My garden's a tight space...

Good morning ladies,
I wanted to be a slug and sleep longer today, but then I got to thinking about all the weeds out there, so decided to get my behinder parts out of bed and see what I can do about them. I don't know how hot it's supposed to be out there today, but I've got to do something. My Stargazer lilies are starting to lean pretty seriously and the buds have not even opened yet.

Gosh, Carrie, I am old enough to be your mother!! My oldest daughter is 45 and I keep asking her how she got to be so old when I am still such a spring chicken--most of the time whose spring has sprung.

Grace is a pretty serious little thing, although she laughs and jabbers a lot, but when she sees that camera she pretty much stops smiling and just stares at the camera. We don't have a whole lot of pictures of her smiling and I don't think any baby in the history of the world has had so many pictures taken of her. I like this one of her in the mirror. It's a happy face, even if it's not a huge grin. She has those huge serious blue eyes.

I like calling people by their names. I knew Dorothie's name, but no one ever called her that, but I'd rather if it's OK. If you want to remain undercover, it is OK with me.

I agree with your princely description of your husband, Dorothie. I have heard you say that about him before and I know how thankful you are to have him. Giving you a grade for just getting your shower done is precious and so encouraging. There are too few people like him in the world.

Carrie, when my three children were small, I asked God for enough time to watch them grow up. Then they started having children and I kind of reminded God that it would be nice if I could watch them grow up. I ended up with 11 grand and step-grandchildren. The youngest four are my son's. He married a lady with four little stairsteps and the youngest of them is about to turn 10. So my grandchildren are spread out from 26 to 10 in age. Two of the stepgrandchildren left as soon as they legally could and we don't know where either of them are. One has four children and the other has three, the last we heard.

Now my older grandchildren are having children and I am so thankful that God has given me so much more than I asked for. There are now two little boys, ages 4 and 2, another little girl that is about 18 months, and now Grace.

The other little girl's name is Patience and her parents have split up and are sharing custody and I never get to see her even though they don't live that far away. I can't drive far enough to catch up with whoever has her. I'll attach a cute picture of her just getting out of the pond she had been playing in. She's a beautiful little girl and a clone of her mother. My granddaughter is an alcoholic and uses drugs sometimes and has been in trouble with the law for driving while impaired and driving without a license. She thinks her beauty is going to get her through life. And she is beautiful.

The two little boys are Alex and TJ and they live almost three hours from me. They both have epilepsy and are on medications and doing wonderfully well. Their mother has done the most amazing job of working with them, and I can't tell her how proud I am of her. She's bipolar and makes the rest of us nuts sometimes, but she has dedicated her life to helping her sons and you can't ask for more than that. She and I stay in touch even though we don't see each other much. I don't have a good picture of the boys to share.

Well, do you think I have stalled long enough? Weeds and Stargazers await and I have those dahlia buds to check.

Talk to you precious ladies later.

Diane



I had to smile when you said you are amazed that there is anyone left in my family to worry--even with all we've been through, God has been good to us. We're all still here. Sometimes we limp and hobble, but we're still here.

This is Patience and her mama when she was only ten days old.

This is Patience getting out of her grandpa's fishing pond about a month ago.



OK, now it's everyone else's turn to post pictures of somebody you love--besides flowers.

This message was edited Jun 24, 2006 9:29 AM

It's great to call me Dorothie. I don't mind. Doss is a nickname my aunt gave me when I was little - she's only 4 years older than I. I use it on all the websites but I'm glad to use Dorothie

When you get a lot of people in a family then there are a lot of things that can happen, that's for sure. Your granddaughter and Patience sure are beautiful. The more I hear about your family, the more I admire your strength and the strength of the people around you. Being bipolar is so difficult. You must be proud that she is such a fine mother. And I'm sorry about Patience's mom. What a trial to have gotten into drugs. It's so hard to find the way out.

My oldest daughter, Sonja, is 37 and she has two kids. Max is 5 and Zoe is almost 12. The live in Boulder but Zoe gets to come stay with me for a month in the summer. Max is coming for his first week alone with us this year. That is going to be interesting. He sweet, but a character.

Here are Zoe (on the left) and Celeste last summer.

And here is Max with my Ms. Penny dog.

Carrie, my whole life I've been friends with people older than myself - it's just the way it has worked out. I'm finding how much fun it is to be friends with people just a little younger.
Now do you always have to spell your name for everyone like I do??? You have no good veins left? You must have had some hard and difficult times.
I had a friend who was in the hospital and she had bad veins. Once they tried five times to get a needle in and then used her shoulder. I told the nurser that they had to get an expert in to do it the next time and she finally got one who got the needle in the first time. You must really appreciate people who can do that.

Actually, once I was in the hospital 5 weeks - almost died but that's another story - but anyway they put in what they call a pic line, that's my phonetic spelling; I'm sure it stands for something. It went in at about my elbow and up in a vein to about my shoulder. Every time I swam up to consciousness I blessed that thing. They could put IVs in it and take blood out of it. It didn't hurt (I was unconscious when they put it in) and it didn't impair my movement. But in less extreme circumstances I usually demand an IV nurse. And yes, I always have to spell my name.

Diane, you say "Their mother has done the most amazing job of working with them, and I can't tell her how proud I am of her." Did you mean that the way you said it? Because she needs to hear how proud you are of her.

OK my kids 1st Emma; 15

.

And this is Nancy at age12 right after a Pirates of Penzance performance

Dorothie--your grandchildren are beautiful with such pretty eyes. How sweet that they get to come and have special time just with you and Grandpa. You'll be worn out after Max goes home, though, but won't it be fun?

How many other children do you have? Any other grandchildren?

Carrie--Your daughters are beautiful also and evidently both like to perform. Nancy has lovely golden brown eyes, but it's hard to see what color Emma's eyes are. Are they the same? Does she play her guitar other than for the family? Performing is so much fun for them, and will really keep everyone hopping to keep up with them. Do you have other children?

No, Carrie, about my granddaughter, it just didn't come out right. What I should have said is that I can't tell her ENOUGH about how proud I am of her. I never saw it coming in her with all the problems she had been through. She is a mother that fights through her own problems to care for her boys and she has never once missed an appt. for them. They've had speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy (mostly for the older boy because he is so much worse) and now if you didn't know they have problems, you would never know it at all. Her house is clean, her boys are clean, she is finally learning to cook (LOL).

I was sitting pulling weeds today and had just finished and was still sitting down in the dirt (my favorite place to be) picking up my trash and putting it into my weed bucket, when all at once my back popped and I had excruciating pain. I had my cell phone right there, so called into the house and told them I was in trouble. They knew I was outside, but they would not have looked for me way back under the fig tree. My son-in-law and daughter came barreling out of the house and he helped me get out from under the tree and stand up (which made me cry out it hurt so much). He walked backwards all the way through the yard holding on to me and got me into the recliner and then kept bringing me a cool washcloth to cool down my face and wipe the dirt off my hands and arms. My granddaughter came out to see what she could do and they sent her for water, so when I got to the chair, she was there with cold water and my medications. My daughter cleaned up all the weeds and tools and locked up the shed for me. I have an ice water pumper thing that they gave me at the hospital and Cheryl got that filled and running for me, so I've stayed on ice and taking my meds every four hours. I am now on my way to my real bed.

I had finished my allotted hour outside and felt so good about the area I had cleaned up. I didn't pull on anything, or twist, or do anything I know of that would have caused what happened, but something sure is different. First thing Monday I will call in and tell the neurosurgeon. I have an appt. with her on Thursday, but they may want to move that up.

So please pray for my back and for my family. I will not be able to go to church tomorrow and probably not do much at all for a few days. So disappointing after my few days of no pain.

I'll talk to you ladies tomorrow.

O No Diane, I hope everything ends up manageable. Remember what your neurosurgeon said "This is not cancer, this is not tumors, this is not terminal. I may not be able to get rid of every single little bit of pain from your lower back, but I promise you that I will not leave you the way you are now." Also please remember that pain is not for sissies, and I'm positive you are not a sissy!

xxx, C gotta go

Diane - I'll be thinking of you. I know how disappointing it is to take a step back just when you begin feeling good about moving forward. Let's hope that this one is temporary. But I'm so sorry that this happened. I am VERY glad that you had such good help. You definitely have my prayers. Just wish that I could do more.

I can see why you are proud of your granddaughter. Those kid of things can be so overwhelming and even the strongest of us sometimes fold under that sort of pressure. Learning to cook seems the least of her issues. And I'm so glad that her children are getting what they need.

Carrie - you've been through the mill, haven't you? What an horrible time that must have been for your family to face losing you. Emma and Nancy are so full of personality. They just seem to jump off the page in those photos. They must have big spirits.

And, yes. I will be exhausted when Max leaves. Luckily Marty will entertain him most of the time and Celeste gets along really well with him. I like having him here when his parents aren't here (LOL) He learns our rules very well but my kids sometimes resent the structure in our house. It's not that bad. It's just that we are the grownups and expect to be treated that way. They don't mind it at all. Although Celeste hates it when I make her do her schoolwork - but that's just natural I guess.

It is such a privelege to have them on their own. It makes for really nice relationships with them.

This is Sonja, my daughter, with Celeste, who is her niece (Gretchen's daughter). She is a psychologist and is 37.



This message was edited Jun 25, 2006 11:01 AM

This isn't the best photo of Gretchen, but DH keeps the family photos on his computer and I keep the garden photos on mine. She's with her SO Dan. Gretchen is 35 and works in marketing in the computer security field.

Diane,
Emma and Nancy are my only two children, I also have 4 step-children whose pics I don't have digitally. I DO have digital pix of my 3 step-grandchildren, 1,000 each. If only I could choose one picture of each child I would post it, but it's hard to weed through. Actually there are 1500 of the oldest, who is now 6, 1000 of his little sister, and 500 of the new baby. That's not fair; we gave them the digital camera (years before we had one) and we are delighted every time they send us a new batch of pictures. We get to see them so seldom in person. They live near Salt Lake City where my step-son is a HS music teacher. Oh, and Emma has blue eyes. She'll be 16 in August and is moving out to live with my mother who lives in a much better school district. :-(

So your daughters are Sonja and Gretchen, the mother of Celeste who lives with you?

THAT was my SGD Meagan, 2 and a half. Here (I hope) comes my SGS Connor, who is almost 6.

Wow, Carrie, that is quite a sacrifice to let your daughter live 'out' so she can go to a better school. You have quite an extended family. And how lovely for you to get all of those photos of your step-grands.

Cute kids!

Celeste lives with Gretchen but Gretchen has a busy career so Celeste comes to our house after school every day and stays with us a lot of the time when Gretchen travels. I try to get her to get her homework done here so she has more fun Mom time. The swimming pool doesn't make it easy on her though. She has to work this summer because her grammer school wasn't academic enough and, while she is at grade level, her new school will be more challenging and we want her to feel as if she's smart.

Diane, I'm thinking of you and hoping that this is a short-term set back and you are feeling better.

Dorothie

Good morning ladies,
I LOVE seeing pictures of your families and learning bits about you. The faces do truly jump right off the page. I love pictures of children.

I sat last night and sorted out pictures of little baby Grace into separate folders. I kept complaining that I wasn't getting all the pictures and they really dumped a bunch onto CDs from their digital cameras. How many pictures can you take of one child, for goodness sakes? Lots, I guess, according to Carrie.

We've had thunderstorms over the last couple of days again and then the internet service went down. Five minutes ago it was pouring rain and now the sun is out!!

I work hard at not being a sissy, Carrie. I work hard at not complaining--just stating the facts. But some days I'd like to just get in bed, pull up a quilt and suck my thumb (I never sucked my thumb when I was a baby, but sometimes it seems like a good thing to do).

I have spent two days on my ice pumper thingie (have no idea what the official name is) and it sure helps while I'm on it. Otherwise I'm just hanging out and researching hostas in my new books. You should see my "wish list". Shameful!!

I've called the doctor's office and told them what happened, and hope they call back soon. My doctor is not usually in on Mondays, as that's one of her big surgery days, but they can get her if they need to and she will come in if she has nothing scheduled in surgery.

Got to get out of this chair. Talk to you later.

Diane, I'm so sorry that you are still in pain and I hope that your MD gets back to you soon. I know days like that! In fact last week, my poor DH walked into the bedroom and asked if I wanted to sort the catalogs that came in the mail and I came unglued. I'd asked him about three times to give me some space but he can't seem to remember. I don't know why. I usually go into the living room when I feel like that because he seems to be able to stay out of there, poor guy. When I'm in pain I just can't seem to take one more thing. Thus wanting to pull the blanket over my head and roll in a ball like a hedgehog.

Being ill can really be expensive. Way too much time to shop on the internet and research new and wonderful plants to buy. I've been looking for one daylily for two years now and I finally found it - so now I get to buy it. LOL I'd love to see your 'wish list'. I just bought way too many on the hosta coop. Don't know what I was thinking. I wasn't!

When I am in severe chronic pain, not normal chronic pain but like when Medicaid stopped covering one of my chronic pills and my MD had written a letter of appeal to the powers that be, I wish I could roll into a ball but I can't move. I know it's hard to believe of someone as kind and loving as I, but I morph into a huddled creature whose only cry is "DON'T TOUCH ME!" It's awful. The slightest touch ripples through my whole rigid body as pain, no matter how soft and gentle. Why do my sensory neurons function so well then and not the rest of the time?
Luckily, these meds have been working well for 5 or 6 years - when I'm allowed to have them!

Dorothie, I love the ways hostas can look together but I don't really have any area that's seriously shady. All the dappled shade parts I count as dappled sun and plant sun plants there! The most gorgeous hosta garden I ever saw was sort of accidently on the side of a parking lot. It was on a back street near a chain link fence with a concrete embankment [sp?] and some city dirt must have broken through and someone must have started hostas there. I'll take a picture next time I'm there.

xxxxxx, Carrie BTW Emma has beautiful blue eyes.

Carrie, I'm the same way when I'm in pain. It's as if I get one more sensory input I'm over the edge and I'm just barely holding myself together as it is. I have been known to lose it and I'm always apologetic but I hate losing control. I don't like hurting anyone even a little bit, especially since they know that they give so much to me.

You said that you can't move, Carrie. Do you mind my asking how extensive your situation is?

How fun that you manage to grow sun plants in partial shade. What a good idea. At least it keeps you from the enablers on the Hosta website.

Here's a lacecap hydrangea along with some Golden Tiara hostas blooming. It's a pretty part of the garden right now. This space is pretty most of the time though except for the winter when we lose the hydrangeas. But the succulents are still there.

Doss,

Your gardens are all so beautiful.

I have moderately severe relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis, although it's not clear to me which parts are the remissions. I have very little sensation or movement below my thighs. I have virtually no proprioception, so I hate to be in the dark when I can't see where I am. I could probably be rolled in a ball like a hedgehog but someone would have to roll me up and velcro me into the position. From my arms up I have accurate pain etc. sensation but still bad proprioception, i.e. with my eyes closed I can't always touch the tip of my nose. At least I can move my arms and hold things and sometimes even carry them! Once, and I guess this was an exacerbation, I lost the use of my left hand for a while. I was in the kitchen making myself a cup of tea, the same way I had 1,000 times before. I had the cup in my left hand and the tea kettle with the boiling water in my right hand. Then my left hand forgot how to hold mug and dropped it. My brain was only dimly aware of something going on; it proceeded with the command "pour boiling water" to my right hand. I burned my left wrist and, since I was in the WC, my left thigh, and even one splash on my left foot. Basically my nervous system is full of shorted out wires and sgort circuits. Like a cell phone when it's breaking up, first you can hear everything, then you hear every other word, then "no service" or "The Call Was Lost". It's hard to explain, but I don't wish it on anyone.

Now, about hostas. How do you decide which ones go well together? Like right now, I have a few from HD and a few I got at the NE round-up, but even if I do have a shady spot under a maple tree, how do I know what will go together well?

xxxxx, Carrie

Thanks for telling me your situation Carrie. I know that MS is a moving target and that at the very least it's exhausting just being. Proprioception is so taken for granted when we have it and the lack of it is so devastating when you don't - but you have such a multi-facted disorder that I'm sure that you can't tell what's more devastating than the other.

Like everything in my garden, I tend to plant things that I like and then move them if I don't like them together. It sounds silly but I'm just not that good. I tend to be more of a collector rather than a landscaper. I could have a landscape for less money than I spend on my collections.

Here's the photo of my very beginning hosta garden. I tend to fly in the face of repetition but that part of my garden has clearly been done that way. To tell you the truth, I just had so many of those hostas propagated that I could put them all in a row like that so I did.

For the hostas I tried to vary size, color, and texture. And then I bought what I liked that fit into that concept. It leaves a lot of room to get some beautiful plants. I'm going to have to figure out what to fill in there. Astilbes would be perfect but they need too much water to be under this Oak tree. I'll see what they all look like next spring. Edited to say that I picked a couple of large hostas and then surrounded them with smaller ones so that there is a center of attention.

Then I try to pull it all together with some things that are consistent. The mondo grass and mulch - which I put on after this photo - are good at that. Mulch is great and makes space seem 'on purpose'.

Dax is good at his hosta gardens. He does use a lot of impatiens and I just can't face them anymore. Anyway, his diary is at
http://davesgarden.com/journal/d/m/dax080/

Let me know what you think.

Dorothie

This message was edited Jun 26, 2006 6:50 PM

My internet service has been up and down for the last couple of days. I have read the above and will catch up with you later on today.

doss, my hosta "wish list" is so long, I'd be ashamed to show it to anyone, even a good friend like you. It might be easier if you tell me what you have left over. LOL.

Love you guys,
Diane

Sorry about your internet service Diane. That can be really crazy making.

My daylily list is like your hosta list Diane. Have you been collecting hostas for awhile? Do you have the room for them? I'm running out of room. I've determined though that I'm only going to buy spiders and doubles for awhile because so many of the others just end up looking the same - that is unless I find something that is very different.

Do the two of you plant iris and daylilies too? With the dahlias I find that I have flowers all season long, although the dahlias take a lot of work keeping them staked during their bloom season. I love having dahlias and giving them away. People are knocked off their socks by them whether they are big or small.

I went to the neuro today to talk about my vertigo. You'll laugh. He said that I should take a baby aspirin a day and do aerobic exercise regularly. I forgot to tell him that I have tachychardia - I'll send him a fax and see what he says about the aerobics. I do have a problem that walking makes me very dizzy but he says that it will help in the long run if I can figure out how to survive. My daughter has my treadmill and she's lost pieces of it. Maybe I can get it back from her and get the pieces from the manufacturer. We'll see. It had rails and folded well and those are very hard to find.

So the neuro and I laughed about the prescription.

Dorothie

Dorothie--I have started two hosta beds recently. I had purchased some hostas last fall and wintered them over in big pots pushed up against the warmest brick wall and then heavily mulched. Prior to that I had purchased a couple of unnamed collections from ebay and just scattered them around the yard and they have survived in spite of my neglect of them.

I was moving hostas to make a bed and had some from those collections I could not identify, so sent in pictures for ID help. Come to find out, one of them had the hosta virus and I had used the same tools on all 15 or 20 hostas I had just moved. Those are all confined to one bed and the sick one is long gone. At least I'll know which ones to keep track of for the disease. I learned a very valuable lesson about remembering to clean tools between plants. All my Regal Splendor are in there along with a mixture of other pretties, not all of which are identified yet. They are under the edge of the deck under my big (but about to suffer a big trimming) Chinese Fire Dancers, so they get shade but reflected light off the deck, which gets very hot in the summer. I did such a good job of arranging them by size and they look good, but I will have to keep a close eye on them.

The other bed has Guacamole, Pilgrim, Blue Jay, some Albomarginata and I can't remember what else, but space there is limited. I have to back them up against the wall to keep them out of the hot afternoon sun.

I have a few planted in the very back of the yard along what will be a dry creek bed some day, but I think I am going to move them. They may be getting a bit too much sunlight where they are.

All the ones I just stuck along the side yard here and there are now going to be IDd and properly placed. They may be fine where they are, but I really have to fight the wisteria along there. There are big acuba bushes and dogwood trees and some really big old azalea bushes on that side of the yard and it would be perfect for adding more hostas, of course, but also some astilbe maybe and some other shade loving things. They get no sun over there at all.

So it's not like I was really working on collecting them until lately, when I became a true hostaholic. I won't send plants to anyone for now until I am sure about the virus, but that doesn't stop me from adding and just staying away from the one bed.

I have a big and getting bigger every year fig tree that is my next project. I have things planted up to the end of where its shadow pattern falls and I have coleus along the edge of that. I want to put a nice group of hostas under the tree. On one side, they would get dappled sun and then from just along that edge all the way to the other side of the bed would be pretty shady. So my wish list pertains to that tree and the long bed that goes from the tree down about 20 feet, all fairly bright shade. I have Fragrant Dream planted there. There are azaleas and daturas in there now. On the opposite side of that same bed on the other side of the azaleas, I have Oriental lilies, African Queen lilies, some Siberian iris and I guess that's all until we get back toward the fig tree and it has coreopsis and dianthus planted in its sunny side. It's a long and funny pattern because there are also big tall Carolina pines along there and those big azaleas. I want to add more of the Oriental lilies in nice complimentary colors on the sunny end.

I have lots of unnamed daylilies because I just bought collections of those. Those are going to be divided and moved and a bunch sent off to my daughter's house. Because I didn't know how they would turn out, I have short ones behind tall ones and I want to get the colors sorted out better. My garden helpers are at Scout Camp this week, so they are going to be doing that when they return. I did not deadhead daylilies this year so that I can remember which ones get moved by color and height. Just watch, though, I'll mess them up somehow.

I have these orange ones blooming now that I don't remember having before and don't know where they came from. Getting old is not for sissies. I'm attaching a picture of them.

So my "wish list" would be:
Pewterware, Blue Mouse Ears, Gold Drop - small for filling in
pulchella, Sher Khan, Shining Tot, Tiny Tears - miniatures for filling in
Torchlight - I fell in love with its picture and it needs really good shade
Night Before Christmas, Spilt Milk, Vicar's Mead, Wrinkles and Crinkles, and Zounds - for under the tree and in that shady area

Then we come to the containers I'd like to place around the yard decoratively and these would be specimen-type plants:
Haylcon, Love Pat, Krossa Regal, Niagra Falls, Piedmont Gold, Bigfoot, Knockout, Phoenix, Solar Flare, True Blue

That's not all my list, but those are the ones I'd like to start with.

OK, now it's your turn to list your daylilies.

Carrie--I hope you are having a good day. I will write to you later today.

Diane

Diane - your garden seems such a joy to you. A continuing experiment with a beautiful palette of plants. The only hostas I have that you have on your list are Blue Mouse Ears and Pewterware - but it was fun looking up the others in the hosta library. Very fun. I particularly like "Zounds" which is funny because I have a hard time really liking yellow hostas. I don't really trade much of anything either. I'm worried about the virus, daylily rust, and California ag laws are pretty stiff about bringing in things from other states. Also, I have to pay Ena to pack and ship the stuff so it gets expensive. Sometimes I do just send people things who I'm writing to when I have to divide.

I remember when I first got daylilies and the short ones got in back of the front ones. Luckily they are easy to move.

I think that I have that orange daylily but I don't have a name for it. Do you know the name? I love the color and it stays bright all day. One of my favorites.

I wish that I could grow orientals. I've just begun growing lilies and it's a surprise to me how much I love them. I thought that I couldn't grow them at all because I'm allergic to the fragrance but the Asiatics and most of the orienpets are safe. So I bought some White Butterflies Asiatics and I love them. I could certainly enjoy even more.

I used to have a fig tree and can't even remember why I took it down, except perhaps because it was messy? I don't remember. I loved the figs. Now there is a Japanese Maple in it's place. I do love how fig's knarly old branches twist and turn. Nothing else quite compares. It's great that you are planting in regards to light. My bed under the oak all gets indirect dappled shade to full shade. And hostas grow slowly here. We don't really get enough cold nights. But we'll see how they do.

I have just over 100 daylilies so it's a little hard to list them. Some on my list are Time to See, Double dribble, Double layer, Homewrecker, leader of the pack, Freewheelin, Outrageous Fortune, Primal Scream. I'm focusing on doubles and spiders probably for the next year. I've plenty of the other types. i do love the weird and wonderful.

I also have quite a few iris. And here's a list of the hostas I've collected. I don't really have any more room for new ones unless they are minis.
Golden Tiara
Liberty ppaf 39X39
Touch of Class ppaf (TC) (2 feet)
Wolverine (3 ft)
Lakeside Shore Master (20X30)
Illicit Affaire (12 in)
Jack of Diamonds (20in)
High Society (tc)15"
Shazaam (3)
Blue Silver (S)
Pewterware (S)
Bedazzled (S)
Stained Glass (36)
Blue Mouse Ears (8X19)
Sagae (31X70)
Brother stefan (ML)
Tick Tock (s)
Moonstruck (12X18)
Lakeside Cupcake (S)
Parky's Prize (30X12) good border hosta
Ice Age Trail (36X16)
Hanky Panky (36X15)
Lakeside Sparkle Plenty (S)
Little sunspot (S)
Kiwi Full Monty (M)
Deja Blu (24X18)
June (37X16)
Forest Shadows (S)
Thunderbolt (40X24)
Chartreuse wiggles (10X25)
Hope (mini)
Pandora's Box (dwarf)
Cat's Eye (dwarf)
Tokudama aureo (20X13)
First Mate (21X10)
Deep Blue Sea 15X36

I post some of my daylilies on the daylily forum on 'What's blooming today." I haven't been out in the garden yet today though so I don't have any up for today.

Here are some iris threads with my photos in them.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/600979/
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/594207/
Enough of my addictions. I'm embarrassed to even admit them.. But I do really enjoy them. But having to spend so much time resting can be very dangerous. My laptop is my shopping guide to the world of plants.

I only have two areas that really need landscaping right now are under the oak tree on the other side of the fence and an area where I took out a lot of shrubs and planted a Japanese Maple. I have a feeling though that near the maple we are going to end up with some daylilies.

My friend Carol is coming over today and we're going to have a salad for lunch. We try to do that on Wednesdays. She the one who has Parkinson's and she has someone who can drive her over here on Wednesdays so that's really helpful. Then she takes a cab back. Not driving here is very hard.

My Penny managed to climb up on the pillows on the bed for the first time since she hurt her back six months ago. It makes me so glad to see her happily napping on top of the pillows. She's an angel dog. So sweet.

So, better get in the garden and see what's blooming!

Dorothie

Dorothie,

I have a friend like that. She was dxd with lymphoma the year my DH and I got married. We used to take turns complaining about our lives, and for some reason it made us both feel better. Another friend with PPS (like Tplant) used to have whining sessions with me. It's funny; you get into "you think that's bad, I have three different wigs!" or "Medicare won't buy me a new wheelchair until this one is beyond repair." and somehow wind up in paroxyms of giggles. I guiess there aren't too many people you can share that with and have them get it.

Re something we were saying a few conversations ago: in one of my homilys, I said something like "I used to be entitled and insensitive and snotty. If it took MS to get me to be kind, loving, and truly Good, then it wasn't worth it." I don't know; maybe it was worth it, maybe not. I remember now that before, I said I would rather go back to being arrogant, self-righteous and snotty, if I could. But we don't seem to have that choice. And yet I've also met some people with disabilities who seem very bitter. ???? I'm confused.

Anyway today I planted Autumn Joy sedum in the middle back of the new 'coral' garden. Geum, certain DL, stuff like that. The stupid yellow Stella D'oros are blooming gloriously for the neighbors. (I don't care for yellow that much. I mean a yellow flower is better than no flower, but too much yellow, for me, loses it's impact. The mini yellow daffodils with the blue forget-me-nots is a combination I love... Even though it's yellow!

Do you need any Coreopsis Moonbeam, Diane? I have tons I am trying to get rid of. And I still have a few hosta to figure out what to do with.

xxxxx,
Carrie

I'm no longer confused. I'm glad that I've learned what I have. But I figure if my life had been different I would have learned different lessons. The key is being the student of the life you have. I'm not crazy about the health path I got dealt and I figure I don't have to be. If I had to believe that it was a trade-off I think that I would go mad. I am not sure whether or not attitude is a choice or a gift or a combo of the two. I'm so grateful that I have the ability to ride this wave instead of hitting my head on every rock in the stream.

Aren't we amazing what we've carried and how we've become anyway?

And I do love finding people who really understand. Sometimes I have to calculate whether or not I have the energy to walk across the room and turn off a light. Sometimes the answer is no - but only people who were living that could possibly understand. It is really fun to have a blow out - and then laugh hysterically at the insanity of it all.

How lovely to have found some people who understand, Carrie and Diane.

Dorothie

Oh Doss, I remember when I was still 'ambulatory' having to make decisions like that so often. 'This tea is awfully hot; do I abort the mission or do I continue on?' or my favorite. the day I had amniocentesis for baby #2, I started having mild contractions when I got home, called the OB, who told me to drink a whole bunch of water. I couldn't figure out how to get up and get myself water! I like your attitude Doss; I don't hoave to like it but I do have to learn to live with it. I mean I guess I don't have to, but that's what I choose. Back when I was an 'activist' one of the things that used get me peeved was the expression 'so and so has suffered from MS for so many years' or 'millions of Americans suffer from MS' when I didn't really feel I was suffering. Or 'suffering the heartbreak of psoriasis'. They don't know poop about suffering! In the last couple years, well maybe five or six years, I have begun to feel like I am suffering. But these days it is fairly unusual to find someone w/ MS who is in a wheelchair full time.

Poor Dorothie, having to read all my half-crazed ramblings. [What would fully-crazed be?]

xxxxx,
Carrie

I don't know of this will work, but here is a new fantastic picture of Nancy (baby #2) and someone.

Try, try, try again.

Nancy's on the right.

Nancy has an infectious smile. What a cutie. She looks as if she is going to burst out laughing if she moves a muscle. What a pixie.

And when you "ramble" you are just singing my song.

I'm thinking of you staying in bed and getting a lot of water at the same time. It seems that it would create a lot of getting up and hitting the bathroom too. Just like my neuro telling me to do aerobic exercise but not noting that I have a normal pulse rate of over 100 and tachycardia from all of my meds. I'm doing aerobics just lying in bed for heaven sakes. LOL

I hadn't realized that the treatment of MS had come so far that there weren't many people with MS in wheel chairs.

It's interesting about suffering. I hadn't realized that there were objections to that. Never occurred to me. So interesting. But I'm glad that you weren't and I get the point. You'll laugh but sometimes in our family when we are over the edge we just cry "I'm suffering!" and it always makes us laugh. Or the alternative for the little kids. "Melt down!"..

Gee, fully crazed might not be intelligible. Who knows what I would do with that. I had a therapist for several years who has MS and she really helped me learn to deal with my health issues and the emotions surrounding them. What a gem. Her struggle with the emotional part of long-term disability has given me so much that I don't think I could ever get tired of hearing people process their journey. It's a privilege.

Dorothie

This message was edited Jun 28, 2006 6:25 PM

With MS, one of the few topics I can speak to with some authority at the drop of any hat, there are now at least three therapies that are recommended by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for all of us,whether or not we're experiencing symptoms. (In the Dark Ages, when I was diagnosed, there was pretty much just treating symptoms as they cropped up.)

As a result of serial MRIs, they've shown that our brains and spinal columns are showing low-grade inflammatory reactions, even during asymptomatic periods. So now almost everyone is trying to self-inject with one of these new drugs. But to date, they seem to be able to slow or even halt the progression of the disease, One thing they can't seem to do is reverse the progress!! But someone dxd today has a far better chance of leading a semi-normal life for a longer time! There used to be three - ABC drugs they called them Avonex, Betaseron and Copaxone. Now there are more, and different combinations.

Everything you never wanted to know about MS emerging drug therapies!

xxxxx, Carrie

It's always good to know. I'm glad that there are therapies out there to help. It sounds as if the nerve damage has been pretty extensive with you and that's awful.

Once I told a therapist that every time I had a migraine I felt that I had somehow failed. She suggested that if I had a migraine I could get in touch with how much I know about how to treat migraines and that I was an expert. Believe it or not, it really helped me. Seems lame when I write it now and doesn't make much sense. There are treatments for migraines out there too but you have to figure out which of the zillion combinations will work. Today your are considered to have had a 'cure' when you get 50% reduction in headaches. Luckily I have an MD who wouldn't stop there.

Thanks for telling me about the treatments. I hadn't realized that there were any effective drug therapies out there.

dorothie

Dorothie,
I think I might have liked this therapist of yours. I hate being an expert on MS. I'm taking so many anti-depressants I can't just cry. I have so many petty feelings. Never mind; I'm in a lot of pain right now and very tired.
xxxxx, Carrie

Carrie - I'm not believing for a second that your feelings are petty. I do know the anti-depressant problem. Not only can't I cry, I can't ADD.

My therapist's book is called 'After the Diagnosis' by Joann LeMaistre. Usually it's running about $100.00 used on Amazon but there are two on there right now for less than $10.00!!! Maybe it's fate?

Why don't you quit being the expert on MS? Perhaps it's a career you're ready to retire from? Could you? Joanne used to tell me that when I was tired of telling people about what was wrong with me to make something else up. Life was a lot more entertaining that way.

If you could give it up for only a day I'd bet that would help. You could always pick it up later. I find one of the most difficult things about being ill is that you don't get vacations. And we all need them.

I'm so sorry that you are in pain. And if you are in pain, of course you are very tired.

I do hope that you can sleep. Hard to do when you are in pain and can't cry. I hate it when that happens.

Dorothie

Carrie,
I had to wait to write to you until I could do it without crying. Your story above and how you relate the pain you are so constantly just broke my heart. You suffer so much. To be curled in a ball screaming DON'T TOUCH ME just is so sad. I would give anything to have your life change and the pain just go away, or even be cut down to 50% or 10%--anything that would give you some relief

It is precious to me that the three of us can just understand each other. Different ages, different life situations, different problems--all tied together because of our pain. I feel so blessed and honored to be friends with the two of you.

I will be having surgery again on the 10th of July. It will begin at 7:30 am and end about 4:30 pm. I'll be asleep so I don't care how long they take. There is one place we have fixed in two of the previous surgeries that is completely blown out this time. The bones are fine; it's the cartilage between the bones that is causing all the trouble. So the neurosurgeon is going to remove that disc material and let the two bones fuse themselves together. It may cause a little bit of change in my movement, but that's OK. I might learn to do that robot dance. Whadda' think? Can you get this picture?

The second area is a "critical" narrowing of a section of my lumbar spine that is above where we have worked before. It will be like a roto-rooter job where they just ream out the bad material and give the spine back it's original space. We could not see that space on the MRIs, but it sure shows up clearly on the myelogram. That should take care of the pain in my lower back and parts of my legs.

I'll be in the hospital for 5 or 6 days and maybe in Rehab for a few days after that, although I've already gone through their routine, so probably not. Timing things in this family is a mess. Everyone is so busy and then I keep having surgery and adding to their loads. But what I go through is nothing compared to what you live with every day. There is hope for my pain to get better. Hasn't happened so far, but there is hope.

Carrie--If you still have some Moonbeam Coreopsis that needs a home, I'd love to have it. They are one of my favorite plants and I know right where I could put it. If it already found a home, it's OK.

Dorothie--I have Golden Tiara, Stained Glass and June. The Golden Tiara I bought several years ago, planted it in a shaded bed next to the front door, and it has spread and grown over time. That first couple of years, I just ignored it because it wasn't doing anything. Well, I didn't really ignore it obviously, but it's so pretty now and all in bloom. I have Blue Cadet next to it that could be moved forward more as it is so much smaller (see how dumb I was up until last year--well maybe more recently than that even) and then I would have room for one more larger hosta. I was thinking I would just put something else in that space available, but that would hide the beautiful blue one. I have some really pretty ones out in the back that I think would be very happy in there. I was really happy with the Golden Tiara and it made me feel so important. I had something with a name!!!

doss--Your pictures of your irises are just stunning. I still want that Devonshire Cream beauty, but there is clothed in Glory, Man About Town, What's Up--well you get the picture. Even though they are finished blooming, I'll tack on some pictures of mine from this year. Of course the tags got mixed up thanks to a helper person, and they did not all bloom this year as they are new, but I've kept the tags and sooner or later they will all be re-IDd. Feel free to jump in if I have the names wrong. I'll not be insulted at all!!

#1 Hagar's Helmet

#2 Snow Cloud

#3 Tide's In

# 4 - White NOID