Accessible Gardening: #19 Practical Matters for Physically Challenged Gardeners , 1 by Agavegirl1

Agavegirl1 wrote:
Good Morning all! :D

Boo hoo! Meteor shower was a bust this a.m. Well, it did rain and the clouds were thick. Did see one absolutely stellar one though! Mega huge and on literal fire then it went out and left that white trail behind it. AMAZING!

Yesterdays was fabulous. Hundreds and hundreds of them. Some yellow a red one most of the typical shooting stars. Some so powerful they looked like little flashes of heat lightening behind the clouds. I actually HEARD one! Whatever object it hit the impact made an audible noise. It was a loud "click" sound like striking flint.

We have heat lightening out here. That's when it is so hot that lightening gets generated in the air but never touches the ground. It just kind of bounces around in the clouds emitting flashes if the clouds are covering it. If not you get some amazing bolts. Most running sideways! The meteors behind the clouds looked like heat lightening on occasion.

So disappointed about today. It rained last night. My garden sandals and outdoor patio rug were soaked and I could smell the rain. Can't see much at 1.30a.m. :D Came in about 3:15. Cold! Only 82 this morning. Well when you're used to 95 in the morning and 105 in the day 82 IS cold! Popped back out at 3:50a.m. Still dark and clouds dispersed just a tad. Meteors whizzing a little faster but still faint. Not much exciting going on.

Well I shouldn't say that. A sky full of non stop shooting stars, even faint ones, is exciting especially when it is supposed to last 3-4 days! What a gift. Are you guys watching this? Can anyone see it? They hyped this one up on the news due to the unusual quantity of shooting stars, the non stop activity and the rare type.

I'll have to check the schedule and see when the next meteor shower is. There's been more activity than ever before in the last 5 years. True! They used to be rare occurrences. I never witnessed so many of them as I have in the last 3 years. I know there's a bunch more coming this year. Stay tuned to a sky near you!

Carrie,
Glad your a "foodie" too. I looooove to cook. Do you?
I don't see it as a chore. I see it more as a creative process. To me it is just making a different type of art using a different medium. One does not have to spend tons of money to be creative and make something good. One of my favorite shows is Chopped. It has given me some good ideas for left overs and things I don't know what to do with!

Ever watched the cooking show called "Chopped"? There's your proof. They give you 5 really bizarre or off the wall ingredients in a basket, one being a protein and you have free range of the fruits, vegetables, spices and "pantry". You have to use EVERYTHING in the basket and you have to TRANSFORM the ingredients from what they originally were. You create 3 meals. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. There's 4 contestants. Process of elimination occurs until 2 contestants are left for the dessert round.
All dishes judged on creativity, use of ingredients, originality of recipe, flavor, presentation, etc.
Time limit on making all 3 dishes. I mean I've seen shows where they give you some really crazy stuff! It was liver(protein), turnips, orange peanut circus candy, a bottle red wine, and dried chilies. Now what on Earth do you do with that?

The winner made : turnip mashed potatoes, with a jazzed up pureed liver (like hamburger texture) and rice stuffed green pepper baked in a tomato and chili sauce and a side salad with all kinds of weird vegetables and transformed the candy into some type of an orange-red wine vinaigrette dressing. YUCK!!!

Somehow these people make it work and (supposedly) taste good! Oh well really makes me stand in front of the fridge looking at my Tupperware containers at the end of the week going Hmmm......instead of throwing things out.

Saved me money and according to my husband I've actually come up with some good stuff! Also come up with flops that resulted in trips to Whataburger or Subway(LOL)! :D

BetNC
Now look what you got us all started on...Food! You need to mail us those 'maters! :D
How you feeling today? How's the leg and Grandma? How's those wonderful flowers? Still jealous.

Speaking of old people. My favorite Aunt, actually great Aunt is still alive. She's 92. This is the woman that gets up at the crack of dawn to iron and washes walls and wonder's what the Hell I do with myself!

She's my mom's Aunt and my last living relative from Hungary. Still can read and write the language although she speaks perfect English with no accent. She came here as a young teenager with her family including my maternal grandfather (her brother).

Anyway my Mother told me Aunt Ida is finally starting to lose it mentally. Was sharp as a tack until now. She told my Mother she saw a naked Hungarian man in her bath tub the other morning and proceeded to describe!!! My Mother was like, "Ohhh .Kaaaay.....it's time to go home." (She only lives a few houses away)

I about bust a gut I laughed so hard.
First, how did Aunt Ida know he was Hungarian? Second good for her! Hey she may be old but she aint dead yet. She can still appreciate a naked man in her bathtub! I'm still chuckling about that.
Wish I had been there to hear her tell it. I wouldn't have left. I would have put on the coffee and chatted a spell. (LOL) :D

Old people. What a hoot. That's the only thing I am looking forward to about getting old. You can be, act, do and say the most outrageous things and get away with it. Nobody is going to give you a hassle and it really is almost shameful to get offended or mad at them. "Oh they're old and don't know no better. They've lost their marbles. They're getting senile. It's just the generation they grew up in they don't understand."
Yeah, yeah. They know we'll make these excuses for them and overlook the behavior so they do it all the more. I swear it is some kind of conspiracy old people have and their way of being passive aggressive and getting all their little digs in before they go.

Hi Kay and Jim!
Got a better understanding the bleach is for a hot tub and not the bath tub. Duh. Makes sense now! You'll have to forgive me. I don't have kids but I still have a tendency to mother hen people. Feel flattered.

Yep...had my share of heat rash due to sweating. You'll bust a pretty good sweat in the heat especially outside gardening in it. Main reason for baby wipes and trying to shower as soon as possible when done gardening. Cacti aren't exactly "user friendly" either (LOL) they bite and scratch. Own a few pair of leather gloves and if working with a larger plant unfortunately long jeans and harder shoes are required rather than shorts and tennis shoes.
Yes, certain types cactus needles DO penetrate the fabric of tennis shoes and socks as I discovered! (OUCH). So you'll also get pretty sweaty from the protective gear and the hat on your head to protect you from sunburnt scalp and face. I actually managed to burn my scalp where the part in my hair is one time! Hat's for now on!

I also have the worlds most sensitive skin. You breath on it wrong it turns red, or blotchy or it gets a bruise or a hive and itches (another reason for the dusting frenzy I have) It's fussy with cosmetics and perfumes. Oh... soap and lotions are just the worse! Must of tried every soap on the market until I found 2 that work and don't make me want to peel my skin off. Latex gloves bother my hands. Nothing wrong with me just your typical "sensitive skin". There's lots of people like me.

Oh two more words for coo: effuse, genuflects and bubbles over! If I come up with any more I'll let you know. Personally I like the word genuflect. It means to bend one's knee in reverence or worship. I can't think of a better way to pay homage to plants!

I am sorry about the farm. It probably sounds trite but Cactus shared with me lessons from other teachers. You probably know these. Blessings come in odd ways and often in packages we don't recognize and they're for our own good. Also bodies at rest tend to stay at rest so to create "motion" (in this case in life) you must be in motion.

I have a smaller home but I live in a "nicer" environment overall and both DH and I are happy. I no longer complain about the people, place, attitudes or solitude. I have a yard I can transform. Because of that I'm on line with all of you! Our fire and ambulance are free! Our property taxes are lower. Our water is lower.

Now it remains to be seen what will come from my not working.
Cactus told me the deeper the trial the bigger the blessing to follow and the more wisdom to gain."
My reply was "Oh goody. More happiness gained through poor judgment per our last lesson?" Wise cactus told me to, "Shut up and don't be a smart@$$. Go tell your friend I said don't be down and stop worrying."

Pic #1 Divine Cactus of Enlightenment
Pic #2 A beautiful tree trunk. For some odd reason I found this so compelling and lovely
Pic #3 A close up of an Ocotillo branch; photo by DH
Pic #4 My rendition of the same said branch
Pic #5 Sleeping beauty :D Awwwww! How does she manage those legs?