#19 Practical Matters for Physically Challenged Gardeners

Yes, Jim, here's what happened. I fell--DH was.carrying me back to the wheelchair--on Saturday, although I felt fine and I've fallen before. By Tuesday at by 3am I felt kind of breathless so I made an appointment with Urgent Care at my PCP. The next day, nurse who saw me ordered a bunch of blood tests, a chest Xray and for the next morning, a CT scan. The chest Xray showed "plural effusion;" by 3 am I was having trouble breathing so I went to the Emergency Room. There they admitted me and did the CT scan, which showed how much fluid was around my lung. Based on that, they drained some fluid which was scary, and I had a complication which is called pneumothorax, so I had to stay another day for that.

The wonderful thing was that at no time was my life in jeopardy. (I've been inpatient and had the docs tell my husband to prepare himself for my imminent death.) We were always a few minutes away from the best medical care available. We were well taken care of at every step. I'm still feeling a little short of breath, but I expect to make a full recovery!

Healing thoughts and prayers for you, Carrie. Four days in a hospital can feel like an eternity. I can see why the Boston area would appeal even with its w/c accessibility problems. The health care system sounds excellent.
The inspiration for using desert plants to get a submarine look came from the song A Horse with No Name. “After nine days in the desert sun….”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSAJ0l4OBHM
Okay, maybe one had to spend too much time in the sun or have smoked too much weed in the 60’s to follow the logic, but it worked. The plants are perfect, but I still have some concrete work to do.
A rehab worker who took a group of blind people to the local botanical garden told me the most popular plants among the group was the succulents. Something about their fleshy texture makes them an inviting tactile experience. I enjoy working with them. A fragrant succulent would be my ideal plant.
Kay*

HI Jim! :P

No you're not being too nosy at all. Actually kind of glad when people ask. It shows they care and more importantly they care to be informed. I'll try not to blather too much but "Epilepsy" is a generic term for a seizure disorder. They have many forms of which there are over 30,000! Major "headings" are Grand Mal which is what comes to mind with most when you say "Epilepsy". There's also Petite Mal; clonic tonic, absent, partial-complex and complex and a whole soduko combination mix which is why it's just so much fun to treat! Oh, the fact that even the best brain surgeon only knows how 20% or less of the brain operates doesn't help either.
Mine particular seizures are Petite Mal absent seizures with automism that are clonic tonic in nature. Basically I don't get an "aura" or warning the way most Grand Mal Epileptics do. Mine are small seizures but equally as bad. My "small" seizures consist of me stopping dead, staring into space, clutching what ever I'm holding (or myself) and rocking back and forth while lip smacking or chewing my lips. My "large" seizures often involve automisms. That means I'm doing all of the above plus I'm still in "motion" . I "act out" what I was doing right before the seizure while having the seizure but with no "conscious or coordinated, cognitive ability". I managed to get 2nd and almost 3rd burns while cooking during one of these little goodies and spent 2 days at the Maricopa Burn Clinic for surgery on my hand! Also had one while crossing the street. Neighbor was expecting me. When she saw stop and stare into space and start rocking, she managed to pull me out of the street and to her driveway.
My larger seizures and primarily what landed me on SSDI are "clonic tonic". These are just "drop attacks." They came out of nowhere, with no warning, for no reason, regardless of taking meds, rest, diet, etc. They are just a complete and total loss of consciousness followed by a collapse...a literal drop wherever I am with all activity I'm performing coming to a dead stop. Now you get an idea of why it is so dangerous to drive, work, etc. I can't recollect the amounts of bumps, cuts, scrapes, bruises, bloody this and that's I've gotten and a few trips to doctors and hospitals.
Meds are arbitrary in how well they want to work from day to day. I think the hardest part though is not the physical pain but the pain of knowing you have no control over your brain, body, mind or actions in any situation at any given time. Your brains are usually so scrambled that all you do is rest/sleep for hours to recover and "reboot" the computer so to speak. After awhile your memory does get affected. People can be cruel. Not outright but their discomfort shows. Some people distance themselves from you. True friends don't.
I wish others would be as kind and thoughtful as you to desire to know more. It really is such an enigmatic disorder. It is little understood by those who have it and treat it and even less so by the rest of the world. It is odd in that we all look and act so "perfectly normal and healthy" until it hits. I guess you don't know what a debilitating disorder it is until you see it or live with it.
Like I said though I still consider my self blessed considering some of the issues others face be they "handicapped" or not. I know "well" people with more issues than Vogue. (LOL). Overall I'd say I'm pretty lucky. My husband is my strength. I have a few acquaintances here. I have good lifelong friends although they're not close by they are close on heart and mind and in touch with me always. My Greyhound Zoe is always by my side and so in tune to me. My neighbors are great. I'm o.k. Now I have DG. and you guys! :D If you would like good information though the Epilepsy Foundation of course has great info and any local Meet Up group in your area you have usually may have one for Epileptics and friends of.

Speaking of having fits yeah I think I gave a few people fits with my "What is it" cactus. It looked pretty much like a quasi-generic cactus to me. I never dreamt it would be that hard to identify. Oh well, goes to show. I don't know about everyone knowing so much more than the rest of us here on DG but usually there's always got to be that one individual out there that knows more than the rest and makes sure we're aware of it! (LOL)

You should jump in on the cacti and succulent forum so you and I can seriously talk succulents. A person named "Baja" does succulents also and works in a park. I'm sure they'd like to get in on it. I know I'd like to definitely learn more on them. I'm going to have to take a much closer look at your pictures and read a few things before I start commenting. I don't like to be uninformed or completely ignorant.

I like your idea of having people with different physical challenges help each other out. I thought that was what life was supposed to be about anyway regardless of physical challenges? I wish you guys were in my neck of the woods. It would be great to get together and I could actually pitch in a hand and work helping and in return you could play taxi and keep an eye on me. :D

I get you Jim about the location things too. I don't want to live in one where everyone is 100 still watching Lawrence Welk on prime time TV. I'm 47 and my husband 52, but God either everyone out here is either 100 or 30 with 10 kids under 10. My husband and I are neither. But I still have a really cool 81 year old neighbor (Shirley) that drinks and plays cards and gardens! As for relatives well....let's just say there's a reason why both my husband and I decided we wanted to live 2 time zones away from both his and mine.

You know though Jim, that's the other thing I learned about life since Epilepsy. It is funny. Real funny. It isn't always about you and what you want. It is, however, about you and what you need. You may not know it but cosmically there's someone/thing up or out there that does and will stick you where you're supposed to be. You may find your self sitting on a rock in a desert talking to a cactus thinking you're going out of your mind but actually you may also find that this has brought you the most joy, peace and contentment in life you had in a long time. You find for the first time you feel really good about your self, you're more in love with your spouse, and more grateful and appreciative of the small things and all you do have. You find out everything is worth it .

Yep...talks2cactus just had to wax philosophical for a moment. But think about it. Aren't the happiest people in life those who either have nothing, scrap everything to completely reinvent themselves, or lost everything and then resuscitated their lives? I say enjoy your 30 and 40 year old neighbors if you get them. and enjoy your next chapter if you move! Get going and buy Kate some new shoes for that journey.
{{ Hugs}}
Until next talk
Talks2cactus (Agavegirl)

This message was edited Jul 13, 2015 4:32 PM

This message was edited Jul 13, 2015 4:35 PM

While I was in the hospital, I had a roommate who was a homeless woman addicted to klonipin! I used to take klonipin (technically addicted meaning I had withdrawal symptoms if I didn't take it) for many many years so I felt a little empathetic. Of course I don't abuse prescription (or non-prescription) drugs and I have a lot more intact brain cells than this woman, but still....

She was admitted for pneumonia I guess, and the doctors were trying to transition her from klonipin to methadone. She was also being evaluated for epilepsy. They kept sending her down to the EEG lab in the basement where she would become agitated and refuse the test at which point they would send her back to the 14th floor to our room. Then the resident would come in and lecture her about how important it was to document her seizures before she could get on new meds for the epilepsy. She would finally agree, go back down to the EEG lab ... etc. It turns out that the "seizures" she was having were tremors from withdrawing from kloinpin. I just thought the whole situation was interesting.

That's the whole things with meds for any situation. Side effects! We seem to live in a society that thinks there's a pill to cure every ill but nobody stops to consider that these pills have innumerable side effects that can be worse than what is being treated AND that these pills have more than one use. If you type in any drug I'm sure you can find multiple uses for it. Chantix not only helps you stop smoking but it had been prescribed for years as an antidepressant and also had been an anti-seizure medication. When you watch those Chantix commercials they don't tell you those things.
Read your DETAILED patient labeling. You have to request it from the Pharmacist. They only stuff the "generic" abbreviated patient labeling in with your RX. Of course your doctor isn't going to tell you too much. Ever notice all the nice pens, note pads, posters, etc. advertising drugs in his/her office? They're getting paid to push those pills. Yes many doctors are prescribing the right pills legitimately....a lot are not.

Check your doctor on a website called Dollar for Docs to see exactly how much money they are getting from the pharmaceutical companies for you to take the script they write.
Also did you know that by just agreeing to fill the script you can be automatically enrolled in a clinical trial without your knowledge? Your doctor could be telling the drug company about your progress or lack of while on the drug they recommended.

I changed neurologists because my former one made over $600,000.00 in 2 years by keeping me sick by having me OVER medicated by 200mg and getting me to take more of a drug up to 800mg of a drug that was having horrible side effects on me. I didn't know until I checked Dollars for Docs and read the detailed patient labeling. Also I reported him to the AMA board because he ignored my complaints about side effects and worsening health. Wouldn't surprise me if the @#$% made me worse than I was before I came to see him. Got new doctor now. He's good.

Always ask! Always check! Always do your own research on the computer! Always check dollars for docs! Do not ever let one doctor tell you they don't have time to ,won't or can't answer questions, or just do as they say. Most important if they ignore what you tell them over and over and over about your condition kick them to the curb and get somebody who will listen! You're paying them. You're the boss.
Withdrawal from anything is awful and it is common to have seizures. I don't know too much about Klonipin or it's addictive qualities. I feel really bad you had to go through that. It makes you wonder about some of the stuff they feel is "good" for us and is supposed to make us "feel better". I'm glad you're o.k. now. I know I can't take anything with codeine in it. It makes my seizures go off the chart, causes hallucinations, and makes me lose control of my bladder. Not good! I had bronchitis a few times and had to heavily stress NO cough syrup with codeine.

I do know abrupt stoppage of any anti-seizure drug will cause seizures. You are supposed to wean yourself off them in stages or lower the dose gradually while supervised. It may not have been the Klonipin its self but the abruptness of going from 100 to 0 medication in her system in such a short time. She just may have ran out and now was having seizures.
Being human and forgetful I've had the rare accident of having skipped a dose of my meds and have been fine. If I miss repeated days and the therapeutic level drops or I stop taking it for a long period then yes, I'll give cause to a guaranteed seizure. Thankfully very rarely forget and never for that long!
With the homeless though you do not know what else comes into play. Was she on something when she got there? Does she or had she ever had a history of mental illness, alcohol and/or drug abuse, physical head injuries acquired from living on the streets, etc.? What other drugs had been given to here at the hospital? There could have been a lot of mitigating factors with this woman. Also sheer terror and panic can actually cause one in an otherwise "normal non-seizure" prone person.

It is interesting how the brain works and just goes to show how individual we are and although we don't like to admit it we are indeed frail regardless of what we show the outside world.
We all need to be so much more humane, compassionate and kinder to each other because of this.

So Carrie when are you coming home?

Oh, I was discharged Sunday. We are just checking my 02 sat compulsively many times a day. Last time I got bronchitis, we bought a little battery -operated oxymeter, and that's what sent me to the hospital. I'm going to buy one for each of my daughters -- they have asthma--and one for my 77 year old mother.

I hear you about the drugs and side effects! There really is no medication that will change the course of my MS. So i'm all about side effects. I had a doctor once who I think was a anesthesiologist who specialized in pain management. He was OPENLY in bed with the drug companies. He quit his practice and went to work directly for the pharmaceutical company. He was good but I would rather not have a doctor with divided loyalties.

Agave, do you think you gave me that website before on another forum? I know I have recently checked my doctor on there.

Hi Carrie. Glad you're home. It sounds like you're doing better. Yep, side effects. So much fun. I can't tell you how many times I've played musical meds because of them. I have to honestly say about 90% of the medications cause more seizure activity than normal. When I cut back on one suddenly my seizures lessened! I also know I have a few minor but irritating, upsetting and inconvenient additional problems I didn't have prior to medication. I'm almost tempted to take no meds at all.
Putting up with the seizures would be worth getting rid of the side effects. The meds don't do a whole lot anyway and at least I don't have side effects from seizures. O.k. let me rephrase that. I wouldn't have drug related side effects. Couldn't guarantee no bumps, lumps or bruises. (LOL)

Anyway I'm positive I never mentioned Dollars for Docs to you before. It is, however, a very well known site and for persons such as us or who go to doctors frequently or on a regular maintenance basis with our physicians we hear about these things from a variety of sources and people. I found out by reading an article in an old Reader's Digest a neighbor gave me! Ever since then I do put the Dollars for Docs site to good use and tell people who I feel should know.

So....now that you're home what are you're fun plans? Anything you're going to tackle today or soon?
I'm tired! I was up pre-dawn with hubby. :D They changed his schedule. He works 4:00a.m.-noon so we get up at 2:30a.m. Uhm....we were going to bed at the time a few weeks prior! Here's what I've done today so far:
Got dog walked by 4:30a.m., 3 loads of laundry washed and dried,
Breakfast dishes done, check book balanced, news and e-mails read and responded to, Planted a small bush in my neighbor's front yard for her (she's elderly),
Put an Eve's Needle cactus in my front yard, and one in the back yard and switched 2 Agaves since neither seemed happy where they were.
Decided to pull out the last of the succulents. They were mostly dead and sun toasted anyway and not looking to make a comeback. (See...wasn't lying when I had said I needed to study them!)
Then at 9:45 I finally took a nice hot bath! Ahhhhh...... Oh and fed the dog again!
So here I am now. :D

Jim,
You were lucky to take such a nice trip and The Rose House looks lovely. Vintage and historically accurate but with all the comforts of home. That's not easy to find and usually why I'm in a hotel. My "rule" is, if I can't plug in my blow drier than I don't stay there. I'm sure you'll make it a point to visit again.
I also get why Kay and the visually impaired like the tactile feel of succulents. When I'm not in the process of killing them they do feel nice, cool, smooth, plump and pleasing with a certain kind of softness that yields but isn't rotten. Personally I like the visual part of them. Mini pieces of sculpture. So many varieties, colors and shapes. The possibilities are endless.
Looking forward to seeing some pics of that MerFolk garden and the seascape type of plants. I may get inspired for next Spring.

O.K. guys, got to go but as always look forward to chatting more real soon.
Hugs.
Agave

Sorry. None of us were up to writing yesterday. Scott died at age 40. Man! I hate diabetes! It is being diagnosed more and more often in younger and younger people. The American diet needs an overhaul. Too much corn syrup in everything.
Thanks for enlightening me on epilepsy, TTC. The facts are easier for me to wrap my mind around when there is a flesh and blood person at the center of it all. Purely clinical data has a bad habit of coming in one ear and going out the other.
Carrie, I’m glad it was never life threatening, but that still sounds serious. Are you breathing easier today? Did Ray get hurt in the fall? Is his back okay?
My own back surgery is scheduled for tomorrow if my potassium levels are acceptable. The doctors have been increasing my potassium supplementation for the last year. I’ve been taking a 20MEQ. nasty tasting drink powdered for months. NOW someone notices and remembers the heart medication I’ve been on has the effect of lowering potassium and prescribes a different med for my heart. Patients definitely need to do their own research these days. And they can’t understand why I am so nervous about this surgery. Lol.
TTC, the others here tease me about being an old man and I feel that way most of the time because of chronic back pain. The chronological reality is I will be 54 in November. Kay never reveals her age, but I am allowed to say she is older than I am.
Carrie, your mention of a homeless hospital roommate reminds me, I didn’t tell you how Kay checked as in chess the northern neighbors. She said if the aggressive take-over tactics continued she would give Amargia to a group of homeless people she knows in L.A. and keeps up with on Facebook. All is quiet on the northern front. ROFL!
#1: Kalanchoes and tradescantia at the MerFolk Entrance.
#2: Wild Scuppernong Grapes.
#3: Why catapala trees are also called fish bait trees
#4: Rose of Sharon lovely re-bloomer.

I've been locked out of my BofA account and on the phone with them for over an hours/. The first person sqeaked like Minnie Mouse. The second had that supercilious (sp?) attitude that she was sure everything was my fault. I couldn't continue with the third as she assured me that the same problem just couldn't be happening unless, of course, I was doin something wrong. Yes, people, all the problems of the world are my darn fault. Sorry. Plus besides the $35 transfer fee for sent money, another $25 disappeared. It's BofA and their magic disappearing money - my money, that is.

Rant.

katie

Katie, I hate BofA too.

I am still feeling noticeably short of breath. I think it's normal as long as I don't feel this way FOREVER. One can stand a week of anything. Jim, Ray didn't hurt himself at all.

Hi to all and message for all 3 (easier than sending 3 separate messages) :P

First Jim,
I am sorry for the loss of your friend. That is indeed sad news. My condolences to you and his family.

I couldn't agree with you more about our diet. Please look into Paleo eating lifestyle---NOT A DIET!
I did. It is a very low (not a no) carb, low to no processed foods and no sugar (use Steevia) . High in protein, fresh fruits and vegetables. Let's see....I cured 75% of my neuropathy, my skin looks better, my husband got off his blood pressure pills, we eat what we want, when want, as much as we want, all day.
We are not moody, emotional, feel fat, full, bloated, sluggish, tired, having blood sugar spikes, hungry 2 hours after we eat, eating "randomly" for no reason at all, or having constant cravings for sweets, carbs and other junk. We have energy to spare. Our metabolisms are in overdrive. We sleep well. Our bowels are regular and there's no IBS or constipation.
My nails are beautiful and my hair improved in texture.
Aside from my Neurologist I go to the doctor about 2/3rds less than I was prior.
My immune system is off the charts. Aside from a cold once or twice a year that lasts about 3 days or a little bit of sneezing if I let the dusting go (eye roll) or there's exceptionally high pollen my allergies are gone and I haven't had the flu, ear aches, fevers or bronchitis in 2 years!
Aside from B12 (because I am severely deficient and have been most of my life) I take no additional vitamins, mixes, powders, Rxs, power shakes, etc.

Oh...did I mention I lost 49 pounds WITHOUT TRYING!!!! I lost about 3 to 5 pounds a week eating all day, no calorie counting, portion control, etc.
I'm 47 years old, 5'3" tall. My weight floats between 107-110 pounds now and I wear a size 4/6. or 5/7 in Juniors :D
I used to weigh 156 pounds and wore a 12/14. Forget Juniors. I was headed towards plus sizes.
I'm thinner than I was when I was a teenager.

NO I am not underweight. Even my doctor said so. Based on my age, and measurements for neck, arm, waist, hip, and thigh I should weigh between 100minimum-120 max. I am "normal".
My husband is 6'5" tall and weighs between186-189 pounds. He had got up to 200 pounds.
People have gotten so fat in this country they no longer know what "normal" looks like. They think normal and thin is anorexic.

Do you remember the '70s T.V. shows and what people looked like? You know, Brady Bunch, Good Times, Barney Miller, Partridge Family, Three's Company? They were thin! Now contrast those to the shows in the 80s and even today. Rose Ann, Mike and Molly. See a huge difference (pun intended)?

Not going to lie. The first week you will want to kill someone, high jack the Twinkies truck, and go graze in the junk food aisle in every grocery store. But after the first week you don't even think of or notice this stuff. It simply does not exist. Period. It is like it never did. It just goes to show you what literal garbage you were consuming and that the food industry and big Agriculture deliberately puts out there to keep you fat and sick. They operate like the tobacco companies and the use of nicotine. They put sugar in everything even though it serves no purpose or use BUT it is always the first 10 ingredients. (I swear they're all in cahoots with the drug companies and insurance companies too).
Anyway look into Paleo. It works. Still eating this way. Still looking and feeling good.

Friends say "Oh, eating meat, seafood, fresh fruit and vegetables are expensive." Well not when you take the money that you were spending on cake, cookies, soda, pasta, bread, lunchmeat, potatoes, rice, boxed stuff like Hamburger Helper and Stovetop Stuffing, milk (just hideous and the worse thing for your health), frozen pre-made food, sugary cereal, etc. and start applying it towards "food". It suddenly gets very cheap to eat this way.

Also you're welcome about the Epilepsy. Thank you for listening and for being patient with the explanations.
It was nice to have someone who cared to be "educated" and get the real facts rather than adhere to stereotypes and misinformation. I am so grateful for that. Truly.
Like I said it is a rather enigmatic but none the less debilitating as other disabilities at times and all the more frightening due to its unpredictability. That's the hardest part. The unpredictability and the fear of what will happen to you physically as a result of that.

It is a condition that few are willing to learn about on their own or explore openly with those who have it. It is deceitful. Just because some "looks", "acts" or "behaves" fine does not mean they are. For this reason we get lumped in the frustrating "limbo land" between not really able and not really disabled. It is so nice to have someone that actually cares to understand and be empathetic. Now if we could only get the rest of the world as educated and enlightened! :D

Gosh...back surgery. Now that sucks! How did that go? O.K. I hope? Were your potassium levels good? How is the recovery going?
As far as Potassium levels they are on you CMP 13 (Comprehensive Medical Panel 13) blood draw. You can ask for a copy of this lab report from your doctor. The computer will tell you how to decipher the numbers and what the therapeutic ranges are and you can also type in symptoms and ask if they are from high or low potassium levels. That's how I found out about my B12 deficiency. My doctor told me it was in the "normal" range. Well it was.

What he wasn't saying was that I was in the range where it was "symptomatic" (I was showing symptoms of a deficiency) and although my number was "normal" it was a very low "normal" that I was so close to bottoming out at the abnormal range! Now I wouldn't have known this unless I typed in some symptoms I had been having and they kept on popping up B12 deficiency and then I followed that up by getting a copy of my CMP 13 from my doctor and checking the numbers my self!
I then read up on how to "correct" B12 deficiency. I fixed the problem with $12.00 buy one get one free high dose B12 vitamins from the grocery store! My condition did a 180 turn around.
Yep. Pays to do your own research. Never be afraid to look at or ask for copies of your medical files and tests. Don't be afraid to ask for a CMP 13 either especially if you got a potassium problem. I know that is one of the things on the CMP that's measured. You can get a CMP every 6 months or year if you want. I believe it is 3 tubes of blood (Oh goody). If they're checking glucose you have to fast but ask first, please.

As for Katie tell her to get over her age. Do what I do. Don't tell people you're younger than you are. Tell them you're 6 years older! I tell people I'm 53 instead of 47. That way they can go.."Really? No Way! I would have never guessed. You look fantastic. What are you doing?" See, that's what a vain silly girl I am. :D (LOL)
Also has she thought about giving the farm to a group of local co-op farmers? If you guys can't keep it maybe it could be put to use that way. Or perhaps an animal shelter or rehabilitation place for horses, farm animals, local wild life like deer, raccoon, etc.? Just a thought?

The photos from the MerFolk were lovely especially the Rose of Sharon. I forget how pretty things are back East since I've been in the S.W. It is a whole different look indeed. Not much in common in terms of landscape and plants.

Next

Hi Katie :P
Hope you're doing well. Rant on!
I hate BofA with a flaming purple passion! Nickel and dime you for every little nit picky ticky tacky little thing there is. I've also nick named their bank Pia. Not as in Pia Zadora but as in Pain in the ass to deal with. Drop them like a bad habit. I have Wells Fargo. Had them for over a decade now. Best decision I ever made. Don't know if you had dealings with them or not but they have been very, very, very good to my husband and I.
I want to hear about them shoes you're going to go buy!

Finally Carrie
Hi Carrie. Sorry to hear you're still not breathing as well as you would like. I am also hoping this last only a short time for you also. I'd like to hear you're out and about doing some gardening or at least out and about. One shouldn't have to live their life "standing" anything. sadly we do. I just try to "ignore it" instead of "stand it." (LOL) If only this worked on all my relatives!
I'm also glad Ray didn't hurt his self. That is good news. Now you have someone who can get you out and about with no excuses!

Oh by the way, can you e-mail me and tell me how to post a pic next to my name here on the website? Thanks


Sounds like we all need to just either get out or just do something nice for ourselves. I keep hoping it will rain here. It looks like it will. Weather forecast keeps saying it will. It hasn't. Yesterday had a fabulous lightening and thunder show about 3:00a.m. By late morning the sun was out! If it doesn't rain today I have to water everything, which I enjoy. But it never fails. The moment I do it rains the next day!
My husband is off this weekend (YIPEE) so I'm looking forward to that and spending some time with him. Poldark is on PBS on Sunday. I've caught the first 4 episodes so I might as well keep it going and catch episode 5. It's pretty good. Thursday the 23rd there's a great special on the Buddha. Probably cook something good and maybe have our neighbor/s over for a BBQ and cocktails and cocktails and some more cocktails. That's the nice thing here. No DUIs. Everyone can just stagger home. (LOL)
Zoe (my dog) and I went for our 4:00a.m. walk today, she had breakfast and is sleeping. God, what a life. Three dimensional area rug! I'm going to iron. Oh, goody. If I'm lucky maybe I'll catch a nap and have a chat with a cactus later (My mom is driving me nuts. Gandhi would choke the woman)
Perhaps I'll catch up with you guys a little later. I will have to get around to posting some pictures for you of my garden.

Take care
Talks2cactus (today :D )

You mean like I have, BirdieBlue does and Armagia doesn't? (Mine looks like chocolate syrup but it is actually a photo of molasses.) I forget, but I'll find out, OK?

Carrie,
Yes. I'd like to post a pic next to my name like you do of the molasses.
If you could find out that would be great.
Thanks,
A.G./talks2cactus :D

I'm not sure if that is still supported, but I'll try to find out.

I know there is an even older generation of images next to names that I can't do.

That's o.k. Find out what you can. Don't feel bad if you can't do it. I can't do half the stuff on computers and website.
Want to laugh?
I just got text on my phone because they added it indefinitely to my plan with unlimited usage for free no strings attached. Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered. To me phones are for "voices". You know, to talk to people as in...call in, call out and "leave a message, I'll call you back".

Oh, I think texting is great! One reason is that it's hard for me to use a pencil and paper, and then when I absolutely need to I can't find them. I know what you mean though, it took me years to get used to text?

I think texting is a good thing too. It has its merits, time and place. It definitely has its advantages for being discrete, not needing paper, and being able to keep a running record of conversation if you desire.

The reason I've avoided it for so long is that nobody wants to literally talk.
I've seen people sitting next to each other or walking down the street who are neither saying a word nor looking at each other, but instead furiously pressing buttons as a way of "talking". There is no "intimate" contact or "human bonding" being established between 2 people.

Also everything is abbreviated instead of thought out, written and properly spelled. There's no regard to speech, diction, tone and inflection of the voice used as the conveyance of emotions, things implied and inferred to suggest humor or sarcasm, or the English language as effective human communication in general. Speech, opposable thumbs and the ability to be bipedal is what separates us from other animals. Do we really want to lose 1 out of 3?

It makes me wonder what these individuals who are so text reliant will do in an interview or if they have to describe something in precise detail, write a paper, describe in detail a crime, testify in court, teach children, etc.

I just think it is creating a culture of exclusion rather than inclusion. We are forced to communicate from a distance and without a voice rather than personally, face to face and using the social skills we learned, social graces we acquired, etiquette, manners and a sense of decorum.

I do believe texting has its place and merits. I just hope OMG, WTH, WEVR, TTYL, LUVU, never replaces our human voice, the pen or paper or our ability to truly read, write and think. They've already stopped teaching "writing". There's no more cursive handwriting being taught in schools. Makes me wonder what will happen when they are required to "sign" their name or put a signature on a document. I hope I never have to wonder what happens when somebody asks them a question and they actually have to answer without a keyboard.

So what do you think?

I'm not sure what I think. I agree except I am a big texter! My husband and I noticed that we spent a huge amount of time during our education learning to write English. We can support an argument or proofread something. We can distinguish between its and it's and they're there and their. Currently, all that stuff is beside the point.

I guess the writer in me is still in love with the written word. :)
It isn't a pretentious thing. It is just my self trying to be a purist and maintain an appreciation for a slowly decaying art form.
Yes, I still own paper and write long-hand. I own and use a dictionary and thesaurus. I rarely use spell check on my computer. I'm antiquated finding it more comforting to still use my dictionary and thesaurus.
To my husband's, and most peoples' annoyance, I am a stickler 90% of the time for grammar and punctuation. My exception is the superfluous use of commas. I refuse to correct this. It is out of simple spite for my Advance Placement Writing teacher in college. (We won't discuss him.)
It's not a pretentious thing. It is just myself trying to be a purist and maintain my appreciation for a slowly dying art form. :[
Sigh, I still own my typewriter and DO use it whenever possible. Ahh....the good old days.

So what else does everyone else miss from the past, refuse to give up, or resent having to?

Agave, I have no idea what I would be like without MS and technology. which pretty much happened simultaneously for me. It is way too painful to write as well as completely illegible even to me. I was typing notes in class in 1986 because it hurt to write. My mother, my sister, my cousins all still write and draw. I know how to spell everything I want to say, but I am a really bad typist. For me. spellcheck is typo-check. My phone is actually pretty good at predicting what I am about to say or what I meant to say, and I am happy to have the help. I probably would have looked down on someone who relies on technology as much as I do if I weren't the person using it.

I do want to clarify: I spell everything out and use punctuation and apostrophes when I text. I sm not an "RU OK" kind of person. "Gr8, CU 2nite." That takes me longer to read and translate than the time it could possibly save. My first smartphone had a little slide-out keyboard and my current phone (Note4) has a little tiny stylus you can use to poke the keys, and I do. My only concessions are "prolly" and "gotta."

And Agave, do you, yourself, use lot of commas? Or are you against that? Me, I love a good comma.

Aha! Agave, go to "my preferences" (at the top right, where Dmail is). Once you're in "preferences" you should be able to go to "your picture" on the left and when you click on that, you can upload a picture for your avatar.

Wow. That is quite enlightening. See, I learned something from you today. :D
It goes back to our discussion above about able/disabled. I never really thought about how useful, easy, and what a contribution technology is for those with more limited physical capacities. What a joy things must be that make life less painful, and tasks quicker, more efficient and easier.

I never contemplated it before. Not to be an idiot, I guess because I can "use" my body most of the time and it has a tendency to cooperate with me more often than not, I don't rely on technology as much as others to improve my functions. I guess for that reason I don't appreciate it as much because it hasn't improved my overall functioning as a person. I have had a tendency to view it as purely social or information.

See...now thanks to you I can also view it as enabling, and physically helpful. :D

Now if they can come out with some technology that gets me to stop falling on my head then I'd probably be even more jazzed about it! (LOL)

You can laugh at me and my technophobia but...yes...I own a flip phone with voice mail, call in and call out. We have text because it is free. My husband and I play around with it but not in earnest. If somebody sends me one and I can't read or comprehend it I just call them and say, "I have no clue what you said. Can you call me back and leave me a voice mail." (LOL).

I shrug my shoulders at these new phones. I avoid them because I don't like public humiliation. I couldn't use it. By the time I learned how it would be obsolete and three new ones would have taken its place.

I still get p.o.'d at the T.V. because of the way my husband has it all wired up. I can't turn it on half the time. I don't know which remotes are to what or in what sequence they have to be turned on. Is it T.V., cable input, antenna, subwoofer, surround sound, stereo....or is it....No, wait. I know .....It is this remote for that. No, it is that remote for this. Yeah. By the time I figure it out whatever I wanted to watch is half over.

Whatever happened to "on, off, arrow up and arrow down to look for channels" on the remote? I so miss that. Now I need a damn manual to operate everything. It drives me mad, since my short-term memory is like Swiss Cheese and I constantly have to look in the manual anyway or literally write down instructions. NO, really. I have instructions I wrote and put in a folder so I can turn on/off/use everything in the house in case my husband isn't home!

See you need technology to do things physically. My body is "able" but my mind can't cope with the complexities and advancements and constant changes! My mental wiring and circuitry can't keep up.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !!!! Got a smoke? Feeling anxious just thinking about it.

Along with Arachnophobia we can add Technophobia. I graduated high school in 1986 with typing I, II and shorthand! I type 53 wpm presently. That's slow for me. My hay-day I typed 65 wpm. Had quite a few temp and secretarial jobs. Computers were just starting to dawn on the horizon in 1986. The Summer of 1986 before I started college, I was told I should look for a new line of work when I couldn't work the Xerox machine at the office. My boss found me sitting on the floor crying in front of it. He nicely explained the mimeograph went in the garbage awhile ago. The Xerox was not going to. He was very nice to me though. Gave me a good reference. (At the time I didn't realize this was a 'foreshadowing' of things to come).

Since then I've avoided anything technological, and computerized. I just get so confused. Anything stupid that can happen on or to a "computer" inevitably happens if I touch it. So, I just avoid them. I envy anyone my age that can just seamlessly move from technology to technology with little to no effort. Aside from personal fear, and neural short-outs, I think another part of my problem is little to no interest in "computers" beyond the rudimentary, what work necessitates, or what I'm forced to in life. This doesn't help matters either.

As for commas I love them. My Professor hated my superfluous and overabundant and careless liberal sprinkling of them (to paraphrase some of his choice words). Every one I misused was nicely circled in red on my paper. As punishment I had to rewrite the whole paper AND correct the misused commas and CITE why they should and shouldn't be there.

As I got older I just said #%#@ it and put them where I please out of spite, laziness and passive-aggressiveness. Uhmm...and NO, I'm not going to correct this or the commas. (LOL)
We all need a few bad habits in life.

Thanks for telling me how to get to the post a pic. Now I can have my husband do it for me! (You really didn't think I could do it, did you? Oh, and what's an Avatar?)

Hugs,
Agave/Talks2Cactus :D

Hi Carrie,
O.K. my picture is there. What is an avatar? For some reason when I click on my picture it will not send it or post it.

Good evening, Comrades. ;-)
Agavegirl, this is a case of the blind leading the blind, but an avatar is just what represents you on line be it an actual photo or some symbolic representation. I guess I will join you in confusion and put something up myself. Carrie can probably explain it better. Oh, can I ever relate to what you said about remotes. I know my life would be much less satisfying without tech, but it drives me up the wall.
Jim is home from the hospital. His pain level is significantly lower despite the pain from the surgery itself. I think we can say the operation was a success. Jim was entranced by the promise of less pain without more drugs and had not entirely thought through what a year without being able to bend, twist, turn or lift would be like. He had a few rough moments when he realized he would not be getting dressed, bathing or going to the toilet without help for a while. A man Jim’s size with a military background does not cope well with feelings of helplessness. There is a total lack of experience. I am perfectly willing to put on and take off his socks for the remainder of his life if need be , but yesterday he found a way to take them off himself and today he is taking on the challenge of putting them on by himself. I just hope he doesn’t scratch his ankles with that Gopher long-handled grabbing tool. It wasn’t designed for putting on socks. (Sigh)
The new back brace is a marvel of pulleys and space age material. It is a far cry from the hard, turtle shell monstrosity back surgery patients were once sent home wearing. The physical therapist had him up and walking the halls the day after surgery using a walker and wearing the brace. Those two items are a part of his basic wardrobe for the next year.
Pretty shoes! How I miss pretty shoes. I had to start wearing “sensible shoes” when the neuro-degeneration began affecting my balance. Well, there are still hats to buy and I can buy pretty shoes for other people.
My eldest granddaughter is in college and I can’t remember the last time I heard her voice. Communication consist either of Jim reading her text messages to me or my computer’s voice reading her Facebook post and emails. Texting seems a little addictive once a person gets the hang of it. Nadi was complaining about the driver in front of us missing the light change because she was texting. The combination of driving and texting ranks up there with the combination of alcohol and firearms. Jim says he isn’t fast enough at texting to keep up his end of a “conversation”. I have to give credit where due. Texting is a wonderful thing for those with hearing or speech problems. It is a non-issue for we blind though.
English is a vital, mongrel living language. I’m not sure I believe in its purity. The people who try to keep it in some semblance of order are to be commended. It’s a thankless task.
I have fun with words and do not let rules get in my way too much. People who stick to the rules come hell or high water often sound stilted to my ear. Perhaps, that is only because I am into the sound of language more than most. If it sounds right to use a preposition at the beginning of a sentence, then I do. Starting a sentence with “And”? Hey, it works for Joyce Carol Oates. Who am I to snub it. I like the British way of putting the punctuation with quotation marks. The punctuation can go outside the quotes or inside depending on context. The American fashion of always putting the punctuation at the end no matter what strikes me as lazy standardization. I have to combat my early training and force myself to do it the American way when I know it would be seen as an error. I think it is vitally important to know the rules, but not so important to always follow them when I am not getting paid or graded for what I write.
That said, I do have pet peeves. I was a partner in a print shop for many years. Little typographical errors that change meaning are a bugaboo. On a church website, I read the heading: We are a “real” church for “real” people who live in the “real” world. I know what the writer meant to say, but using quotations in that way implies either a quote (which it obviously isn’t) or irony that the writer surely didn’t mean. I assume emphasis was intended, but the writer should have used all caps or a bold typeface instead of quotation marks. I am too wicked to send in an anonymous note pointing out that what they are actually saying is “We are a phony church for phony people who don’t live in the real world.” My troublesome northern neighbors are members of that same church. Hey, I am working on that “love thy enemy” thing, but it is H-A-R-D.
Kay*

I totally agree, Kay, or quotes that are meant as emphasis is almost as bad as using "literally" to mean anything but literally. Some years ago (like five or six) my mother's doctor was killed in a car accident that she caused by texting while driving. I'm pretty sure that when I heard about it, I did not really understand what texting was. When I drive, I drive with my hands. There is no way on earth I would use my hands for anything other than driving....you wouldn't drive without the brake, would you? That's the kind of choice I would have to make, if I wanted to text. I couldn't think "oh, I'll just do this quickly,I have better-than-normal coordination" because it's not a question of coordination or distracted driving, it's a situation where there is nothing I could text with, I am using all my limbs to drive.

Good Morning Kay,
Peace be with you Comrade.

Thank you for the definition of avatar. Even my husband did not know that one and he's the tech geek. Glad it isn't just my self with those remotes. Yes, life would not be as satisfying without technology, especially when I contemplate peeing outdoors and no hairdryer, however, I can't help but wonder would it be a little happier and more rewarding?

I felt more proud of myself for some reason and like I really accomplished something; learned something; truly worked for the grades I got on those papers when I had to pull out dictionaries and thesauruses, go to the library, cite authors and sources in foot and end notes; do a bibliography and reference page. That was WORK!

It just seems almost too easy now. Like everything is in a way done for you and half the information given. Satisfying? Resoundingly . Rewarding, not so much. I just feel like as humans out technology has somehow out paced our brains. Our wants have outpaced our the majority of our needs or the legitimate needs of the majority of our population.

It is the difference of technology out there for those that need and can legitimately use it versus technology for pimply faced teenagers with either social impairment or poor grammar skills. One is an enlightenment and a blessing. A way to maintain human interaction or to make life easy. The other is an escape and a way to avoid human interaction or to not participate in the world around you at all. I'm a dinosaur. My motto is, "Resistance is not futile. I will not be assimilated! I may be alone but I won't be assimilated!". (LOL)

I was going to mention something I had seen awhile ago called Dragon software which is voice recognition software for the computer. It essentially does the writing for you at the pace in which you speak and will also go back and do the corrections. Do you utilize this or know of it? If not, please check it out. It may be beneficial. I do not know a whole lot about it since for myself, to quote Hemmingway, "Writing is easy. You just sit down in front of a typewriter and bleed.".

It is math that gives me fits. Beyond Algebra One, I have never been able to master the mental gymnastics required. It takes me 3 days to balance my check book, thus the reason my husband and I have separate checking accounts. Ironically I've never bounced a check and he did once. I can figure out measurements for cooking, count back change (a lost art), and read price tags on shoes, and decipher any bill you put in front of me and spot an error. I figure I know enough math. What more is required? I never planned on working at JPL.

My one outstanding mathematical talent is the ability to do percentages in my head. I acquired that monkey trick from having been a waitress. By the time I took the bill to the cash register and brought it to the table I already knew how much a 20% tip was, give or take a few pennies. (By the way, tipping is not a city in China.). Other than that I pretty much treat math and computers the way I treat spiders. With as wide a berth as I can give them, great trepidation, and making contact when only necessary.

So glad to hear Jim's surgery was a success and that he is in less pain. I'm sure it will decrease as time goes on. and his activity and motility level will increase little by little. Are they going to have him come back for physical therapy? That's always so much fun!

The back brace doesn't sound great especially for a whole year. Sounds like they've got him trussed up like a turkey. I know they're not as awful as they used to be but still....yuck! It's got to be miserable. Does he have to sleep with this thing on?

It isn't funny but it is. I couldn't help but chuckle a little to myself when I read about his creative way of putting on socks. I had burnt my left hand severely cooking when I had a seizure and had to have surgery at the burn center. I was basically without a left hand for eight months. Although I am right handed the amount of things one requires both hands to do is infinite. What I found amusing about Jim is it took him all of a few hours to start getting creative and inventive on how to adapt. I was pretty much the same way. Much to my husband's dismay, irritation, worry or panic I got more done than I should have or ought to have been doing. You'll see. The nicest thing you can do is let him. Just make sure he is wearing his brace and doing his physical therapy if he has to.

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!! My neighbor stopped by. She wants to go get coffee and a muffin. O.K. who am I to turn down going out?
Talk to you when I get back
Hugs,
Agave

So much for muffins. Settled for a strawberry and Nutella croissant instead with a latte. Yes, I do treat myself on occasion. Occasion being operative word. Speaking of treating, I'm treating my self to a great big dose of procrastination right now. The bathrooms need cleaned. Sigh. The laundry room needs cleaned (Yes, I wipe down washer/dryer and clean the floor in there). I have to make "dinner" at 1:30 when DH gets home. Funny sched. We get up at 2:00a.m. (YEP!) He leaves at 3:15 and starts work at 4:00a.m. until noon. Get's home about 1:00p.m.'ish. We go to be around 6:30-8:00p.m. depending upon cranky and/or tired level.
I actually walk the dog between 3:15 and 3:45 a.m. around our loop.
I'd putz around outside but don't want the neighbors made at me. Interesting to see how many people are actually up though. So far it's been 2 others on a quasi regular basis aside from me. Other than that nobody. Good. Nobody gets to see my bed head, mismatched clothes or nasty scuff about shoes. Sigh....bathrooms and laundry room still there.

Did I mention I thought more about Jim and was sending good thoughts his way?
For some reason he came to mind on my walk. I do not know him per say but something brought him/his person to mind.
I am hoping he will heal fast and not be in pain for long. My wish is that his pain is of short duration and the need for pills is not for any significant length of time. If he wants I'll send him a cactus to talk to so he can feel better. :D

Kay,
If it isn't too personal and we've been touching and exploring each other's disabilities to some degree, do you mind me asking about your blindness? Were you born blind or was that something that has happened in later life as a result of an injury or was it a slow progression due to the onset of an illness?
I find it amazing how adept the unseeing or visually impaired are at getting around. Certainly much better than myself in a lot of ways in terms of navigating their persons around obstacles, across a room, and avoiding crashing into things. (LOL) Seriously, it is a skill to be able to do that successfully without sight especially in areas and places or in surroundings that are foreign to you. Can you read brail or do you pretty much rely on speech recognition software? Do your other senses seem more acute now?
I've only known one person who was legally blind but she didn't even wear glasses. She used a little magnifying glass for everything she had to read and she did not drive. Her husband and family drove her. When she read the paper literally touched her nose she held it so close to her face. Aside from that she seemed to have no issues. She did say she never knew when she would go 100%blind. She said she had a cane at home she practices with but it depressed her terribly to touch it.
All the bosses that were so horrible to me at work because of my disability she was just as rotten as the rest of them. I found it ironic that she couldn't be empathetic. That always disturbed me about her. Either way I still feel bad for her. It seems like she's going to have a hard time making peace with her life. Did you have a hard time with this?
O.K. the bathrooms are waiting....sigh
Then I can go water my plants...yeah!
Then I can catch a nap....yeah!
Then I can make dinner....yeah! (I like to cook)

Hugs,
Agave

Hi Gang! Doctor’s orders are that I should not spend more time outside than absolutely necessary, but I caught a whiff of a new bloom and had to take some pix. We’ve had Mexican hydrangea for several years, but this is the first summer it bloomed. I prefer Mexican hydrangea’s larger, but less aggressive relative the peanut butter tree (Clerodendrum trichotonum). It grows to about 20’ and has white blooms that smell something like jasmine, but I can smell why Kay wanted this Clerodendrum also. The flower of Mexican hydrangea is showier, but one person commenting in PlantFiles compared it to Chinese wisteria and kudzu. I don’t know that I would go that far, but it does colonize an area quickly by suckering. We planted it in a granite tub. I think that might keep it under control.

It was cool today relatively speaking. I wish I could have spent more time outside, but Doc warned me the meds I am taking would make me heat sensitive and the last thing I need is to get a heat rash beneath the back brace. I got a little stir-crazy yesterday and decided to see how well I could drive. Driving is do-able as long as I only attempt it when the oxycodone is at minimum level and I keep the drive short. Sitting upright for an hour is my limit for now. I must use mirrors more than ever before. I had a habit of turning to look over my shoulder rather than make full use of the mirrors.

I can get out on the deck since it is roofed and I have an electric fan there. The box planters I built atop the railing are accessible from a w/c. Kay is moving the strawberries from one of the planters and I will be able to do something new with it. We put strawberries there to keep the fruit from being eaten by rabbits only to find out skinks also eat strawberries. Skinks and lizards lounging on the deck are a common sight. One skink has made his burrow in the planter with the strawberries. Everbearing strawberries are apparently destined to be a groundcover for the flower beds and snacks for little animals. The June-bearing varieties because they ripen all at once are easier to protect from critters and will be our strawberries.

TTC, is Zoe one of those service dogs I’ve read about? Nothing I have ever read made it clear how a dog can predict and warn of a seizure if the person with epilepsy themselves have no heads up. I can get how a rat can sniff out cancer that scanners miss. I even get the logic behind hookworm therapy to treat auto-immune diseases like MS.

I simply don’t get what it is a dog trained to warn of a coming seizure is detecting.

Kay is pushing again for simplifying and minimizing to make our lives more manageable. I admit I am more open to that now than in the past. We cleared out my nightstand and desk to make the things I use all the time easier to reach and getting rid of excess. The only thing I am having trouble letting go of is the fun little things I’ve always kept on my desk. Okay, I get that I don’t actually need a slinky, or a harmonica or a Taz figurine in a Superman suit. It is all taking up prime real estate where stuff I need could go. Every self-respecting computer geek needs a screen critter and a band of Neon haired, naked Trollz to keep things running right. Your troll takes care of any nasties that get passed your firewall. My DW doesn’t believe this. She honestly thinks computers are based on physics and mathematics, not magic. Since she has to dust and clean all the cubby holes in my desk now and sweep beneath it, I have to humor her in her delusions. We agreed I could keep one creature to sit atop my screen since these creatures are designed for that space where nothing else goes and I do get to keep Taz. (I told her this really sad story about a sick child giving it to me. You do what you have to do to survive.) I held my tongue and didn’t say a word when she questioned my level of maturity and talked on about how computer geeks as a whole need to grow up. I’ve ordered that gadget from ActiveForever that allows a person who can’t bend to put on their own socks. Soon I will find a way to dust all the nooks and crannies of my desk again by myself. I’ve already learned how to clean under my desk with the long attachment on the vacuum cleaner. When Kay, imprisoner of innocent trollz, starts to get ready for bed tonight…when she reaches for her favorite nightshirt and finds Eeyore is gone. When she looks in the shoe rack for her Tigger slippers and discovers they aren’t there. I just know enlightenment will come and the cyber magic will return to my desk.

A Paleolithic diet sounds like the blood type diet for Type Os that I’ve been considering. My nephew lost weight and looks much healthier being on a blood type diet for Type O blood, our shared blood type. It sounds like something I could do and not feel deprived. I’m not officially lactose intolerant, but milk does give me trouble. All the hormones and antibiotics pumped into milk cows can’t be good for anybody.

I have my avatar up. I’ll start working on Amargia’s next sitting up session. I should not have to go through a physical rehab program as long as I stick to the routine the therapist at the hospital gave me.

(Jim, Liberator of Imprisoned Trollz)

This message was edited Jul 24, 2015 8:05 AM

We just had a wild thunderstorm. Rain is rare here, thunder even less so. And heavy rain. The three dogs were all nervous but we stayed in our pack and made it through OK. They clearly didn't like it but seem to be smart enough to know that yowling, etc, won't help. Or maybe they're just lazy.

Whatever, the town will be seriously muddy from this but it's sure better than another hurricane.

The road out to where I live from town is paved now. Such progress. Until the next hurricane. But now it's like a causeway.

I have little flame trees which I'm hoping we can plant along the new road. I've also got some vetiver plants to put down by the river.

I bought a jackfruit in Ensanada on my way home. It was about $40 but I planted the seeds and have about ten little plants so far - and probably more to come. They should do well here and will be a new food crop for the area. Meanwhile, we are getting a few dragonfruits. I think they went in about ten years ago. We've been able to share a lot of their cuttings.

We are all calming down now after the big storm.

hugs, katie

Good Morning all!

Did get the bathrooms and laundry room clean. Yippee!
Let's see today it's the office (groan) and mini blinds in the house (bigger groan). The only time I think about going paperless is when I have to clean the office. You like your trolls I like my dictionaries and thesaurus and bulletin board and notebooks and pen holder and Mogi reading glass holder, and... and...and...
But yes these things are necessary! As I explained to my DH who complains about the desk clutter they DO make things work so much better when they're near the computer. My theory also is when it comes to the office only the dust these objects collect act as a protective layer and form a force field around the computer so that other harmful particles and light rays don't get in to do damage. The dust won't harm the computer or equipment its self since it gets wiped away weekly (more or less) and replaced with newer particles of dust. Katie might want to know I'm waiting for the UnScientific American Journal to call me back before that article goes to print! :D

Oh, I'm also horrible at paper shredding and filing. It's on my to do (yeah right) list. Ranks right up there with cleaning out the closets and getting them organized. But then again I'm working on a theory about paper chaos and how it attributes to paying no bill late and no computer malfunctions. We all know what a whiz I am with computers.

Your new blooms are just beautiful. wish I had something that was producing color. I'm just happy it's producing green. :D I had no idea there was a Mexican hydrangea. I had always been familiar with the others but didn't know a Mexican one existed. How wonderful they smell lovely too. Lots of butterflies, hummingbirds and bees (I don't mind them. Don't bother them and they won't bother you). They must look so pretty there. Those blooms must look like big swaying clouds on green stems when you see them for real .

So happy your surgery has went well and you're not too miserable and able to spend time outdoors. Perfect. Couldn't think of better physical or mental therapy than that. I just kind of chuckle at you in regards to the back surgery. Not because you had it...which I'm sorry about the injury you had that resulted in surgery...I just chuckle because It's been about a week and you're already testing the bounds of what you can and can't do. You sound like me. Is DW flipping out yet? Sounds so familiar.

Yep, you're driving. "Can't turn my head...gotta use mirrors...on oxy...but I can drive for an hour!" That's kind of why I'm giggling. Don't worry I get you comrade. I'm cheering you on! You just keep getting inventive. Kitchen tongs man...they're the bomb! Let me know if you need more ideas! :D Forks, spoons, tweezers (metal), nail files, and the claw parts of hammers and cords (old phone, lamp, etc) are good household helpers too! Here I thought that long attachment on my vacuum cleaner was just for my mini blinds and the areas I couldn't reach with the regular sweeper. Gheesh. What a helper I could of had back then! Oh, dogs that wag their tail and look at you like you're less intelligent than they are when you say, "Fetch." are not good helpers.

Baby wipes are great also. Aside from their intended use, I love them for frequent wipe downs if you get sweaty or uncomfortable during the day with the back brace.
I go through baby wipes like crazy just because out here in AZ. It has been so unbelievably humid it is surreal. It feels like Florida but we're not getting any rain. Just that "swampy" feeling. I just wipe down all day. Also they're a great way to get the dust off.

You guys had a massive thunderstorm. We had a massive wind/dust storm. First one in a great long while. Still no rain. Good thing. Just watered the plants. Inevitably it seems when I water the cacti and Agaves we get a 3 day torrential downpour. When I don't we get a 12 day drought. You're so lucky with the rain though. So pretty and makes everything so nice and green. Do you sit out sometimes and just listen to it or enjoy the smell? I'm lucky. Got a dog that pretty much ignores rain, thunder and lightening. Lies there. Gives an occasional head snap and concerned look but outside of that nothing. As long as we're her she's fine.

So you got skinks and strawberries galore! The strawberries are definitely cool. Don't know about the skinks unless they're eating bugs and not completely running the fruit. The little lizards we have out here (not quite sure what they're called) entertain me. They're amusing and I believe, or at least want to, that they eat bugs. The dog finds them kind of tasty too when she's able to get one. Vet hasn't complained so I haven't either although I don't highly encourage the habit.

Greyhounds are Greyt! They're fast, graceful, loving, mild mannered and sweet. So easy going and such a great temperament. They're not the brightest bulb in the box but they're far from dumb. They're just not Poodle or Border Collie smart.
If you want a dog that's going to love and I mean LOVE you that's the one. They're not slobbery, crawl in your lap all over you dogs. But they're very loyal, affectionate, "need you", want to be with you, people centered dogs. They prefer people's company than other dogs which is why they are such great pets and good companion dogs. They are not outdoor dogs. They were never meant to be outdoor dogs. They don't stay outdoors. They're not the fetch, romp, play, swim dog. They also don't bark or aren't barkers as a rule. They're primarily a more silent breed.
They like one good walk a day a boisterous play with their squeakies/stuffed toys, and then pretty much they're a three dimensional area rug the rest of the day. They do follow you from room to room though and sleep where you are/are working. It's sweet. They like to sleep where you sleep.
You definitely need a fenced in or walled in yard. They are sight not scent hounds. When they "see" something they will chase. They are not nose to the ground scent hounds. Because their instinct is to chase when they see something they want you never tie them to a ground stake or chain them to anything. They'll snap their necks. You also never turn them loose outside or think they'll walk beside you lose and stay with you.
These are dogs that can run 550 yards in 31 seconds. That is approximately 45 miles per hour. The same as a thoroughbred horse. The only difference is they are short distance sprinters not long distance runners like horses. They are not full of energy and need to run all day contrary to what people think. They're quite lazy. That's why they're called the 45mph couch potato. One good exercise a day and then done.
As for Zoe we never got her as an Epilepsy dog. We just adopted her as a retired racer after her racing career. (You can look her up and see her picture and her race record. She was called R.D's Dipper from Dorsey's Kennels when she raced). We got her at age 5. That's mandatory retirement age. She was a good runner and money dog so she ran all 5 years on the Phoenix track. She just turned 10 in April.
It is odd that animals can "sense" seizures and other disorders in people. I don't know how it is possible. Since they can do it for so many different diseases and disorders there is something real to it and their abilities. I think it may have something to do with smell. Since it is a chemical and/or hormonal imbalance in your body that produces a disorder an animal can seem to smell this as not being your "normal" scent. Somehow as service animals they are taught to pair this scent or change in scent with danger, much like Pavlov's stimulus and response operant conditioning, and "warn" the owner either by barking or rubbing against them or standing in front of them.
The one time Zoe just kept walking circles around me. I assumed she wanted out and went heading for the glass patio doors. Seconds later I had a massive clonic-tonic seizure. I got hurt very, very badly. Put a 6" laceration in the back of my head from smacking it on the table when I started to keel over backwards. I must have tried to stand up by pulling my self up on the table and then fell again because my shoulder and hip, left temple, eye socket and cheekbone were black and blue and bloodied. Also the inside of my left eye was bloody.
It looked like I had tried to stand up after the first seizure. When I did I guess I had a second and fell face down and smacked the corner of the table with my face and then fell back onto the kitchen tile on my side. I woke up my husband was home from work and the dog was still there. She hadn't left me. It had been about 2 hours. That was the only time the dog had ever "warned" me.
Since then I've had more seizures and she's been around but has never reacted that way. I do kind of pay attention to her though. If I feel like she's being overly solicitous of me or "hanging" around me way more than normal I spend a good deal of time sitting on the floor, eating microwave food, and avoiding tasks that could hurt me. I may not have seizures but I don't feel it hurts to be cautious. Obviously she knows better than I in this regards.

Katie,
So glad you didn't get another hurricane. Don't feel overly bad about the lack of paved roads. We still have plenty of unpaved ones here. We also get nifty little things called flash floods. Now you see it now you don't! Since the ground is so dry, hard and with such little vegetation sometimes it's not hard for strong and torrential rains to just was large chunks of it away and for mini rivers to suddenly spring up.

It's good to know your jackfruit are producing new ones and that your dragon fruit are doing good. You'll have to show us some pictures of the vetiver. Also if possible can you post a picture of your dragon fruit. I hope it is what I'm thinking.

Have a good day all.
It's off to the mini blinds.

I am not sure how Clerodendrum bungei came to be called Mexican hydrangea. Well, the hydrangea part is obvious, but it is a native of China. I would guess because it is popular in Mexico. Rose Glory Bower is another common name.
It’s great the way you are using your knowledge and resources to introduce new edibles into the Mulage area, Katiebear. I do not regret my failed locavore experience. It was eye-opening to find out how difficult it was to eat only locally sourced foods. I am not able to imagine anything that could bring about the breakdown of our modern food distribution system that might occur in my lifetime. (Jim says that is only because I lack a dark imagination.) Even I can see problems coming in the next 50 to 100 years, however. Modern food distribution, like modern farming, is petroleum dependent. I predict future generations will be grateful for a wide variety of local food
AgaveGirl, Ectopia Lentis /Marfan’s Syndrome is what most doctors believe is at the root of my vision and hearing loss though there is some debate. I could have genetic testing done to pinpoint the problem with certainty, but, for now, it seems a waste of money considering nothing would change. None of the candidates are treatable. It is all just damage control, treating symptoms as they arise. I was born visually impaired and wore glasses from the age of two. I permanently lost the sight in my left eye at age 11 to a retina detachment and the right eye followed four years later, but I got to a retina surgeon in time and he was able to do an impressive repair job, re-attaching my retina and removing my natural lens. I had an acuity of 20/80 corrected after all the surgery and was only considered legally blind because of my visual field limitation. Technically, legally blind is an acuity of 20/200 or a very limited visual field. (The lady you described sounds like she would have fallen into the legally blind category.) My vision and hearing have slowly deteriorated from that point. I have been functionally blind for approximately the last 20 years. I can still see light and vague shapes, if the background provides enough contrast. I have a lot of visual static and went through full-blown Charles Bonnet Syndrome about a year ago. Reducing the optic pressure with Travatan eye drops keeps the CBS under control now. (I’m told some people with epilepsy also experience Charles Bonnet.) I finished my education at a School for the Blind since blindness was inevitable and I would eventually need all the skills. Braille and the white cane are vital to being a successful blind person, in my opinion. I have over 30 herbs and spices in the kitchen. I cannot imagine trying to cook if these and my canisters did not have Braille labels. I would have to do a lot of sniffing to find out what was what. Braille isn’t hard. My daughters picked it up naturally and one went into rehabilitation for the visually impaired. Originally her degree was in adult education, but a comment by a teacher for the blind at a convention convinced her educating the visually impaired was most needed. The comment was that a sighted teacher should not be expected to read Braille as well as her blind students. Duh, how can one teach what one doesn’t know?

The cane is vital also. I loved my LeaderDog, Stanley, but dog’s get sick and will occasionally do doggie things no matter how well trained. Stanley was a yellow Lab. His weakness was water. He insisted on going the route that took us by a pond despite my protest that another way was shorter. He never bothered the ducks, geese and swans that lived there. I think he simply found it satisfying that they would scatter at his approach. He loved to swim in the pool and could never be entirely trusted around them. He jumped into a friend’s pool once while in harness. He wasn’t guiding me at the time, but he was not supposed to goof around when dressed for work. Even with a dog, having a folding cane stashed in your purse and knowing how to use it is wise.
It reflects well that you feel sorry for the legally blind woman you mentioned. It seems logical that a person with physical challenges would be able to relate to and understand someone else with physical challenges better than a T.A.P. (temporarily able-bodied person), doesn’t it? The snag is that self absorption and self protection are the usual first reactions to a new disability and some people get stuck there instead of moving on. At first your own problems seem so over-whelming and other people’s problems never look as serious as your own from the outside and the other person’s trouble feels like an added burden that you can’t possibly deal with. At that stage of growth, the disabled person is probably going to be harder on other challenged people than any T.A.P. I would say your former boss was in the beginning stages or had gotten stuck in that stage gauging from her attitude about the white cane.
I have to be wary of arrogance at my stage. No one likes to remember the struggle and the hard times. I sometimes forget just how difficult it was to arrive at a place where I have peace of mind and I am okay with my life. I would love to see again. I hope to live long enough and stay healthy enough to be a candidate for bionic eyes. If it does not happen that way, that is okay too.
I believe the senses are like the muscles or the brain. The more they are used the more powerful and agile they become. I know an avid hunter who was engaged in more than his fair share of night fighting during his military service. All of his senses are honed to the max. His sense of smell is equal to mine and his “body vision” is better. One of the meds I’m on plays havoc with orientation. Jim joked that I was a “bird brain” because I could always tell him which way was north. I’ve been considering buying a Braille compass lately. I hope it is a matter of use it or lose it. I hate to think that losing sense of smell is inevitable as we grow older. My nose gives me a lot of pleasure as well as information.
Jim, I am not a tyrant or repressor of Trollz. We have freedom of speech in this country. It is my right to express my opinion that Trollz are the ugliest toy ever invented and to question the reason geek culture has adopted them as an icon. The Trollz have been sequestered for their own safety. The Dyson gobbles them up. Rescuing Trollz from the bowels of a vacuum cleaner is nasty work. For the record, I no longer own a Eeyore nightshirt, but if you buy me one I might find room for two trollz on your desk instead of just the one.
My apologies. This is not a good writing day. I will never take these new allergy meds in the daytime hours again. I will let Nadi proof and post.
Kay*, Reluctant Rescuer of Dirty Trollz and med zombie
http://www.retroland.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/Trolls.jpg
Cute or Ugly?

Good morning all. :D
Not sure about plant names and the Latin Origins either but anything that looks pretty and smells good is o.k. by me! Personally I think we ought to let me rename all the plants. It would just be so much easier. Then we'd have names like "cloud plant", "bunny fluffy grass", "not so fluffy bunny grass", "bad cactus that made my finger bleed" :(

Katiebear I think it is great about the local food sources also. Although I don't know if I would exactly be thrilled about what my choices would be here in AZ. Hmm...squash(yuck!), beans (depends), corn (good)...some cacti (I've never had but I'll try), TEQUILA (now we're talking).
Is there anything else that actually "grows" in dust or rock/cement? Pretty much what our soil consists of.
Oh, alfalfa and cotton with tons and tons of water. Makes you wish Twinkies were a GMF crop right? No wonder the Aztecs and Mayans went extinct as cultures. You can only eat so many beans before your friends decide you're a good candidate for the next sacrifice. (LOL)

I do think local crops, green houses, and co-op farming is the way to go! Also farmer's markets that are relatively close and in a central location that everyone can get to easily is great. To some degree I agree about the oil thing but I think we are slaves to the grocery store and the refrigerator.
When I lived in L.A. I noticed that all the "ethnic" areas in North, East, and downtown had small, very tiny, highly specialized markets, shops, and open air produce markets, bakeries or you went to the wholesalers at the pier/wharf area where they unloaded stuff. YES, L.A. IS A PORT. It is on the ocean. Tons of ships come in an unload containers of food, clothes, goods, etc. to stock warehouses, grocery stores, etc. Cruise ships depart from there.
So, I would go to downtown to China town and Japan town and Alaverez street to the mercados (markets). East L.A. to Korea town. In the daytime to South Central/Watts. Gooood restaurants!
North Hollywood had all the Thai, Laos, Cambodian and Vietnamese foods. West Hollywood had a large Russian population (divine pastries, and unbelievable fresh breads, and baked goods every day, Canter's deli and Pink's hotdogs and tacos both places very famous). West Holly wood also had a lot of Orthodox and Hasidic Jews. Now once you got on the "West Side" (mid West Hollywood, Hollywood, Brentwood, Century City, Studio City, Westwood, Bellaire, etc.) this is where you saw grocery stores and big grocery store chains and "super markets". The "ethnic" food, way of shopping and other interesting things and ways of life ended. I had a Doctor in Korea town. He practiced both Eastern and Western medicine. I took full advantage of both. The interesting thing I noted in these "ethnic" areas though was that I never saw an A.A. a Weight Watchers or a shrinks office or a plastic surgeon. You couldn't swing a dead cat and not hit one of these every block in West L.A.!

I think we got so used to "super markets" and double door side by side refrigerators that we don't shop like the rest of the world. Ever been to Europe? Ever watch specials or T.V. shows
(not centered around the wealthy) that take place in Europe? Look at their fridges. What we consider a "dorm room" or "mini" fridge is their normal! They shop every day or 2-3 days for fresh food. There is very few if any "super markets". It is purely an American phenomenon. I also believe this is why they are thinner than 80% of Americans too. Their stuff is grown locally and they buy it fresh and use it quickly. Being in London for just 2 weeks and L.A. 10 years was an eye opener.

I think our demand to avoid shopping like the Europeans, have quick and easy pre-packaged convenient food (which also uses a lot of fossil fuels to produce in factories) and the amount of time it takes to truck this stuff en mass around is part of the problem. Also take into consideration all the things that petroleum goes into: plastic shopping bags, plastic shopping baskets, plastic name tags for employees, plastic rewards cards for your wallet and key chains. Although the carts are made of metal how many parts (seat, handle) are made of plastic? Plastic signs and labels on every shelf, aisle and wall and hanging from the ceiling.
Plastic which uses a ton of petroleum to be manufactured is just fueled rampantly by the grocery industry. Staggers the imagination when you think of it doesn't it? Recycling barely puts a dent in it. Now, let's go to the mall.......Yeah.

Kay,
I get what you're saying about tests to find out the causes directly of your problems since they're not treatable. They are a waste of money. My doctors don't seem to feel they're superfluous since I haven't had this and that and the other thing done for years. Well why? Is it going to change anything? Is it going to show anything new? Is it going to fix anything? All it's going to do is cost me more money I can ill afford (pardon the pun.) to be spending. Every doctor I've been to has run the same tests. They've all been inconclusive. It doesn't matter how in depth they've been or how detailed.
They can't find out what the problem is. I don't know what the problem is. Supposedly they are more educated than I BUT I have been able to make more accurate diagnoses, treat my self better and more effectively and alleviate more of my side effects and reduce more of my seizures than they have. Makes you wonder. They ought to be paying me for my work and consultations. The insurance company ought to be reimbursing me in full every bill instead of the doctors.
Oh well, such is the world we live in. Don't get me started or you'll be reading for 5 pages. My replies are already long enough. Besides you know what they say about opinions and the fact that everyone has one.
I am glad that you were born with sight though and you got to see and experience much of the wonders of the world as a child. That is especially important in learning and development I feel. Maybe more so as an artist and I couldn't imagine life without color. I could bear it without a lot of things but not color, pattern, the texture and design. It's what drew me to plants. It's what draws me to most things in life.
It's funny Epilepsy has heightened that and my taste but diminished my touch and hearing. Weird. My vision isn't better but my ability to see color/s and texture is almost surreal which is why I can stare at things endlessly with childlike fascination and the great discomfort to many. I've had to consciously "adjust" this little habit of mine in public. (red face). And my ability to taste is strange. I can "dissect" things now almost ingredient by ingredient. In a lot of ways this is good and in a lot of ways this has been a not so pleasant experience. Think about it.

This is true of a lot of Epileptics. Many of us either gain talents we did not have (artistic, musical, etc.)or lose one we had prior or both. I just thing it's brain circuitry, wiring and electrical impulses that get flipped on, off and shorted out, rerouted, rewired, so to speak. It's fairly well documented.
I am somewhat familiar with Charles Bonnet Syndrome although I am not quite sure of any Epileptics I know of having it. The most common complaint, especially with Grand Mal Epileptics is an "aura" of light or intense flashing of light/s prior to or during a seizure. Sometimes flickering lights like strobe lights or the flickering of light from a ceiling fans reflection or off the blade of a metal fan or propeller or off something shiny can trigger this. I've had problem with "shadowy" spots that kind of blur before my eyes if I have a small seizure. When I have a migraine I get a "flickering" of light I can see out of the corner of my eye towards the back. It seems to resonate with each throb in my head. The doctor said this was common. Some blah, blah about electrical impulses in the brain. I know the "light" thing is common with migraine sufferers even if they aren't Epileptics. A lot of these things too are also on the detailed patient labeling as side effects of the meds. (Of course they never give you detailed side effects just the abbreviated ones at the pharmacy).
Our biggest complaint is CRS Syndrome. That's Can't Remember #@%$ Syndrome due to the wonderful meds. (LOL) I swear it's like having early on set Alzheimer's. Oh well, convenient excuse when you don't want to do something! :D "Hmm...What's that dear? Oh, you asked me to do that? I'm sorry. I don't remember." (LOL). I know.I'm playing the "crip card".

I think it's wonderful that you can read Brail though. That's a great skill to know and to be able to teach to both visually impaired and sighted persons. It would be wonderful to learn and I wouldn't mind. I'd like to learn sign language especially since my hearing isn't what it ought to be and I know it gets worse with age. Don't need hearing aids but getting close.

As for that woman I worked with it makes sense. My problem looks trivial. I fall. I get up. I can see. She won't. I can take meds. There's hope possibly. There's nothing they can do for her or her macular degeneration. I also can't help but feel she was taking out some of her fear and resentment on me. I'm her future.
She can be friends with the bosses in corporate all she wants. She went along with them and treated me the way they did. Eventually though, there's not going to be a place for her there when she becomes a liability to them because she can't see to do her job, falls down or gets hurt or can't perform her job adequately enough. They'll tell her that just like they told me that's there's no place for someone like her. Her macular degeneration is just too dangerous. Corporations are corporations and business is business. Nobody is irreplaceable; even the most able bodied and physically fit individual. Rather than be mad at her I feel sorry for her.

I agree though. It takes a long time to get to where you are and not feel resentment. I don't know what the Hell I feel though living in the middle between the two worlds bouncing between able and disabled. I just spend a lot of time sitting on rocks talking to cacti. I'm also grateful for every day I don't look like I lost to Mike Tyson, am not acting like a one man wrecking crew, nobody gives my husband a dirty look thinking he beats me and I feel like my senses a honed to Ninja if I can wear a pair of heels out in public and not embarrass my self walking in them. If I can do all of this consistently for a period of time it's like hitting the slots at Vegas.

I get what you're saying about poor Stanley too. Don't be too hard on Stanley's memory.
Stanley was just doing Stanley's innate instinctual Labrador Retriever thing. He's a Labrador so named from the region of Labrador by Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada. He's a water dog that likes to swim, fetch and retrieve. His little doggy brain is hardwired for that. He doesn't want the duckies. He wants you to throw something out in the pond so he can go for a good swim and bring it back! Like Zoe. She's a Greyhound. Loves to run even if it's just once a day. Sight hound. Ohhh...see that! I want it! I want to catch up to it! And....its off to the races at 45 m.p.h. It's just what she "does" by her doggy nature and design. It's her "thing" as a Greyhound. God bless all dog's big loving hearts and tangerine sized brains.
I think the problem a lot of people get into when they get pets, not necessarily service dogs, is they literally don't understand the nature of the beast and then complain or are bewildered when it doesn't act or behave the way they think it should. That's our fault not theirs.

After much thought on the Trollz matter I found it much to difficult to solve so I went to the yard and consulted a source much wise and far more knowledgeable than I. Now this individual knows all about how to co-exist in harmony with other diverse individuals and dust. So this is the wisdom the Great and Powerful Cacti imparted:

1.) Trollz do not belong in vacuum cleaners. Vacuum cleaners belong in houses.
2.) Vacuum cleaners belong in houses because we've had them in houses to clean dirt longer than we've had Trollz.
3.) Thus vacuum cleaners take precedence over Trollz as a necessity.
4.) Trollz serve only to collect dust. Dust and the things that collect it do not serve a necessity or purpose in the house.
5.) The person who must own dust collecting thing that serve no purpose (Trollz) should be
the person who diligently and responsibly maintains it so it is dust free. It is not allowed to irritate the vacuum cleaner and the other human that lives there.
6.) If this does not happen vacuum cleaner is not responsible for "eating" dust collecting object (Trollz). Irritated person can not be blamed for mysterious disappearance of dust collecting item (Trollz) that serves no purpose.

So I will leave you with the wise words of the cactus. Peace, out.

Have a good day. :D
TT2C/ Agave

I humbly bow to the wisdom of your wise cacti. Our native prickly pear seems unenlightened. That is to be expected from cacti living in the humid sub-tropics. They have something that looks like powdery mildew by the time sauna summer gives way to dry roast summer. Sauna summer doesn’t want to give way this year. Kay is moving some of the succulents into pots with porous soil and good drainage. There has been so much rain they are not looking happy in ground. I can’t detect it yet, but Kay says it is beginning to smell like the Everglades.

This year we weren’t able to grow organic vegetables for disabled people on Food Stamps or whatever the program is called now. Amargia Farm is still open for foraging for those with the ability and knowledge. This time of year it is the last of the blackberries and the beginning of the Brown Turkey figs. The land isn’t as lush here as it is further north in the state’s black belt, but it is still rich in wild and semi-wild edibles most of the year. I don’t have a forager’s know-how, but some things are obvious even to me. Wild plums, huckle berries, pawpaws, dewberries, blackberries and raspberries, several kinds of wild muscadine grapes, southern blueberries, mulberries, elderberries, figs and pomegranates are all available for the picking. There are perennial vegetables like asparagus, sunroot and vegetable burdock. There are also all the herbs that basically take care of themselves. I could not even guess how many oddball things there are like canna and colocasia with edible roots and roses with fruit the size of grocery store plums that are eaten like vegetables or made into tea. The wild edibles are Nadi’s thing. She and J., one of the young homeless people from L.A. both claim they could live off Amargia’s plants, if necessary. It’s a pity J. has an alcohol and drug problem. The kid is otherwise well suited to take over Amargia’s work. The prevailing attitude here is still that addiction is a moral failing instead of a disease. It is sad that these kids end up panhandling on Venice Beach instead of being looked after in the community they were born in. I should say the idea of threatening our northern neighbors with bringing them back home to manage Amargia was their idea.

I am trying t think of any edible permaculture plants suited for the desert. All I can come up with is dragonfruit, date palms, yucca and prickly pear. I didn’t know about dragonfruit before I encountered Katiebear.

Wave, if you have a free moment, Carrie. I’m worried about you. Kay says I worry too much and you are probably busy writing.

Nadi visited the Dothan Botanical Garden today. I think she mainly goes to visit with the frogs and turtles, but she snapped a few pix of plants. She said the continuing sauna summer was having an effect there too, but their roses looked good. I don’t know how they pull that off. All our roses are gone by this time of year.

(Jim)
1. 'Pumpkin on a stick' Ornamental Eggplant.
2. A friendly Turtle
3. 'Irresistible man' rose
4 'Brides Dream' rose
5. 'peace' rose so Peace out Yall.

I would not worry about over-writing, Agave. You have interesting things to say and a fun writing style. I have a technical writing background and it is obvious. (yawn)
Thank you for correcting me on the Charles Bonnet Syndrome/Epilepsy connection. My mental filing system isn’t what it once was and in this case I did not pull the mental file and read it thoroughly. CBS can be a side effect of the surgery people with drug resistant epilepsy sometimes have to stop their seizures. That seemed a bad trade off to me when I first heard of it, but after reading your descriptions of how physically dangerous a seizure can be I am re-thinking that. CBS is incredibly weird, but it does not do any physical harm aside from interfering with vision. Some of the visual hallucinations are hilarious and there is full awareness that what is being seen is not real. (In my case, the colors were way too Disney to be believed and what I saw did not alter in perspective when I moved my head.) I think it should be re-named Flying Monkey Syndrome since so many people with CBS have seen that particular hallucination. It goes to show how disturbing that scene in The Wizard of Oz was in its time.
I pray you never have serious hearing loss. The combination of epilepsy and hearing loss has some peculiar challenges. The alert systems hearing impaired people commonly use to let them know someone is at the door or the phone is ringing come with a warning that it should not be use by people with epilepsy and the system should be immediately shut down if someone with epilepsy comes into the house. I guess the strobe lights so effective at getting a deaf person’s attention can induce a seizure? The manufacturers do not explain the warning, but at least they give one.
And, that reminds me I need to bring in my hearing aid for repair this morning .THAT is the biggest drawback of all the cool new tech. Have a blessed day, Everyone.
kay*

Jim, thank you, I am going to be fine, I keep announcing. I had an Xray done on Wednesday which showed most of the fluid had re-accumulated, so I had my lung drained again on Friday. I would prefer not undergoing that particular procedure again. There is a definite recovery time just from having someone inside my lung (ewwww) and I confuse that with actual recovery. Last time, I thought I was better but didn't feel good. This time, I am withholding my judgement until I find out how my lung looks.

I am also trying to conserve my energy and not bite off more than I can chew just at the moment. I play a lot of solitaire and read about John Lennon and Paul McCartney, both activities that I don't let myself do while I'm "working." I am forgiving myself for not getting anything done. The changeover that this website has undergone since April 1 has made writing a little more difficult. I'm sure it be ok once I get used to it, but I'm giving myself a pass for the time being.

The biggest problem is that I am unable to eat much. Loss of appetite is a side effect of plural effusion. Most people don't mind losing a few pounds, but 8 pounds in 2 weeks is too much, and I am weak from not eating. When I think of people who are truly starving. it doesn't seem like a legitimate problem but Ray is beside himself. He has been feeding me Coca-Cola so I keep up my fluids.

Oh and Agavegirl, I had cactus once and it tasted like canned green beans. Maybe it too was overcooked like a batch of canned green beans? I don't know. If it tastes like fresh green beans, I would be happy to try it again, but for canned green beans flavor, no thank you. There's a reason I don't eat canned green beans!

Hi gang,
Yes the mighty cactus is always so wise in the wisdom they speak. That is why I talk to them.
Uhm...don't quite know what's wrong with fuzzy head prickly pear. All I can say is perpetual moisture + heat + cactus = bad! It sounds like it has some kind of fungus or rot. Check the plant files. Could easily just break this peace off to keep from spreading or there may be some kind of "rub"/"salve" to put on to keep it from spreading. I dunno.
Succulents I gave up on out here. Either I watered and sunned them as they required and they got a nice nutty toasted brown from being fried in the sun. Then I move them and they wilt or go brittle like potato chips. Better yet I water them more and they turn to black goo. :0
I found I'm not the only person who does this. Other experienced S.W. gardeners do. In essence the majority of us don't grow succulents.
All I do know is that almost any plant just loves humidity if it isn't getting water in addition to it. I've stopped watering mine when the humidity is up and they're just sucking in the sticky air and getting green and happy. (All cactus are succulents BUT not all succulents are cactus). Now that little fun fest is over. Back to 104 + temps with low to no humidity. Oh, August is coming. Get ready for the nose bleeds.
Jim and Kay your place sounds amazing. All of those things to eat. I think my produce trips to the grocery store would be a little more limited also. I wouldn't know most of them right off the bat, but with a book/field guide I'm sure I would. Berries and such are obvious. My luck I'd bring home poison ivy and "magic" mushrooms (LOL). Hey....I'm a city girl and I grow cacti, o.k.!
I agree. It is a pity about J. She does sound well suited to take over Armargia's work. I do not see drug and alcohol dependence as a weakness in ones own moral or social fiber. If that's the case every one of us that had some habit, reliance or addiction to anything in this world would be a social derelict. There would be a church and a recovery center next to every McDonald's, PetSmart or Tollz and cactus shop right? No, it is definitely physical but there are social and psychological characteristics that come into play also.
Venice Beach is cool. Been there. Nice place. So-so neighborhood. Get's a bad rap because of the boardwalk. The boardwalk is like a stage. Everyone goes there to "perform" and be seen. It is kind of a carnival atmosphere. It's just kind of expected no matter who you are you turn up at V.B. and just be as kooky and weird as you can. Problem is this harmless fun got taken over by drug addicts and problem makers and now you can't tell the good time/day time harmless weirdos from the bad ones and the panhandlers and the hustlers. Ruined the fun and the property value and the beach for everyone. :[
Maybe she just needs something to care about more than herself? People say ,"Oh so and so doesn't care about themselves that's why they use drugs." I don't think so. I think they care very much for themselves. What they want, what they want to do, what they need, etc. all comes first above everyone else. Obviously J. wants to do drugs first and foremost. Maybe when she "finds something" she wants to do first and foremost above that she'll stop. It is just all a matter of motivation.
You can't motivate her. BUT you may be able to help her discover what motivates herself. :P
Leadership is a great motivator. Maybe let her take on some and see what type of "manager" she becomes?

As for food you got me with the dates! I didn't think of that one. I didn't think of Yucca's or Dragon Fruit either. Now would Dragon Fruit stand up to these Arid conditions?
I did mention certain cactus. Below are some pictures of one that we all know are edible.
Pic #1 is a fruit from a Prickly Pear in palm of my hand.
Pic #2 is same fruit but in cereal bowl.
Pic# 3 is the Prickly Pear plant that this fruit came from. I have no idea the age on this beast or how long this plant has been here. Judging from the fact it is about the same size as the automobile I would say about 25-35 years old.
Pic #4. Not a food source. Three dimensional area rug named Zoe at Christmas (few months prior to 10th b-day in April.) Santa was good to her and brought her lots of new toys. :D

Ohhhh.....Kaaaaayy! Husband is finger tapping and pacing. Means he wants computer. Will address the botanical garden and Kay :D later.
Hugs,
TT2C/ Agave

Hi Carrie, & Gang,
Got back to computer from errands and chores. Hey..husband has to use it too. Carrie, your message posted right when I was writing mine so sorry I didn't address you and if I seemed egocentric. I'm sorry the lung problem is back and that you had to go have it drained again. Pardon me if it's insensitive but ewwwwh! Yuck. That neither sounds fun nor gives the impression it would exactly be pain free. I'm sorry you had to under go that.

O.K. I now give everyone my full permission the pure unbridled, unrestrained and uncensored liberty to bash me verbally and blister my figurative butt for smoking!

Please rest and stop "working" for awhile. You sound like me. Unable to stop and sit and be still. My illness at times forces me to be too. I found I have put the time to good use. I've also found that because my body and brain let me down my "mind" doesn't have to.
Idle time does not mean wasted time. I have read amazing books. Started learning another language and how to read and write it. I'd say I'm at the 50% level. I use my "down" time during recovery after sleeping to do this.
When I can't leave the house due to injuries, low spirits, etc. I teaching myself the stock market. I went from not knowing how to read a stock quote to now "playing Penny Stocks" a highly volatile and risky area of the market and "day trading" on line for fun much the way people play fantasy football. Not that I have real money to play but it's nice to use fantasy money. Taken baths but that's how you learn. Even when my brain can't "function" or "comprehend" it's still nice to just "look" something. The graphs are pretty colors. :D
When I had money for supplies (they're quite pricey) I painted with a vengeance.
Now I'm doing gardening and look at what I'm learning. And the people I'm meeting and how enlightened from others I'm becoming. :D :D

So happy to hear you are reading! Great activity.
See, never say you're not doing much! You're getting so much done. You're learning about 2 of the greatest and most influential people in the world who changed history, music, and left an indelible and undeniable impact on almost the whole world's culture and society. Epic! I know of them and the music but I know little about them as people. See, learning this important piece of history s far more important than house cleaning and nit-picky chores.
Solitaire? Brilliant! The arts of science and math! The theories of statistics and probability in use. Even if you play the game in different ways the same rules apply but with different outcomes. Ever track that or how often? Vegas anyone?
You're meditating and reflecting. You may not have a rock and a cactus but that shouldn't stop you. Taking time for friends and family or pets that normally you wouldn't have.
Don't worry. The dust will still be there. Just ask kay and the Trollz. (LOL).
Darn right you should forgive yourself. You're busy! I am too. That's what my body tells me at times. I'm too busy for mundane chores. I need to be busy with the important stuff that I mentioned!
So just you learn how to STOP FEELING GUILTY for being who and what you are and learn to appreciate when you're really "busy" in life.
That sucks losing 8 pounds in 2 weeks. Hasn't happened to me unless I got food poisoning or was on the beginning of eating Paleo. How about some chip 'n dip? Uhm...McDonald's French fries? ICE CREAM (full fat of course!); Baked potato with TOOOOONS of butter? May not sound "appetizing" but even a few bites of this stuff will pack on some pounds even if it is every meal 3 times a day! (Have DH bring it to you. Nurses complain tell them you'll starve yourself if you don't eat this. HIPPA..can refuse any treatment you don't want and can opt for any one you do. (That's how my husband to got me Taco Bell in the burn center..LOL Well they were giving me morphine. I was "hungry". ). Oh, did I mention K.F.C.

You really want to gain some weight have a cocktail. No joke. Nothing packs on the pounds like booze. Double vodka martini with all those sugary sweet "mixers" like Pucker sour apple mix. (all pure sugar); Chivas Regal Scotch with non-diet Ginger ale and a splash of Grenadine; how about Rum with pineapple juice, and coconut milk (about a bazillion calories there). Do I need to go on about the obvious benefits? ,

O.K. enough already. By the way certain liquors are Paleo. So, I'm going to go raid the liquor cabinet since DH is home and then have a junk food binge. I can stand a "guilt day." Besides I hate green beans and anything that remotely taste like them. YUCK!
Junk food binge!!! I'll just walk the dog extra fast and one more time around the loop tomorrow. :D Oh...did I mention hot fudge sundaes? Ahhhhh....

Kay, promise I'll get to you.
In the mean time happy eating all.


This message was edited Jul 27, 2015 1:45 PM

I DID try McDonald's fries; I managed to get down 10 or 12 before they started tasting like cardboard. I just ordered shrimp lo mein which is one of the foods that I like and Ray detests. He is willing to fetch me anything I desire. I have a feeling though that I will have stayed the same or even lost more weight.

Doctors tend to describe me as "well nourished!" Since we moved to Texas, I started growing out of my clothes. Before that I never worried about my weight, and I have to use a special wheelchair adapted scale and then subtract the 400+ pounds of my chair. It's not something I can do every day or even every week. It's a mission. So when my blood pressure started creeping up too, I started trying to lose weight to control my blood pressure.

And Jim, you might want to be wary of this, I burn way less than the normal number of calories to exist. I mean, to sustain life, a normal human burns around 2000 calories a day just breathing and digesting and existing. I do so much less than that! I don't stand, sit up, walk, and that's what burns the 2000 calories. It takes closer to 1000 or maybe 1200 a day to keep me alive.

I got my baclofen pump in March of 2012, and until then I was twitching, having spasms, etc. all day and all night. Whatever weight I was stabilized at in 2012, it included hundreds of calories burned off clenching and unclenching my legs all day and all night. So the naclofen pump was designed to address that, and it did. After the surgery, I got off most of my meds and was in less pain, to boot. So overall it has been a positive step. But the nurse thinks THAT'S why I have been gaining weight, my body is metabolizing a lot less than it used to.

Whatever. The problem to me is do I have clothes that are comfortable and is my BP a problem. I would way prefer to lose 5-10 lbs than to go on BP meds.

But yes, it's like a food poisoning diet!

Jim, I'm thinking it's less painful to use the wheelchair and easier and you're on less pain meds etc. but it will probably ratchet down your metabolism too. Don't say I never warned you. For me the pump has changed my life for the better and it's even worth gaining weight! for. The thing is, it's easier to lose 5 pounds than 25, so just be conscious of whether it's affecting your weight.

Plus weight is tied into how one feels about oneself, being a good person, being moral, having self control and so on. It's a loaded issue!

Thanks for the strokes, Agave! It's good to feel like I have a team out there!

Today I learned about Buddy Holly, Ray Charles, Nat King Cole and Elvis Presley.

Rock on Carrie. Ray is great. One my favorites. Looking forward to you coming home!
If the fries aren't working try that hot fudge sundae. Better yet the martini. :] Hey, if you gotta gain weight make it fun.

Couldn't agree with you more about weight and self esteem. I find more often than not, we are our own worse critics. So many times what we find unappealing or glaring about ourselves other people never even notice, think it looks fine, or it looks completely different to them than how we perceive it. I try to be kind to my self. I figure there's enough people in this world who are all to willing to be unkind to me. Why make their job easier by doing it for them?

Hey Kay,
Don't worry about a thing. I liked your Flying Monkey imagery there. Kind of funny. I've seen a lot of them and unfortunately they're not hallucinations. They're called relatives. :P
Hope your hearing aid tune up goes fine. I've been good. Today was a good day.
I'm going to relax and send good thoughts your way and for everyone else (Jim, how's back?) as I take a look-see at the plants and then sit with DH and dog pre bed.
Hugs to all.
Cheers to us beautiful people :P
TT2C/Agave

Carrie, thanks for letting us know how you’re doing. I would be the ultimate nightmare patient for the med tech doing that procedure. My gag reflex triggers easily. Sounds unpleasant, to say the least, but I guess it is better than the alternative. Prayers and healing thoughts. I wish I could send you Nadi’s carrot/ginger soup. Aside from the obvious, it has chicken stock, lemongrass, lime juice and coconut milk. Super nutritious, and it goes down easy cold in the summer when no one feels much like eating because of the heat.

Wow, that is an impressive prickly pear, TTC, and Zoe is a beauty. The fruit on our native prickly pears is small and very seedy. I think you are right about air flow. I’ve seen healthy stands of cacti on the windward side of islands in the Caribbeans 105 today considering the heat index. I was a spoiled desert dweller in Alamogordo; the cool heights of Cloud Croft were an easy drive away. I found out just how spoiled I was when I did TDY in Saudi and Kuwait. All I know about the deserts of Arizona comes from looking at photos in Arizona Highways magazine. There is some gorgeous scenery, but I get thirsty just looking at the pictures. I do miss the relief of desert nights. Nights will not be cool here until October.
Some of the drugs I take don’t mix well with alcohol and Nadi doesn’t drink, but my lovely cleaning lady could probably use one. She’s losing weight lately too. A Piña colada SoBe for me, a Monster energy drink for the kid and a wine cooler for the lady. Good idea, TTC. I’ll flip a coin with Nadi to see who drives out to get it. Driving is no problem for me. We are flipping to see who goes out in the heat. If your choice is between a cigarette or a drink, I’d go for the drink, TTC.
(Jim)