More Disabled Gardeners Laughing With Joy ..2

Come on in ,pull up a chair,have a glass of something cool to drink and injoy yourself.
Forget all your worries a moment. and have a laugh or two with us. Sometimes we make fun of ourselves and the predicaments we get into trying to garden with various disabilities or ailments. Sometimes we poke fun at the pain we deal with daily. We might even throw in a picture or two. Hope you join in and that you injoy our sometimes twisted sense of humor.-Scraps

The other thread was getting pretty long, So hope no one minds if i start another one. Carrie posted the first one and scraps wrote the invite.
We came from here.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/1008131/



edited to add link


This message was edited Sep 22, 2009 11:50 AM

We are not disabled, but tired of aching back picking berries.
This would work good for disabled person with a little change here & there. Top of legs are 32" off the floor.
We got the plants from Indiana Berry Farm. They are Seascape. An everbearing type.
We planted the bare roots in late March. They were giving us berries in May.
Bernie

Bernie, will your strawberrys live thru the winter? Mine are in planters on the ground and i mulch them. It would be nice to have them up like yours.
They sure are pretty and healty looking.
That was just plain ugly to show that beautiful ripe strawberry hanging down just begging to be picked.LOL
Vickie

Thanks for re-starting the thread, Cando. There was a lag when I loaded it before, but I thought it was just my equipment. Will try and keep Jim from "sharing" so copiously in future. LOL.

I can't really see photos any more, Bernie, but yours inspired my DH to go and check if maybe....on an off-chance, there might be a strawberry or two left. In mid-September?! LOL. They must look good!

Vickie, you should always feel free to start v. 2 of a popular thread, or son of, part two, even more, whatever, I don't mind. Not a problem.

Jim, I would wear a hat like that, but if you were hunting me in an old age home, you wouldn't recognize m by the hat, but rather by the liver spots from the days I didn't wear one!

This is still an experiment. The boxes are 8 feet long. We plan on setting them on the floor & covering them with straw. This is a greenhouse frame, so we might put the plastic on to help it stay warmer.
I'll keep everyone posted on what happens.
We picked 7 pints of berries Monday.
Bernie

7 pints, Bernie? Oh, my! May to September, fresh strawberries .... yumm yum... How, where. Hmmmmm. I imagine they need sun, hmm? I'll think on this.

Yes, full sun.
This whole time they are producing runners. Almost more than we can keep up making more boxes for. I will have 21, 8 ft boxes when project is complete.
I expect 25 to 30 pints 3x a week when all is complete.

How deep would these raised beds need to be? You cut off the runners to make new plants?

Bummer! Lots of blossoms on my strawberry plants, but not a single berry to be found. If I grew several different cultivars maybe I could have an uninterrupted supply.

Good point about the hats, Carrie. DW rarely goes outside without a hat and people have mistaken her for my daughter, despite the fact she is older than I am. I brown easily so never bothered with hats or skin protection even when I lived in the desert. I guess this is when I pay for the tan I thought was so cool looking way back when.
Rearranging the WC garden area to make room for a few more beds. The figure Kay is working with for the best distance betwixt and between things is 6’8”. That distance seems like overkill to me. Kay can’t remember exactly where she came up with that figure. A.D.A. recommendations or from Mike, she thinks. Does that distance sound right to you, Carrie?

Can I put some green leaf cannas in your spring package as well, Vickie? If that is too much, you could always give some to your DD to take care of. LOL. (Jim)

Photo: Green leaf canna in flower.

Bernie, you smart lucky person. What have you done with all of those berrys. I would have eaten half of them i think.
When my berrys make runners. I put new contaiers on both sides of the mother plant box and hold the runners down with a large piece of gravel in the new containers than when the new plant has roots i cut the stem of the runner and the new plants are at home in their new container.
I'm farther south than you and mine get a little more than half a days sun.I'm going to have to look into getting everbareing berrys. Mine are Cardinals,a June bareing one.

Jim, thats a beautiful canna. I'll take any you want to send. Nita is not coming anywhere near my cannas!! I might share a couple with Vonne.

I'd never associated liverspots with sun exposure. and that solves a mystery for me. I have liverspots on my right hand and arm but only a couple on my left hand. My DH always loved to drive and i sat on the passengers side with my right arm hanging out. Duh!!! I tanned easy too.
Vickie

Well, I read that sunscreen has carcinogenic ingredients, but then again what doesn't?

Vicke, you and DH need to drive the other direction, like in the morning instead of at night, or east instead of west! I'll bet his left elbow is tanner than yours is, too!

As far as that distance of 6' 8", I believe the most space is taken up by a tall person walking with two canes out to the side. (It's a very awkward way to walk; Canadian or forearm crutches are much more stable, but even those take up a lot of sideways space. ) You generally need 4 feet, or 48", for a wheelchair to pass through. But if that WC needs enough space to turn and come right up to the bed, then I would allow some more space for that. And - ye gods - we wheelchair users often travel in groups. Or just pairs. or even to walk next to someone instead of in front of them.

I would love to have a conversation while rolling/walking next to Kay. (When I come to visit...) So I need 48". How many inches does Kay need to walk in a relaxed way? If she needs 32", that's your 6' 8", isn't it?

well ADA.gov talks about 36" for a walkway and 98" for a van-accessible spot and egress from the spot, too. 36" means no shovels or walkers or thigh-high braces or kids on your lap. I find 36" restrictively narrow. I have to slow down to go through a 36" wide door. Booo. One thing, among the millions, that I hate about MS is that I have to SLOW DOWN and be patient, which is really not natural for me!

Amargia is experiencing some cross-cultural difficulties. I need to communicate with some NICE ladies. The ones here are being mean to me again. I was so proud of myself. I solved one of the mysteries of southern linguistics that has been puzzling me for a while. (This may be old news to some of you, but it was a revelation for me.) I could not understand why it was when two people resembled one another (especially within a family) I would hear older southerners say things like……”Johnny is the spitting image of his Daddy.” I could not see what the forceful projection of saliva out of one’s mouth had to do with two people being alike. It was finally explained to me. They are using the archaic English phrase…..Spit N Image or spirit and image.

But, now, the ladies here will not stop laughing at my ignorance. I don’t think it is fair. You can’t expect someone who comes from an Amish part of Pennsylvania to know about archaic English phrases. When I was growing up calling someone “English” was sort of an insult. It meant an outsider. Someone who was not part of the community and didn’t behave well. No doubt if my Grandma Knaub were here she would tell these ladies to stop behaving like the English.

We will stay with 80 inches, Carrie. I certainly want Kay to be able to walk beside you so she can hear you when you tell her all the reasons she should be nicer to me.

From now on I'll save my questions about things southern for Susan, Scraps and you, Vickie. Arkansas does count as a southern state, doesn't it? I think of it as one. (Jim)

LOL Jim, I've heard that expression all my life and did'nt have a clue to what it meant. Except it was neat to say when i was young. Can't wait to educate my girls.
The southern part of Arkansas where i grew up is very much southern. The northern half where i live now is neither nor. We were more like Missourri(I can't spell MO tonight) A little of both north and south. That made for a real mess during the civil war. There is a confederate soldier buried near my DH and i always put an American flag on his grave when i put one on my DH,s He was still an American.
My grandmother was fond of saying "they are not well bred." It would be an education talking to your lil ole ladies. God love em!

I can't wait to meet them -- I hope I am able to, someday. I had better tell DH that we need to plan a trip to AL.

Carrie, Don't Jim and Kay have to take us in for a visit? Afterall we are handicapped gardeners.LOL Seriously Amargea sounds too intriguing to pass up. Gotta save my money tho.
Maybe we could have a round up. Leaflady could come to my place, we could pick up scraps and be off to Alabama. I drive tho, I used to fly when flying was fun. NOT NOW.
Jim and Kay would you like in on our plans for you? LOL

LOL, DH works for jetBlue, I have to like flying...

Expecting your visit will keep us working to improve things and on the right track with good accessibility. You are welcome any time, but I am afraid you would not find it very comfortable if you try it before next fall. The place we work out of is meant to be a two-bedroom home. But, since Kay’s children and Amargia’s kids are all on their own now, I turned the 2nd bedroom into my office. Did not stop to think of the comfort of the regular overnight guest. And, they are part of life when you live an easy drive from the beach. The kids don’t care about roughing it a little. They just treat Amargia like a park with some extra amenities. A camp site with a Jacuzzi. But, the older overnight houseguest doesn’t care for bedding down in my office and the living room.

The one’s who’ve slept in the office complain it took them forever to get to sleep because of all the blinking lights and unexpected noises from the computer equipment that has to run all the time. (We have a small computer-based business.) There are also complaints that when you finally get to sleep; the décor of the room inspires science fiction nightmares. B.E.M.’s and such. (Big Eyed Monsters) The room has a science fiction theme. I get the “When are you going to grow up?” comments.
The people who sleep in the living room say the bedding is comfortable enough. But Taterdog snores horribly and Fenny prowls the house. One overnight guest claims Fenny’s eyes glow in the dark like a wolf’s. He told how he opened his eyes in the middle of the night to find glowing amber-red eyes staring into his. Screamed like a woman! (No offense. I mean he had a very high pitch scream.) The dogs are supposed to sleep in the kitchen, but the kitchen-living room area is an open floor plan. Now, when he and his wife come for an overnight visit. They actually prefer to sleep in the little barn. The wife calls it “quaint” and says she finds the smell of cedar comforting. I think she likes it best because there are no animals there. If it were not for the classic barn roof line, it would make me think of a child’s playhouse. We gave them the master bedroom once, but the woman swears she can still hear Taterdog snore. Kay and I have never noticed that, but it could be. Kay is significantly hard-of-hearing, I am a little bit so from years of working around aircraft engines and Miss Potatohead is a very old dog who does snore.. I guess it doesn’t say much about your abilities to be a good host when people actually prefer to sleep in your barn. It IS a very nice barn though. LOL. It is where I store my valuable comic book collection. No, I don’t have plans to “grow up” any time soon.

The little barn goes over so well with guest, in fact, we are planning to do more “little barns” specifically as guest quarters. Amargia is just off a training path for helicopter pilots. The flight instructors tell us they always know when Amargia’s children are visiting. It looks from the air like the circus is in town. What ever happened to forest green camping tents anyway?

Hopefully, we will have an International grade airport operating in Panama City soon. As things are, you have to drive 4 hours to Atlanta or almost that to Tallahassee. Dothan has a small airport. I worked there. But, it doesn’t even have the facilities to handle 747’s. Kay will only fly if the circumstances demand it. She was a white-knuckles flyer even at the best of times. You can forget small planes.

The fine ladies of Amargia are being nicer to me. I managed to take them down a notch by finding an old adage they couldn’t explain. Thanks, Vickie, I owe it to you. When the ladies think I am being obstinate (In other words, when I disagree with them.) they tell me I am being as “stubborn as a MISSOURI mule.” None of them can explain how mules in Missouri came to have this special reputation. There are a large number of people here who came from Oklahoma in the 1950’s. (Or whose parents or grandparents did.) I think that saying came here with the Okies. But, none of those former Okies know anymore why they say that. It is just something they say because their parents or grandparents said it. Maybe you, Jackie or Leaflady know? Have you heard that one before? Maybe you are too close to Missouri for that one to be used with impunity?

Missed church this morning. Just couldn’t stand the idea of sitting on those hard benches for more than an hour. Want to make evening service. Hope your sermon went well this morning, Carrie. (Jim)

Photo: Fenny looking spooky.

My sermon went splendidly and I don't write another one for the foreseeable future! Being on the worship committee, i might have to, but let's hope it's not my turn again soon!

Jim, I'll start down in the morning. I'll feel right at home.
The day after my oldest DD moved out. I made a craft room out of her bedroom. Don't think she ever really forgave me.

What started out as a separate craft-storage bldg for me turned into what we affectionately call the condo. Where all want to stay. No bathroom or running water.Has heat,cool,electric cooking stuff,a bed,table chairs. Hey if the weather is nice. I still camp out.
Stubborn as a missouri mule? Thats a new one to me. We live too close to the missouri line. Theyed simply tell us we live in the same hills. Of course they call themselves the "show me state." Could be from the "Prove it!" attitude.LOL As far as i know all mules are reportedly stubborn. We have a neighbor down the road that is mean to his animals(mules too) When someone talks about the mule down the road. Someone always asks- The 4 legged or 2 legged one?
SCI FI huh? I'm sticking to smiling pumpkins and ghosts this year. Oh and scarecrows.

Good to hear it went well, Carrie. Jim's only responsibility at church is the sound booth and all I help with are landscaping jobs that need a strong back. I fear I would freeze up, if I had to be front and center.

If you took a poll on the worst overnight experience at Amargia. #1 would probably be an elderly couple who spent a few nights here three years back. They had the master bedroom. Lloved the decor. Wonderful! Thought the huge tub and all the candles scattered around in the master bath were romantic. She and hubs could have like a second honeymoon. Wonderful! I explained about our snoring dog. Not a problem the wife assured me. She adored Tate and her husbands snoring would drown Tate's out anyway. Wonderful! All went well until 4:30 a.m. I forgot to turn off my alarm clock. In most houses that would be a minor thing. The problem was I have an alarm clock specially designed for deaf & hard-of-hearing people. Siren-like alarm that will wake the dead. Also, it flashes the lights in the room on and off. And, it shakes the bed. All three features were on "Max"!!! The couple wasn't even aware I had a hearing problem so had no idea what was going on. We had three houses at the time. I was sleeping in another house. Was not here to assure and help them turn the clock off. The off swith is in a weird place so even after they realized what was happening, it took them time to see how to turn it off. Siren alarm screeching, lights flashing and bed shaking the whole time. I arrived here at 9 a.m. to cook them breakfast. At 8:30 their heart rates had settled down enough they were finally able to go back to sleep. O-o-o-o-ps! *Kay*

We'll wait until your guest facilities are top-notch, Kay! (whatever that means - mostly that I'm warm enough and close to the toilet and can turn on a reading light by myself because DH always falls asleep first.)

THAT we can provide. And, we assure you there has never been a case of anyone being attacked in their sleep by wolves and we don't experience earthquakes here. But, you should think of it as "adventure travel" because things can get "interesting." Can you assure us the bears will behave, Vickie, or should we pack the hunting rifle?

Kay, Thought i'd die laughing at that poor ole couple. Just think of the story they had to talk about for awhile.
My wild adventures all seem to come from camping out. When we lived in Texas we'd spend DH,s vacation on brokenbow lake in SE okla at a primitive campsite on the Mountainfork river. I always give the local wildlife a little food. We had another Texan come up on us and we invited him to stay the nite. He could'nt see where i had put out some leftovers and dogfood. About 10:00 PM a possum comes strolling up in the light of the campfire. The Texan was captivated at the brave possum. 5 minutes later a mother coon and several young ones came up and joined the possum. He gave us a side glance and looked back at our neighbors. Not a word said. A few minutes later up comes 2 skunks and a feral cat. He started to get up but thought better of it. The expression on his face was priceless. Just looking at us than back at the group of animals peacefully eating together.And us injoying the familar company. He never said anything about it. But i had the feelng he thought we were into some kind of witchcraft. I bet he did'nt sleep that night and went on his way the next morning.

Here everyone would be perfectly safe in the house or condo but outside you are on your own. We've never been bothered seriously by any thing. Our dogs does not like the neighboring wild life,and are very verbal about it. My Dillen is afraid of the bear and when he comes around Dillen makes a wild dash thru the doggie doors and up to me growling and wimpering,so i know when he's around. We got guns as all the guys go hunting. If your gun would make you happy...by all means bring it.

I also have a swing that makes into a bed on my screen porch if anyone wants to camp out on my front porch. I never sleep in my bedroom(right next to a bathroom, Carrie) So it's also up for grabs. DD next door has a Futon. (VERY UNCOMFORTABLE)

Our small town, Clarksville has an airport for small planes but the nearest large one is Little Rock. It's a beautiful drive up into our mountains from the Arkansas river valley.

The weather man said our leaves ought to be turning colors good by the middle of October. I could take you on a drive thru the back gravel roads that has breathless scenery. Sorry no city intertainment around.

I have 2 well behaved dogs- well most of the time, sometimes they forget themselves, My cat is a cat. what else can i say. DD says it is a wild cat.
Vickie

We don't do night life, no worries there, Vickie. But where DO you sleep?

LOL. Like, “Hello, Mr. Texan. Nice to meet you. We are Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle.”

No hunting rifle. I had enough of guns in the military. Do my hunting these days with a camera. I can remember when Kay and I were little, her parents told her there were bears in the kudzu patch to try and keep her from playing there. She dashed out of the kudzu and ran into the house one day, screaming a bear was after her. Her brothers and I looked, but found only a very large, very friendly, feral dog there, but her brothers, being typical big brothers, threatened me with dire consequences if I told Kay it was just a dog. They kept her on pins and needles for almost a week before her father decided enough was enough. And, sat her down and explained to Kay there were really no bears in south Alabama. Kay and a real bear. That could be fun. I think it is time she faced down her childhood fear.

Just returned from the doctor’s office. Gained 15 lbs. since last visit. He put me on a low-carb diet. Says the extra weight is making the pain worse. But, it has been like food is the one pain-free pleasure I still had since my back problems. This is going to be a challenge. Jacki, if you could just find a way to bottle up and sell your resolve and self-discipline, you could make a million. I would certainly buy a bottle for myself. (Jim)

Jim, wow, my condolences. DH has the same problem. The pain makes you not want to move which makes you not burn calories which makes you gain weight which makes it hurt more to move. But this is one where I would trust your MD that it would make your pain easier if there were less of you.

Kay, I sleep half sitting up in a recliner. Share it with my little dog Cricket,My cat Kittykat, and for breif periods my 55 pounder dog Dillen.
I have a wedge for my bed but the chair is more comfortable.

Jim,
The diet thing is hard, there's no denying that. I have an advantage which is I gave up alcohol about 20 years ago through AA. So I don't feel like it's will power, I feel like it's something different. Not a god thing, really. Just a "one day at a time" thing. I know that sounds so trite but it works for me. I've been craving a lot lately and I'm using a technique (for lack of a better word) I learned back in the day. I promise myself if the craving gets worse or I can't take it, then tomorrow I'm giving up. Sometimes I have to use "if it gets worse by this afternoon," or maybe "if it still feels like this in one hour, then I'm getting a cheesecake and eating the whole d*mn thing!" The craving seems to always pass or at least get easier to bear if I can just hold out 10-20 minutes.

The other thing that is really helping is that I'm learning how to make some really delicious foods within my diet. There has been some real bombs, too...but I made a banana cake/bread that was gluten, dairy, and soy free. And it was great! I ate over half of it! LOL See what I mean about will power? I've really got none. :)

My DH, who had no intention of changing his diet along with me, has slid into a low carb diet and his blood pressure dropped down into normal range in a couple of days. He's been trying all these different meds to bring it down and he reacts to all of them. This has been going on for a few years and now it's down all by itself. Go figure.

One more thing and then I'll change my cheerleader's outfit... Give it a try and just do the best you can. If you slip then so what? It's okay. Get up the next day and start over. I'll bet you will be able to tell the difference in your pain after the first few days...and that's a great motivator!

Go for it, Jim :)
Jacki

Luckily, there are cookbooks around Amargia for just about every diet and special dietary need so I don’t have to go to the trouble of seeking them out. Even found one on low-carb desserts. I’m going thru all the low-carb ones to get ideas and to find out the sort of things I need to re-stock the pantry. Getting rid of the problem foods. I will be too tempted if they are in the house. Put my old driver’s license up on the fridge. Even the doctor commented on the difference between the way I look now and the photo on my license. When we naturally skinny types “go to seed,” it looks particularly bad. Will use that and the beautiful thought of less pain as incentive to keep me on the straight and narrow. Never had to worry about my weight before so I’ve never learned much self discipline where food is concerned. Find myself leaning for support on Nadine. She has always struggled with a weight problem and has an attitude toward food more like mine. Food, as more than just fuel. People like Kay or Melinda sound like chemist when they talk about food. Think that attitude makes a diet easier for them.

Yesterday, one of the ladies from church asked me where I got the cute ornament Kay was wearing in her hair. She wanted one for her granddaughter. It would be perfect for Halloween. I was confused. Kay never wears anything ornamental when she is working. The “ornament” was a small, colorful lizard with his tail coiled around where the band was at the end of her braid. Evidently, quite comfortable and happy clinging to the braid itself. He spent, at least, an hour there. The Alabama bluetail lizard is such a strange color combination it doesn’t look quite real. Kay insists now on tucking her hair under her hat. LOL.

You guys are a bad influence. Yesterday while grocery shopping, i started looking at healthier foods,like juices and frozen green veggies. Did'nt say i bought any, just looked.

Look out, that's how it starts, cando! And I love the lizard story ROFL!! Kay, I think you might start a trend. Lizard tail instead of pony tail! Hahaha.

One time many years ago, when I was a young adult, my sister and I were at church. I was interpreting for her which always draws attention. At some point I felt something itch and looked down to see a spider caught inside my nylons at the knee. It was trying to move...oh gross!! I had to calmly stop signing and walk outside to my car where I proceeded to FREAK OUT trying to get my pantyhose off.

So much for us ladies, Kay, just trying to look nice...geeze! LOL!

Oh, YUCK. Poor you.

My grandson is crazy about dinosaurs. I thought his little heart was going to break when he found out dinosaurs no longer existed. We were able to get him to stop crying by telling him lizards and alligators were little dinosaurs. He now thinks of Amargia as something like a miniature Jerasic Park. Travis catches and wants me to hold every lizard he finds so I can “see” them. I’ve had to get comfortable with lizards in order to keep my Good Grandma credentials. But, I think they are getting a little too comfortable with me. I’m just thankful he doesn’t insist that I “see” the alligators.

Jacki, not sure I would have been able to keep my cool until I got outside the church. Do you know that song by Ray Stevens, “Mississippi Squirrel Revival?” If it had been me, I would have started the “Alabama Spider Revival.” Did you get bit?

Jim is doing amazingly well with the new diet. I am the one who is struggling with it. I thought I would join him on it so my foods would not be around to sabotage his effort. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the idea of fried pork rinds as a good snack for someone on a diet. *Kay*

Love everything Ray Stevens ever came out with. Be sure and tell Travis that chickens and birds are from dinasours too. Much prittier than lizards.

Somehow porkskins and diet don't quite go together to me either. If it works, who cares? Good luck to both of you. You'll have to keep us posted.
I went back and bought those green veggies i was looking at. I'm not on a diet,mind you, just eating a little healthier. Now i'll have to look up receipes for spinich. Wonder how fried onions,liver and spinich would taste together.

On another forum a woman said she took 1000 IU of vitamin D for depression(SAD) and it worked for her. I asked my doctor about it yesterday and he said "Go for it. It can't hurt you." I have started taking it. SAD is one of those things i'll do almost anything to avoid.
Someone tell me to get my gear in place and bring the rest of my houseplants in before they freeze.
Has anyone put any fall decorations up?
Have a good evening and night.
Vickie

I went off on my fall cleaning frenzy and my poor scarecrow is still only half done. Gathered my fall decor together but haven't really done anything with it yet. We have a lot of trick-or-treaters so I had better get on it soon. We are way off the beaten path so people make a special side trip to see what we have going on. I hate to disappoint them.

I will have to try the Vitamin D. I hate taking the anti-depressant Lexapro. It is better than some others but it still messes with my body vision and my spacial sense. I will walk right into walls without that.

The lowest nighttime temp here so far has been 65, but you know it is time to start pulling in the houseplants and set up the greenhouse when the Confederate Roses start blooming.

Travis will love knowing about the birds. Grandpa Jim has already got him hooked on watching hummingbirds. Watching the humers is the only thing that will keep him still for long. It didn't take him long to give up trying to catch those. :-)Kay

Yes......and lizard catching is SUCH a dirty job.

What a cutie!!

OK, Kay, tell us about "body vision," please. Sounds useful.