mercury or lead tomatoes anyone?

i had these grand gardening plans to plant an elaborate vegetable and herb garden in our backyard. that beautiful vision came crashing down when my sister, the real estate lawyer, mentioned that i might want to have the level of lead in the soil checked before doing so. because this is such an old house (circa 1930ish) and had lead paint on the outside of the house at one time, it would have leaked into the soil and most likely is still present. she said that she often handles cases with old houses where she reviews the level of lead reported in the soil. there's nothing like growing organic lead vegetables, is there? she said that i might be able to have the city check the soil for free. i'm thinking that we could consider planting a raised bed in the far part of the backyard, or have potted vegetables and herbs on a patch. no lead soil, of course! growing in lead soil would sorta defeat the purpose of having a vegetable garden. i wonder if other avid gardeners out there know about checking the soil for lead concentration. i love our old house, but dammit, my garden plans are thrown off track. i can still proceed with planting the flowers and bushes since we won't be eating those.

in true texas tradition it has been raining in a torrential downpour this whole day, and the driveway has been transformed into a serious pathway of mud. i had to get out my high doc marten boots and the umbrella to reach my car. the backseat is still filled with some boxes i haven't had the energy to bring into the house, and i still have to organize my bedroom this weekend. oh-my housemate has left for a week-long vacation leaving me alone with the house and the two cats. i dig this solitude. i've caught up on sleep, done some cooking and entertaining to candles, and have actually had the chance to read books for fun. i'm reading a memoir by anne lamott and a book on ancient spiritiual wisdom to live by called "the four agreements." what i've found most useful is the part on how our words are the power we have to create. you can create beauty, love, and 'heaven' with your words or you can destroy everything and create hell. our words are pure magic, or our words are black magic. i'm fascinated with musicians, poets, writers, and motivational speakers because of their power and influence on the world with words.

my brother, his girlfriend, and my sister are in town for the weekend. i had them over last night for wine, french bread, and cheeses, and that has been it as far as the excitement goes for now.