Just wondering if anyone here suffers from COPD? My disease has gotten much worse in the past 2 years to the point that I can't walk across the yard and still manage to breathe. I am very frustrated and, it breaks my heart to see my gardens growing up in weeds. We (my partner & I) have no family, do not belong to a church, live in a very small town with no assistance groups like Boy Scouts, and no one affordable and knowledgeable to hire. For quite a few years my gardening was done sitting on my butt and scooting along but now even that doesn't seem possible. (Hard to explain to unexpected visitors why I had a brown butt.) I am trying to figure out how to get back to my gardens and still breathe (since that seems to be a necessity). Has anyone experienced the same problem?
COPD anyone?
Only that I've definitely experienced that breathing IS a necessity. It would be great to be able to put it on hold but it can't be done; I've tried. I am so sorry about all your weeds.
I've just decided that the rabbits & the morning doves seem to like all the weeds so I guess they will just have to stay there. That's my excuse anyhow. :)
Well, our rabbits make tunnels in our weeds! You could pretend you're making a wildlife habitat...
Considering that I am surrounded on 3 sides by woods, facing the end of a small, no traffic dead end street, feed deer in my back yard, have rabbits, skunks, raccoons, and wild turkeys in my yard every day - I really don't have to PRETEND. It already is a wildlife habitat. :)
Super! :o) All you need is the sign. LOL.
I'm afraid if I put out a sign it will just be an invitation for more "wild" company and I have all I can handle now. As it is now the turkeys are in love with my minivan and spend hours each day looking at their reflection (and leaving deposits as they march around it) and the deer come up to the glass doors to visit my cats on the inside. Then, in the morning, the 2 young rabbits play Ring Around the Rosey around the big pine tree in the center of my driveway. No, I think I will just forget the sign for now. Thanks anyway :)
Oh my gosh!! You wer'nt kidding!
How close were you to that wild turkey? These ozark turkeys don't socialize. I could send you a bear. He IS too friendly.
My biggest problem is notbeing able to breathe sometimes too. Chronic Heart Failure. I have to sleep sitting up in a recliner. I'm going to have to start using Oxygen but keep putting it off.
Your gardening problem is a problem. But i strongly beleive we humans are on this earth to help each other and it is a human need to help each other. Sometimes it takes a little motivation is all. Where is your nearest highschool and does it have an AGRI class?
Vickie
While I greatly appreciate your kind offer of the bear, I am afraid I must decline. I really wouldn't want to upset the current residents of the "zoo". The turkeys were about 35 feet from my front door and spent hours each day trying to challenge that handsome bird they could see in that van. I recently traded in the van and got one that is a gold color and the turkeys can't see themselves. I actually miss their crazy antics (but not their deposits).
I have called the local school but they didn't know of any kids willing to work for pay. I put a sign up at the local grocery store bulletin board asking for anyone that did lawn & garden care and all I got was some drunk that wanted $20 an hour. I called the library where the senior citizens group has their meetings and goes to play cards but they didn't know of any resources. I answered an ad in the paper this spring and got 3 people that were supposed to clean out the leaves from the flower beds, cut down 3 small dead pines and one large one and dispose of the wood. They raked up some (not all) of the beds (tearing up flowers as they went), cut down the small trees and left the wood piled in the yard. I work 3rd shift, so I had to get to bed before work. I gave them their money and instead of finishing the job they waited till I went to sleep & ran. I called and argued with them and they came back & cut down the big tree (almost hitting the house) and left all the wood. Cost me more money to get someone to take away the wood. So my gardens will just stay a mess I guess.
I HATE it when people take advantage of our inability to fight back like that! Unscrupulous, unconscionable, awful people. You could probably take legal action, but is it worth it? And humiliating, to boot!
Oh s-i-g-h. Hate to say it but i've been there too. In fact am going nuts trying to find someone to help with housework now.
The woman here today did'nt want to move chairs to vacuum. Like duh... I can vacuum around chairs. If i stop and rest.
Are we Americans a bunch of spoiled babys. Or do we just need to motivate people by saying either work by my standards or starve. LOL
slvr and Carrie, I did'nt mean to break in to your conversation. Yall keep on.
No, please, cando, you weren't breaking in! I'm hoping slvrwlo will join us on one of the other threads in this Forum. I think the Disabled Gardeners Laughing for Joy thread would suit you nicely, slvr! But you are, of course, welcome to explore any thread you like, or keep this one going.
I've been on vacation the past 2 weeks so have had lots of time to play on the PC but starting next Monday I go back to work (Yuck!!!) on 3rd shift so will be sleeping more and on PC less. I applied for SS retirement to start in November. I think I will start marking off the days. I work in a nursing home and just heard that, due to low census, everyone has had their hours cut and benefits reduced. My " significant other" had emergency surgery 2 weeks ago (first day of my vacation, so I spent the rest of it listening to the poor man groan :) and the hospital was cutting days for their personnel due to low census also. I know that all the medical facilities are complaining of low census recently. Wonder why? Maybe the home health agencies are the reason.
Sorry about your SO. Is he getting along ok?
Have been thru the SSI for retirement. Am glad we have it. but of course it's never enough and everyone has to scrimp. I remember the good ole days with good health insurance and good wages. I got a statement from Medicare today where they had payed $400 for my diabetic foot fitting and shoes.
Now if they would pay more on Hospitalization it'd be great. 20% of $10,000 is still $2000 i can't afford.
I guess we could not have any coverage at all.
I don't know of any nursing homes around here with a shortage of patients. They all seem to have a waiting list
Walmarts has been laying off employees and reducing hours also. They're the only ones making money right now so theirs has to be greed. I feel like things will get better economy wise but it'll take awhile.
I feel the pinch in cost of living and gas. I've cut back on my meds and doctor visits. I'll have to go to hospitals tho cause they've always been emergencys.
I may have to get catarac surgery soon tho cause it sure is getting hard to see. I've been putting off getting my eyes checked.
Oh, Vickie!!! my DH put off cataract surgery for years because he was afraid. He had his second one done this June!!! He can see, corrected, to 20-20. Even when he was little one eye only made it to 20/40 with glasses and ever since I've known him, glasses haven't helped. Now, traffic light have been restored to red, yellow and green!!! (He used to see them as red, yellow and blue.) And once they started to get bad, they got really bad really fast.
Can you get Medigap? Medicaid?
The current issue of TV Guide Magazine has a list of how much money the actors, actresses, and news reporter make. You would think during a time when so many people are losing their homes and having terrible financial problems that these people would be ashamed to get $450,000 for one episode of a TV show or late night people like Jay Leno get $32 million a year. For cripes sake, couldn't they spread it around a little. What can you do with $32 million a year? (Just for one day, it would be nice to find out.) LOL
Hear, hear.
Carrie, Does he really see as good as he did. Thats what bothers me. Go thru all that and i can't see better.
I do have Medicare,which wont cover all of it. and i would'nt have it done untill i payed my share.
Carrie you sounded so upbeat about it . I'm tempted. It'd be nice to see again.
Oh, Vickie, he sees better than he saw before he had cataracts at all! But he had very poor vision even before the cataracts. He has lost a little peripheral vision, but he can now SEE with drugstore glasses, we haven't even filled the prescription yet which should give him 20/20 near or far! He used to hold things up to his nose to read - no more. He can see colors! I always (I've known him for 12 - 13 years) thought he was a little color blind. He's NOT!
DH just came in and said "my cataract was so bad I couldn't see through it at all. It was the worst one my cataract doctor had ever seen. It might be different if yours is not so bad."
LOL Carrie, I don;t know how bad it is. I was supposed to go back last year to see if it was bad enough for surgery. I kinda did'nt want to know so did'nt go. Now i'm afraid i might hit a car or person while driving tho i'm very careful.
I can still read if that counts.
GO, Vickie, go!!!!
yes maam! LOL
AARP is for anyone over 50 and it covers the majority of my medecare deductibles, etc!
Really!? Thanks, Sheri, I'm gonna check into that for DH.
Oh, my goodness yes. Everybody over 50 should have AARP. there are many benefits, discounts, etc