KB - I agree completely. There was more abuse than we were aware of. WHY are we women so vulnerable?
#14: Practical Matters for Physically Challenged Gardeners
Except the current incarnation of Kay, of course! Go with Jim and tell 'em where they can stick it!
Reminds me of before DD#1....we had been trying for 3 years to get pregnant, with the help of Dr. X. Clomid, sperm counts, endometrial biopsy, all kinds of pleasant treatments, each more fun than the next. Finally, Dr. X did a laparoscopy, which showed scarring on my fallopian tubes. Dr. X recommended we go to the XYZ IVF clinic, at which....Dr. X was the reigning physician. So Dr. X's office sent the films from the laparoscopy over to the IVF place, where Dr. X reviewed them and said "who took these awful films? I can't see a thing! I need to talk to the presiding physician!" Luckily nobody had to say "But YOU were the presiding physician, you jackass" because that was the cycle I turned up pregnant. Naturally Dr. X took all the credit. This was one case where I stuck up for the EX (to be); the MD couldn't have gotten me pg just with a laparoscopy.
Guess we all have horror stories.
I also have a GOOD story. A doctor diagnosed Lymes disease early and pumped me full of antibiotics so i just had mild flu like symptoms and a rash on my behind before the tests came back.
Hang in there Katie. Hugs to ya.
GREAT story, Vicki. Mine was a good story--it ended up with DD#1, who's a 21 year-old irresponsible whacko, but she's my daughter, and I blame all the bad parts on her father and adore the good parts.
Spring is coming for sure, now...
In March?Wow....nice.
Debra, your tea olive should arrive by Saturday.
We are all okay, but incredibly busy. This is the first time I’ve had a chance to play on the computer in days. We need to start doing our writing first thing in the morning. We are all too exhausted by evening. The weather is so gorgeous even PJ is spending hours outside without any prompting. (He always enjoys it once he gets outside, but you have to push sometimes to get him further than the porch.) Every day he drives the lawn mower around with the wagon behind armed with his long handled grabber tool. He picks up pine cones and other small debris the recent storms brought down and drops them in the wagon. It works well. MK and I have been repairing the erosion damage and leveling. We hope to have the Invisible Garden (fragrance garden) completely leveled by the end of the month. I take PJ’s w/c out for test drives. I’ve learned that even when something looks level, it doesn’t always feel quite right when using a w/c, I’ve also learned propelling a manual w/c is not as easy as it looks…and why PJ always wears gloves when he uses the chair. (Ouch!)
The two new weeping willows are in the ground. (The boys insist on calling them “whomping willows. Too much Harry Potter. lol.) The persimmons are in large pots until we are all in agreement as to where they should go. The shamrocks haven’t popped up yet for some reason. Hope they make it by St. Patty’s Day.
Photo #1: A hairy woodpecker, I think. It could be a downy woodpecker. They look a lot alike. She has been at that tree for days. Either she has found something woodpeckers consider delicious or she is making a house for herself.
Photo 2: Officially, these are called green anoles, but most people refer to them as lizards. I found FOUR of them sunning on an old molded plastic chair I repainted. At least, THEY liked my color choice. .) We have an unusual number of lizards, anoles and skinks. I suppose because we don’t use pesticides.
Photo #3: First Einstein daffodil bloom of the season.
Here's a zoomed in version of Photo #1: and Photo 2: so you can see them better
So what can you grow in a container in DFW? I want this garden to be easy. All containers with drip lines. I'll turn on the faucet from the kitchen.
Thanks, Nadine. I have just the place for it. Lovely photos. And EYE like the color choice. :-)
Carrie, going to depend on if water restrictions are still in place. If we go to Stage 4 this year, no outside watering would be allowed. That said, you can grow almost anything in a container that is suited to zone 8. Might want to stay with low water requirement plants at first until you were to see how much work there would be in summer. But I have grown or am growing the following in containers: lavender, coleus, zinnia, roses, calendula, daylilies, small hydrangeas and buddleias, geraniums (zonal), lantana, petunia and callibrachoa, tropical hibiscus, and Mexican heather. Grasses will do well, too. Carex Frosted Curls, Mexican Feather Grass, and Purple Fountain Grass are my favorites. The house up the street has rosemary and small trees and such in about 25 containers. Most of those would be easy.
This message was edited Mar 8, 2012 7:14 PM
My GP is now in charge of my BP meds and if all goes according to plan I will have the discography in about two weeks. The med he put me on is doing a better job too. My BP has been on the low side of the normal range the last few days.
Women may be more physically vulnerable than men, but many seem to engage in something like mental gardening. They plant the seed of an idea in a man’s mind. Water it a bit. And, because the idea bloomed within the man’s own head, he thinks it is HIS idea. The woman just pats the man on the back and tells him how smart he is. Then, women give each other these knowing smiles. I’m on to the way you ladies operate! Don’t worry though. Your secret is safe with me. ;-) It is to my advantage to keep my mouth shut.
Kay helped me in the house today and Nadine rearranged in the baby barn to utilize the vertical space better. She is making herself a loft bed so she can add a little café table to her personal space. She only comes in for meals, conversation and satellite TV these days so there is an empty room available if you make it down next month, Vickie.
One bridal wreath is blooming with wild yellow jasmine (Gelsimium Sempervirens) threaded through it. I like the look and am wondering if it would work with other flowering vines. I’m not a Spirea fan and would like to talk the others into replacing them eventually. (It would be a BIG job. We have quite a few mature shrubs.) They are incredible for two or three weeks in spring, but ho-hum after that. They have to be pruned every year also. I want to replace them with something equally tough, but with a longer season of interest. Useful would be nice too. I’m considering sand cherries. Have any of you grown those? (Jim)
Oh, but Jim, I LOVE bridal whatchacallit--the smell is divine! I planted two shrubs in our front yard spirea and ornamental dwarf almond. Oh, do the knock-out roses count? Those aren't in the front yard though.
OK, IT'S DEFINITE: WE ARE MOVING TO DALLAS. My geography is so poor--is Armagia on the way from Boston to Dallas? Is Vickie-land? Anyone else?
Debra, watering with used water is OK, I mean dishwashing water or toothbrushing water or bathwater or shower water? What do they call that, grey water, brown water? We'll have a rain barrel in case it ever rains. (When we went to visit in the winter it rained every day (for 2 days).)
You'll have to tell me everything as we go along. It's funny....I was just talking to my mother (she and I co-own this house in Milton). I was just talking to her about that she should move into a retirement center or assisted living--their house (the one I grew up in) is ginormous! Huge! Huge yard, basement, attic, etc., on a dead-end street, property taxes sky high, needs painting every year, falling apart, she's 73 and my step-father's 77-78. They're too old for the upkeep. And SHE'S telling ME that we should sell this house in Milton, buy a house in Dallas, then when we move back to Boston (that's the plan) move into an assisted living place! LOL! OUR plan was to let his son live in this house--he goes to school here--and rent out there, and then come back to our perfect house when he retires in 3-4 years.
Grey watering permissions depend on the community. Garland doesn't allow it, but some in the DFW area do. Rain barrel is a great idea. We do get a reasonable amount of rain usually. But last year was so extreme that the water supply had become dangerously low. Some smaller cities actually ran out of water. While it is better at the moment, we just don't know yet what the North Texas Municipal Water District will be doing given the recent rains. Still shows us to remain at Stage 3 until June 1.
Amargia could be on the way to Dallas. You'd have to go straight south through Atlanta down to where the corners of Alabama and Georgia meet the Florida Panhandle. Then straight west across to Texas, then back to the north to hit Dallas. Vickie-land is southwest from Massachusetts to northwest Arkansas in the mountains, then straight south to Texas. Don't think both would be easily workable if DH is on a tight time frame. :/ But bet you could visit at least one. :-)
Wow, Carrie! When do you move? k*
Strangely, we don't know! First, his old boss and his new boss have to negotiate transfer of resources (him). They've already concluded they'll have to hire two full-time managers to fill his spot. (If they had done that in the first place, he might not be so panicky about needing to leave.) Then we have to figure out housing. We want to let my step-son live in this house and rent out there but my mom wants us to sell this house! We're not planning to be out there long enough to buy a house...confused....I don't know. Also if I'm having surgery that would happen soon here in MA not in TX. The guy who's Ray's immediate boss lived in a hotel for MONTHS because he couldn't find a place he wanted to live that he could afford. I think some large part of that was on the company's dime.
ACK! Help, dying of confusion here! Today was pre-op consult with the surgeon who does the baclofen pumps. He seemed very good, but it was a hospital I had never been to so they didn't know my meds and doses and have any relationship with the system I usually use. He does surgery on Tues and Fri, tomorrow he has some emergency, next Tuesday is another emergency, he doesn't like to do Fri because rehab doesn't happen on Sat and Sun, we could do it March 27! If anything goes wrong it's usually in the first 4-6 weeks. If he does the surgery on March 27 we're supposed to be in a hotel in TX by 4/1 I think...and I'd rather be near the doc who put it in for at least a week or two. So we tried VERY HARD to squeeze me in tomorrow, got all psyched up, told the kids, told my mother, had blood and urine tests, reported all my meds, told my history several different times, blah blah blah.
Then I flunked the EKG. They kept asking me if I was having chest pain. Not unless it's being referred from my legs! I feel totally fine....I'm even wearing a pin to support awareness of women's heart disease, not because I have it. So on the way home from the hospital they called us and said no surgery tomorrow; I need a cardiac workup; they'll be in touch. Oh well. Start over in TX, I guess.
Where are you going to be staying at first?
Probably D/FW Hilton or Comfort Suites or something along those lines. They pay for X months of hotel accommodation while you find a place to live. We're coming out 3/23-4-5-6 to see what we can find.
At least, you can count on hotels/motels to be accessible. k*
Grrrrrr.......sometimes. And they sometimes say no space for a roll-away, no space for three people, we had to use so much extra space to be ADA compliant that we can't let a third person sleep in the room, fire regs.
Carrie, If the company is paying for the motel,be sure to stay at an upscale motel for better service for you. I'll be thinking about you.
As for the EKG....You need a second opinion anyway.huh?
I think you'll love container gardening.I'll be wishing some of our rain your way tho i think it hits your way before it comes here anyway.(Can't beleive i just said that.)LOL
Have been so busy crocheting,cleaning house,cleaning flower containers etc.I bought some more containers. Am determined to have tomatoes and cukes this year.
Vickie
Ahhhh OK Yesterday I went to see the (ta da) Cardiologist. All the three EKGs I flunked at the pre-op lab were done with me in my wheelchair. When I got to cardiology they asked me to lie down because, they said, sitting up messes up the EKG so could I please lie down. OMG. Of course, I lay down, the EKG was 100 % normal, the cardiologist came in and listened to my chest and said "did anybody listen to your chest at the pre-op lab?" (no.) "I'm going to ask that they do an in-service over there because this was totally avoidable. Your heart is fine!" I knew my heart was fine. DH was forecasting open heart surgery and mentally composing his resignation letter -- at least from the Dallas job -- but I was so not worried. Open heart surgery? Me? Naaah. I'm fine, except I have MS.
Vickie, I think they get to pick, but I hear you! I just want decent food, not the pour your own waffles that were mixed in 2009.
Oh Carrie, That is such wonderful news!!!Hurrah!!! DUH...I'd never heard of a sitting EKG either.How in the world did they get all those wires stuck in the right place?LOL
Now you can settle in and injoy Dallas. I know it'll be hard getting everything done,but we're pulling for you. Welcome to the southwest.
I'm still in Boston, silly! When the place next to my name changes, that's when my address will have changed.
Photo #1: Bridal wreath spirea
Photo #2: Ohio spirderwort with herb fennel. It wasn’t supposed to be there. Spiderworts are too aggressive, but I liked the strong color with the delicate fennel foliage.
This message was edited Mar 18, 2012 5:46 PM
Duh. I've really been a dizzy blond lately. This is the second time I've posted under the wrong user name recently. I wish they had a multi-user account option available for community gardens and that sort of thing. DG Admin thinks that would be too confusing though. Can't blame the system in all honesty. I just need to develop better time management skills. With work, school and carrying my weight around here I'm not getting enough sleep. Some people seem to function fine on less than 8 hours, but I'm not one of them.
Carrie, glad the coronary workup was a false alarm, but what an unnecessary hassle when you have so much else on your plate.
Vickie, have you ever tried sugar-free oat candy. MK likes oats (I mean really likes oats. I think she was a horse in her last life. Lol.) They are good for your heart and I’ve been trying to find ways to use them more. PJ’s favorite candy is Reese’s peanut Butter Cups so the candy has gone over well with him too. (The chocolate- peanut butter variety, anyway.) They are easy to make. My only problem is MK hits the ground running in the morning and has developed the habit of grabbing a handful of candy balls instead of eating breakfast. But, I guess they are actually a little better for her than the peanut butter sandwich and coffee she called her breakfast before.
Your wall color sounded so fun, Vickie, I’ve been using a bright, honeyed yellow is one of the main colors in my bee garden. I painted the arch into the garden area that color. It is cheerful and doesn’t clash with the muted yellows MK uses elsewhere. It seems appropriate for a bee garden and makes spotting the entrance into my garden easier for the VI’s.
Hope you are feeling okay, Debra.
It may not officially be spring yet, but it feels summer hot. We had a couple afternoons where it hit 90, but 80’s are the norm. Figs are leafing out and purple cannas are popping up. Spirea is in full bloom. MK is driving pedal to the metal to get as much done as possible before real heat sets in. PJ replaced an interior door for the second time. He didn’t like the accordion style and replaced it with a slider he made. It is a little wider since the hardware on the sides is gone, but I think the real reason he changed it is Fenny learned that she could open the accordion door. He decided to change the door after being pawed and poked awake several nights in a row to let her outside. A man at the hardware store gave him some new painting tools to try out and write a review on. He has also been paining…with oil-based paint…without being bribed or threatened. lol. ~N~
(The photos above go with this post.)
I am feeling better, Nadine. No more TIAs. Part time work is tough on the budget, but necessary these days. And better part-time hours than NO time. :/ Thank you. :-)
Alert! Surgery rescheduled for tomorrow at 6 am - less than 12 hours away! terrifying. I bought a notebook from The Company Store - a looseleaf binder really - that explains how to move. I don't think it will really help but it gives me something to think about.
Hugs and prayers Carrie.
Glad you're better Debra.Hugs to you and everyone else.
Kay has moved to the summer schedule because of the heat. Up by 4 a.m. Out by 5. Come back in about 10. I planned to go outside with her this morning, but discovered the schedule has a major drawback for me as a L.D.P. (light dependent person). It is still pitch dark.
Tater-dog is having a problem with the schedule, as well. She has discovered the existence of bats and is deeply troubled by this discovery. She is very vocal in her dislike of the wicked-looking, flying mice. To keep me in one piece and to keep peace with the neighbors Kay has strongly suggested it might be best for Tate and me to stay inside until dawn. :-)
She is transplanting some southern swamp lilies (Crinum americanum. At least, that is what we believe they are.) Despite their name, they do fine in drier soil. Blooms are gorgeous and fragrant. Kay carried one during our wedding.) Foliage is problematic. Long, lax, strappy leaves in a glossy, light blue-green. They are fine in containers where they can drape. Kay is planting them so the foliage will spill over a low retaining wall.
Prayers and wishes for a fast recovery, Carrie. (Jim)
Me, too, Carrie. Glad you will have it done before moving.
Start a quick Texas orientation. :-D
CIty pronounciation:
Nacogdoches - nack-oh-DOE-chess
Mexia - meh-HAY-ya
Waxahachie - wox-uh-HAH-chee (as in "box" and "hat")
Coppell - caw-PELL
Rowlett - row-LETT (row as in OWIE, got pinched)
Sachse - SACKS-see
Nocona - no-CONE-ah
Ennis - EH-ness
Waco - WAY-coe
This message was edited Mar 21, 2012 6:19 PM
This message was edited Mar 21, 2012 6:20 PM
Take care, Carrie. Have a safe surgery and a quick pleasant recovery. hugs, katie
Also Carrie you will hear alot
about college football every fall. It is a religion! In ETX you had a choice Texas Longhorns(UTEX or Texas Aggies(TEX A&M)except in Overton TX(WHERE THE Aggie research center is.)
You will have to visit Kilgore Collage(where I went) Home of the Kilgore Rangerettes They perform in the Cotton Bowl every year. They also have an oil museum on campus That is more intresting than it sounds.
Tyler has a good free zoo and rose garden.plus an Azalia trail every spring.
Whaddayamean COLLEGE football?!? The king of Friday nights around these here parts is HIGH SCHOOL football! LOL And the Cowboys...and the Mavericks...and the Rangers...and the Stars...um, well, these here parts put a LOT of emphasis on sports.
Hmmmm no music? I read (my ever-helpful Mom bought me a book about D/FW) that van Cliburn (a famous pianist) was from Dallas. And baseball? I know the rules for that game, at least. Football looks like a clobberfest from here.
Yep, there is gonna be a little culture shock. lol. How do you feel about country and western music, Carrie?
Last time we made the Austin-Dallas trek, we found a classical station that stayed clear most of the way. This time we listened to PBS and classic rock. C&W is something I will have to learn to love....like olives.
WRR 101.1 Dallas city-owned classical radio station.
Performance Venues:
Meyerson Symphony Center - THE most amazing acoustics
Bass Hall - Ft. Worth.
The Van Cliburn Competition every two years.
http://www.cliburn.org/index.php?page=cliburn_competition
Dallas Summer Musicals
http://www.dallassummermusicals.org/
Dallas Theatre Center
http://www.dallastheatercenter.org/
Denton University of North Texas Lab Bands performance concert
http://www.dentonlive.com/index.php/component/rsevents/event/178-64th-annual-qlab-band-madnessq-spring-concert?Itemid=101
http://dallas.about.com/od/festivalsparades/tp/May-Festivals-In-The-Dallas-Fort-Worth-Area.htm
Arkansas has a classical music station too.But i can only get it half the time.
Maybe you will like Spanish music. I do.
Have been busy,busy.Work outside awhile than inside awhile.
Have set out tomatos and onions,creeping phlox,pinks,glads,lillys, begonias,geraniums,planted four oclocks and sweet peas.I'll be able to get more dirt and plants the first.
My hostas are starting to come up also.
Had my first campfire this evening.Twas so nice. Am planning on working in the Salavation Army one afternoon a week, The day i go in for depression group.
Whats everyone doing for Easter?
Vickie
Digging in the dirt, what else? LOL