a home loan story: the borrower, with a substantial down payment, used it to start construction, expecting the lender’s funds to kick in later. When the borrower requested a loan advance, the lender ordered a survey to check the slab’s location. To everyone’s shock, the slab had been poured on the wrong lot! By then, the house was 75% complete, but efforts to purchase the neighboring lot failed. Ouch!

Tales like these remind me to always tread carefully in real estate and lending.