The milk spray was a success! It seems to have gotten rid of the powdery mildew and the zucchini are robust again. That is a bit of a mixed blessing, however, as they are now taking over that part of the garden. They have crowded out the eggplants which had been the strongest and most prolific I had ever managed to grow. 
Now those plants aren’t getting enough sun and the many eggplants that had started to grow have stalled. Why, oh why did I plant them so close together? They were so tiny I never imagined they would get so big. This is a phenomenon I should have learned already: I have two children who are young adults, a stage I could only imagine in a theoretical way when they were babies.
Everyone needs space in the world to grow, even eggplant. When my children were young I remember they were always within arm’s reach, on the floor by my feet, in my arms, on my lap. Now it is a bit crowded when everyone is home, on top of each other, needing air and room to spread out. This summer they are both in different cities where they have plenty of room to grow.
I think of this as I clear the weeds away from the plants, pruning away leaves, making room for air to circulate and sun to come through, training the growth of the zucchini away from the eggplants to give them both the space they need. They will do their growing on their own, but some maintenance and support is still helpful.
While the eggplants have stalled, the first zucchini and more yellow squashes are showing up. I am thrilled and wondering what I will make when the overabundance starts.
PS: loved your “eggplant” analogy!!!
Hi Ellen: You’re living & learning…..all to the good!! “How does your garden grow”?? GREAT!! xo, Aunt Shirley