Coping
- Alex Flipse
- Annie
- Arabella
- Bailey Rains
- Cheryl Switzer
- Edith Morales
- Helen P
- Helen Quess
- Jackie Shultz
- Jenn Lalonde
- Jennie
- Jennifer Davis
- Jennifer Radley
- Jo Jordan
- Jo Williams
- Jode R Cox
- Joellen Brown
- June Taylor
- Linda Washburn
- Lynn Smith
- Marcia Beverly
- Marge Holdren
- Merle Reeseman
- Nancy Sterns
- Ray Thigpen
- Raymond Ritch
- Sarah Ing
- Stuart Berwick
- Tina Silks
Patient and Caregiver Diaries
Patient Diary -- Jennie
oldest to recent
Sunday, March 12, 2006
my new diary
Well... finally... I'm taking the big plunge...lol! I've intended to start a diary for a while, but... stuff happens... and then... it didn't happen. I'm single, 62, retired, and live in Texas with my 4 legged furry baby girl, Gert, who is a 12 year old mixed breed Australian cattle dog. I always wanted a child, but... at this age, am realizing there are lots of advantages to having a dog instead... lol... she doesn't bug me to buy her a car, she has no need for a college fund, she can't talk (well... maybe a little, but at least she doesn't sass me...often), and she continues to think I'm just wonderful... what more can one ask of a child? I was diagnosed about 2 years ago, but likely had PH many years before... and heard the usual routine of, "oh, you have bronchitis, chronic bronchitis, asthma, the flu, fibromyalgia, depression, etc etc etc"... and, honestly not sure I'd be diagnosed yet if I hadn't accidentally come across an online article describing PH, printed it and took it with me to my doctor, who, btw, was a pulmonologist (!) and said, "Hey, this sounds like me." to which he replied, "hmmm... could be". And I guess you know the rest of the story... I'm still shocked a pulmonologist didn't notice I couldn't breathe... specially since that was my main complaint. Who knows what weird world he was living in... then he refused to refer me to a specialist even after he told me that, at age 55, he'd only seen about a dozen patients with PH. I finally talked my way into Dr. Frost's office in Houston without the required referral, had the heart cath, etc etc There are some advantages to living alone although I sometimes find myself wishing there was someone to pick up the slack on the days I just don't feel like moving... or dragging in even one bag of groceries. But, overall, I think it is quite convenient to do what I wanna do when I wanna do it and to not have someone thinking I should do more. I did finally hire a housekeeper who does the stuff I can't do so that took a lot of pressure off me (and I had to learn there's more than one way to fold a towel.. lol... and sometimes the BEST way is the way someone else does it because that means I don't have to do it... ; >) Reading all the stories here helped me realize all of us arrived in Holland when we thought we were headed for Paris, but... considering the alternative, Holland is looking pretty good. While I can't say I'm happy with the direction my life has taken (I really did think my retirement would be spent taking cruises and gardening and taking art classes instead of scheduling medical tests and arguing with the insurance company and negotiating with the oxygen supplier... but, hey... considering the choices I have, I've decided Holland is looking better and better.) I do not intend to sound like a Pollyanna because I am also tired of being tired... tired of all the medical tests and the hassles... tired of medicines and oxygen ... tired of never feeling 'normal'... tired of not having the energy to do the things I thought I'd be doing in retirement... but I have taken stock and come to realize what a wonderful life I've enjoyed thus far. I think I would be much more angry if this had happened at a much earlier age. It doesn't seem fair to have one's life just yanked from under them at a young age... and my heart goes out to some of you. But... I digress. I look forward to getting to know the group... but, for now, it is back to snooze time for me. ta ta for now. JeannieTX
my new diary
Well... finally... I'm taking the big plunge...lol! I've intended to start a diary for a while, but... stuff happens... and then... it didn't happen. I'm single, 62, retired, and live in Texas with my 4 legged furry baby girl, Gert, who is a 12 year old mixed breed Australian cattle dog. I always wanted a child, but... at this age, am realizing there are lots of advantages to having a dog instead... lol... she doesn't bug me to buy her a car, she has no need for a college fund, she can't talk (well... maybe a little, but at least she doesn't sass me...often), and she continues to think I'm just wonderful... what more can one ask of a child? I was diagnosed about 2 years ago, but likely had PH many years before... and heard the usual routine of, "oh, you have bronchitis, chronic bronchitis, asthma, the flu, fibromyalgia, depression, etc etc etc"... and, honestly not sure I'd be diagnosed yet if I hadn't accidentally come across an online article describing PH, printed it and took it with me to my doctor, who, btw, was a pulmonologist (!) and said, "Hey, this sounds like me." to which he replied, "hmmm... could be". And I guess you know the rest of the story... I'm still shocked a pulmonologist didn't notice I couldn't breathe... specially since that was my main complaint. Who knows what weird world he was living in... then he refused to refer me to a specialist even after he told me that, at age 55, he'd only seen about a dozen patients with PH. I finally talked my way into Dr. Frost's office in Houston without the required referral, had the heart cath, etc etc There are some advantages to living alone although I sometimes find myself wishing there was someone to pick up the slack on the days I just don't feel like moving... or dragging in even one bag of groceries. But, overall, I think it is quite convenient to do what I wanna do when I wanna do it and to not have someone thinking I should do more. I did finally hire a housekeeper who does the stuff I can't do so that took a lot of pressure off me (and I had to learn there's more than one way to fold a towel.. lol... and sometimes the BEST way is the way someone else does it because that means I don't have to do it... ; >) Reading all the stories here helped me realize all of us arrived in Holland when we thought we were headed for Paris, but... considering the alternative, Holland is looking pretty good. While I can't say I'm happy with the direction my life has taken (I really did think my retirement would be spent taking cruises and gardening and taking art classes instead of scheduling medical tests and arguing with the insurance company and negotiating with the oxygen supplier... but, hey... considering the choices I have, I've decided Holland is looking better and better.) I do not intend to sound like a Pollyanna because I am also tired of being tired... tired of all the medical tests and the hassles... tired of medicines and oxygen ... tired of never feeling 'normal'... tired of not having the energy to do the things I thought I'd be doing in retirement... but I have taken stock and come to realize what a wonderful life I've enjoyed thus far. I think I would be much more angry if this had happened at a much earlier age. It doesn't seem fair to have one's life just yanked from under them at a young age... and my heart goes out to some of you. But... I digress. I look forward to getting to know the group... but, for now, it is back to snooze time for me. ta ta for now. JeannieTX
Read Comments (7) • Make a Comment
Thursday, March 16, 2006
taking care of myself
Another gorgeous spring day in Texas... I drove to a nearby town and was surprised to see how many bluebonnets were blooming on the hillsides... my little town is known as Bluebonnet Country and is the destination of many wild flower enthusiasts at this time of the year. It was a pleasant drive and made me stop and take the time to explore another tiny town nearby. The tiny town is really just a community, but I'd always seen a sign on the highway indicating it had a post office. Since their population is maybe 300+ I was surprised they'd have a post office. Sure enough, the "town" consisted of a few quaint homes, a main street with a total of 5 'stores'... 3 were boarded up and the 4th was unbelievably bedraggled, but had a sign indicating "We're OPEN"... it was a grocery store (I didn't go in, but it was a sad looking affair). The 5th was a small post office with several old chairs (kitchen chairs) outside and a small table. A large shaggy dog lounged in the open doorway. I decided to look around a bit more so took one of the FM roads (farm to market... do they call them FM roads in other states?) and was really surprised to find all these gorgeous ranches with fancy gates, fancy landscaping, etc etc... and one of them had the biggest cow I've ever seen. I saw tons of berry blossoms and I may return later and pick berries... I stopped and looked and some of the vines already had tiny green berries. So... that was my little venture today... lol. I stopped at a nursery and bought two plants... a Mexican salvia which is almost a 'native' here... and another soft pink salvia. I've always loved gardening and I've had to be very careful to not overdo it. Every time I plant something I remind myself (repeatedly)... "Don't forget how HOT it gets here in August..." remembering that every teensy plant will need watering... many every day until established. I'm trying to plant only natives and/or flowering shrubs/trees because I figure eventually I either will not be able to "do" the yard... or perhaps I just will not feel like wasting my precious energy on yard work. I'm also trying to gradually have only elevated beds... high enough for me to be able to sit down while working. I get so short of breath... and tired... so I just do my gardening in small spurts... ten minutes while I let the dog out in the morning... another ten minutes later in the day... etc etc. I used to go to the nursery at this time of the year and return with hundreds of dollars worth of plants... don't do that any longer. lol... I always try to limit what I buy to what I know I can plant in the ground that day... so... 2 or maybe 3 plants at a time... lol. I do have 7 tomato plants... 6 cherry tomato and 1 regular... can't wait for those. I've decided I spend too much time (still) doing what others either want me to do or expect me to do... even though this is much better than it used to be... still... I think it is too much. I just don't have that much time left to do what I wanna do... so... starting today... I'm spending most of my time doing the things I like best... 1. painting my folk art stuff and/or doing my art projects, 2. making dolls, 3. gardening, 4. writing, and 5. taking care of my dog. Otherwise... I just do not care if "it" gets done or not. I made a sign for my front door: "My dog lives here. You don't. You will find her toys all over the place... same for her hair. She likes to nap on the sofa so don't sit there." I'm thinking of making another sign for the living room: "Be nice. Or leave." or maybe: "Stress Free Zone. Be Nice or Go Somewhere Else" There's a folk artist in Louisiana who made a fortune with his "be nice" signs... can't remember exactly what his said... but it was a variation of mine (OOPS... make that: "Mine is a variation of HIS!"). Gotta love it. I'm feeling like I do not have that much time left and I just don't wanna waste that time washing dishes. This realization came to a head last month when I took a month long vacation. I made the mistake of leaving the key to my home with a painter friend... he did a half-ass paint job of several interior rooms. Before I left town I had to pack everything in three rooms and either move it to a guest room, store it on the patio or in the garage, or stack boxes in the middle of each room and cover them with a drop cloth. Well... because HE made a big crappy mess of the paint job... and then got sick as a dog a week after I returned (and after he'd agreed to return and basically do the entire job over)... anyhow... I had to leave everything packed. Then, in part of my effort at simplifying my life, I gave my dining room table to a friend... that required a ton of shifting "stuff" and furniture... but the huge table is gone... I turned the dining room into an exercise machine room... lol... has the treadmill and recumbent bike in half of it... and a small breakfast table with two chairs in the other half. I do not really like cooking so I figure space for two people to eat is plenty. Meanwhile, everything is still packed so I've been halfway camped out in my own home for the past three weeks which is sorta making my cranky. Then... to make matters worse... I have a decorator friend who has bugged me for three years to allow her and her team to come "do" my house... she gets the apoplexy when I tell her things like "I got rid of the dining room furniture so I can use the dining room for the treadmill and exercycle..." (and don't even ask what she said about the clear plastic i taped to the window near my desk last winter... with duct tape... lol... it was VERY tacky... but, hell, i was cold one night and that was all i could find... and it worked... i fully intended to remove it before she saw it... and forgot.) Anyhow... they swear they're gonna come in and not ask me to lift a finger... they think they can bring 5-6 people here for two days and have my home looking like a HGTV show. I don't think they can do it. And I'm so tired of everything being in such an upheaval. Anyhow... this is way too long... basically, I'm tired and I've always done what people expected of me... and I don't wanna do that any more. But now my house is such a wreck, I feel like it would be better for me to just let them do their thing and then at least the house would look nice again. We'll see. Now I'm gonna try to post a photo taken last spring when the bluebonnets were in full bloom... if I can make it work... if not, well, maybe later.
taking care of myself
Another gorgeous spring day in Texas... I drove to a nearby town and was surprised to see how many bluebonnets were blooming on the hillsides... my little town is known as Bluebonnet Country and is the destination of many wild flower enthusiasts at this time of the year. It was a pleasant drive and made me stop and take the time to explore another tiny town nearby. The tiny town is really just a community, but I'd always seen a sign on the highway indicating it had a post office. Since their population is maybe 300+ I was surprised they'd have a post office. Sure enough, the "town" consisted of a few quaint homes, a main street with a total of 5 'stores'... 3 were boarded up and the 4th was unbelievably bedraggled, but had a sign indicating "We're OPEN"... it was a grocery store (I didn't go in, but it was a sad looking affair). The 5th was a small post office with several old chairs (kitchen chairs) outside and a small table. A large shaggy dog lounged in the open doorway. I decided to look around a bit more so took one of the FM roads (farm to market... do they call them FM roads in other states?) and was really surprised to find all these gorgeous ranches with fancy gates, fancy landscaping, etc etc... and one of them had the biggest cow I've ever seen. I saw tons of berry blossoms and I may return later and pick berries... I stopped and looked and some of the vines already had tiny green berries. So... that was my little venture today... lol. I stopped at a nursery and bought two plants... a Mexican salvia which is almost a 'native' here... and another soft pink salvia. I've always loved gardening and I've had to be very careful to not overdo it. Every time I plant something I remind myself (repeatedly)... "Don't forget how HOT it gets here in August..." remembering that every teensy plant will need watering... many every day until established. I'm trying to plant only natives and/or flowering shrubs/trees because I figure eventually I either will not be able to "do" the yard... or perhaps I just will not feel like wasting my precious energy on yard work. I'm also trying to gradually have only elevated beds... high enough for me to be able to sit down while working. I get so short of breath... and tired... so I just do my gardening in small spurts... ten minutes while I let the dog out in the morning... another ten minutes later in the day... etc etc. I used to go to the nursery at this time of the year and return with hundreds of dollars worth of plants... don't do that any longer. lol... I always try to limit what I buy to what I know I can plant in the ground that day... so... 2 or maybe 3 plants at a time... lol. I do have 7 tomato plants... 6 cherry tomato and 1 regular... can't wait for those. I've decided I spend too much time (still) doing what others either want me to do or expect me to do... even though this is much better than it used to be... still... I think it is too much. I just don't have that much time left to do what I wanna do... so... starting today... I'm spending most of my time doing the things I like best... 1. painting my folk art stuff and/or doing my art projects, 2. making dolls, 3. gardening, 4. writing, and 5. taking care of my dog. Otherwise... I just do not care if "it" gets done or not. I made a sign for my front door: "My dog lives here. You don't. You will find her toys all over the place... same for her hair. She likes to nap on the sofa so don't sit there." I'm thinking of making another sign for the living room: "Be nice. Or leave." or maybe: "Stress Free Zone. Be Nice or Go Somewhere Else" There's a folk artist in Louisiana who made a fortune with his "be nice" signs... can't remember exactly what his said... but it was a variation of mine (OOPS... make that: "Mine is a variation of HIS!"). Gotta love it. I'm feeling like I do not have that much time left and I just don't wanna waste that time washing dishes. This realization came to a head last month when I took a month long vacation. I made the mistake of leaving the key to my home with a painter friend... he did a half-ass paint job of several interior rooms. Before I left town I had to pack everything in three rooms and either move it to a guest room, store it on the patio or in the garage, or stack boxes in the middle of each room and cover them with a drop cloth. Well... because HE made a big crappy mess of the paint job... and then got sick as a dog a week after I returned (and after he'd agreed to return and basically do the entire job over)... anyhow... I had to leave everything packed. Then, in part of my effort at simplifying my life, I gave my dining room table to a friend... that required a ton of shifting "stuff" and furniture... but the huge table is gone... I turned the dining room into an exercise machine room... lol... has the treadmill and recumbent bike in half of it... and a small breakfast table with two chairs in the other half. I do not really like cooking so I figure space for two people to eat is plenty. Meanwhile, everything is still packed so I've been halfway camped out in my own home for the past three weeks which is sorta making my cranky. Then... to make matters worse... I have a decorator friend who has bugged me for three years to allow her and her team to come "do" my house... she gets the apoplexy when I tell her things like "I got rid of the dining room furniture so I can use the dining room for the treadmill and exercycle..." (and don't even ask what she said about the clear plastic i taped to the window near my desk last winter... with duct tape... lol... it was VERY tacky... but, hell, i was cold one night and that was all i could find... and it worked... i fully intended to remove it before she saw it... and forgot.) Anyhow... they swear they're gonna come in and not ask me to lift a finger... they think they can bring 5-6 people here for two days and have my home looking like a HGTV show. I don't think they can do it. And I'm so tired of everything being in such an upheaval. Anyhow... this is way too long... basically, I'm tired and I've always done what people expected of me... and I don't wanna do that any more. But now my house is such a wreck, I feel like it would be better for me to just let them do their thing and then at least the house would look nice again. We'll see. Now I'm gonna try to post a photo taken last spring when the bluebonnets were in full bloom... if I can make it work... if not, well, maybe later.
Read Comments (5) • Make a Comment
Sunday, March 19, 2006
gardening
Another quiet Saturday ... my favorite kind these days... I planted 3 more cherry tomato plants, 2 new salvias, and made a few cuttings from a large butterfly bush that made it through the winter, but was a bit leggy. I'm trying to gradually have mostly natives ... or "almost" natives... with the hope the gardens will be self-sustaining. I have not lived in this house very long and was too sick to do much yard work the first two years so it is still rather bare (by my standards...). I love the cottage garden look and like using lots of garden art (read: junk art... lol). To me, too much is not enough... and I can usually always find a spot to stick just one more piece of junk. However... it is very difficult these days... I cannot take a shovel and dig a hole... or a new garden area... like I'm used to doing. Today I just put everything into big pots and I plan to get a few more half barrels next week... I may have a guy who will build a few elevated beds for me but decided I couldn't wait any longer... so just did a "make-do". The worst part of it is I can only really work about 10-15 minutes before feeling too exhausted so I go inside and rest a bit, then go after it again... not a very efficient way to get anything accomplished... but, hey... I guess I'm just not ready to give up the gardening yet. Here's a px of my sweet Gertie... a few years ago... doing what she does best, snoozing... this was taken just before I took her. She was the dog of my best friend of 25 years, Mary, who died 4 years ago. I'd always 'baby sat' Gertie since she was 8 wks old and Mary asked me to take her. She's been my little snuggle muffin ever since... and a delight in every way. She's a mixed breed Australian Cattle dog and smart, smart, smart... which makes her a lot of fun. We used to teach her all sorts of tricks, but now I think she's too old (12) and I haven't let her "perform" since I got her 4 years ago... too hard on her spine and back legs. She had all these little dance routines... it was a hoot! Mary owned a great vintage clothing store and we were always finding costumes for Gert... that doggie had more clothes than lots of regular folks... I still dress her up sometimes... she's kinda outgrown her tutu though... it is so funny... sometimes I put it on her and as she walks it just slips farther and farther down until she sorta steps out of it... it is so funny to watch her. I just love her happy little butt... can you tell?
gardening
Another quiet Saturday ... my favorite kind these days... I planted 3 more cherry tomato plants, 2 new salvias, and made a few cuttings from a large butterfly bush that made it through the winter, but was a bit leggy. I'm trying to gradually have mostly natives ... or "almost" natives... with the hope the gardens will be self-sustaining. I have not lived in this house very long and was too sick to do much yard work the first two years so it is still rather bare (by my standards...). I love the cottage garden look and like using lots of garden art (read: junk art... lol). To me, too much is not enough... and I can usually always find a spot to stick just one more piece of junk. However... it is very difficult these days... I cannot take a shovel and dig a hole... or a new garden area... like I'm used to doing. Today I just put everything into big pots and I plan to get a few more half barrels next week... I may have a guy who will build a few elevated beds for me but decided I couldn't wait any longer... so just did a "make-do". The worst part of it is I can only really work about 10-15 minutes before feeling too exhausted so I go inside and rest a bit, then go after it again... not a very efficient way to get anything accomplished... but, hey... I guess I'm just not ready to give up the gardening yet. Here's a px of my sweet Gertie... a few years ago... doing what she does best, snoozing... this was taken just before I took her. She was the dog of my best friend of 25 years, Mary, who died 4 years ago. I'd always 'baby sat' Gertie since she was 8 wks old and Mary asked me to take her. She's been my little snuggle muffin ever since... and a delight in every way. She's a mixed breed Australian Cattle dog and smart, smart, smart... which makes her a lot of fun. We used to teach her all sorts of tricks, but now I think she's too old (12) and I haven't let her "perform" since I got her 4 years ago... too hard on her spine and back legs. She had all these little dance routines... it was a hoot! Mary owned a great vintage clothing store and we were always finding costumes for Gert... that doggie had more clothes than lots of regular folks... I still dress her up sometimes... she's kinda outgrown her tutu though... it is so funny... sometimes I put it on her and as she walks it just slips farther and farther down until she sorta steps out of it... it is so funny to watch her. I just love her happy little butt... can you tell?
Read Comments (3) • Make a Comment
Thursday, March 23, 2006
sun disappeared & i have a rotten cold :-(
We've enjoyed such beautiful warmish weather this spring and would you believe the FIRST official day of spring, the weather turned nasty and cold... raining, tornado warnings, & flooding... bummer... I really do not think I'd be able to live somewhere the sun didn't shine most of the time. I know other people complain about our horrible summers, but... I suppose it is what I grew up with... and besides that, heck, we have literally everything air conditioned. It isn't difficult to stay cool... lol.... Anyhow... now I have a rotten cold and feel terrible and my nose is getting sore... whine whine whine. But... before that happened... I did manage to get a few more plants in... and, the biggie, I built two elevated beds.... didn't do a very good job, but I was tired of waiting for the handyman so I just did it myself. I think they'll make it through the summer... I had a bunch of boards left after the guy built a fence for me last fall... they were all exactly 28" long so I just nailed four boards together... I might stack them so they'll be elevated about 12"... I dunno... it isn't what I wanted, but it is better than nothing. I now have 9 tomato plants, 3 zuchinni, 4 bell peppers, 3 eggplants, and... the biggie... watermelons! I planted a package of seeds in teensy pots and now have about 15 small plants! I do not really have space for that many so will give several to the little girls next door... they'll have a ball watching them grow. I've never successfully grown them, but... I suppose hope springs eternal. I intended to get onion plants and maybe I will later. Last year I managed to get soaker hoses set up in the three small planting areas I use.... made watering really simple and, even then, some days I simply couldn't make myself go outside and turn it on. I'm better now so hope I'll be more successful. Now I'll need to get another soaker hose ... or two ... for the two new beds. I sort of wish I had one of those drip irrigation systems, but they are apparently easily clogged... so... maybe not. Here's a px of my darling niece, Elizabeth, with her husband and two babies... the older children were with their father. Elizabeth has always been like my own child and her children treat me as another grandmother... lol... and I love it! Back to bed for me... Jeannie
sun disappeared & i have a rotten cold :-(
We've enjoyed such beautiful warmish weather this spring and would you believe the FIRST official day of spring, the weather turned nasty and cold... raining, tornado warnings, & flooding... bummer... I really do not think I'd be able to live somewhere the sun didn't shine most of the time. I know other people complain about our horrible summers, but... I suppose it is what I grew up with... and besides that, heck, we have literally everything air conditioned. It isn't difficult to stay cool... lol.... Anyhow... now I have a rotten cold and feel terrible and my nose is getting sore... whine whine whine. But... before that happened... I did manage to get a few more plants in... and, the biggie, I built two elevated beds.... didn't do a very good job, but I was tired of waiting for the handyman so I just did it myself. I think they'll make it through the summer... I had a bunch of boards left after the guy built a fence for me last fall... they were all exactly 28" long so I just nailed four boards together... I might stack them so they'll be elevated about 12"... I dunno... it isn't what I wanted, but it is better than nothing. I now have 9 tomato plants, 3 zuchinni, 4 bell peppers, 3 eggplants, and... the biggie... watermelons! I planted a package of seeds in teensy pots and now have about 15 small plants! I do not really have space for that many so will give several to the little girls next door... they'll have a ball watching them grow. I've never successfully grown them, but... I suppose hope springs eternal. I intended to get onion plants and maybe I will later. Last year I managed to get soaker hoses set up in the three small planting areas I use.... made watering really simple and, even then, some days I simply couldn't make myself go outside and turn it on. I'm better now so hope I'll be more successful. Now I'll need to get another soaker hose ... or two ... for the two new beds. I sort of wish I had one of those drip irrigation systems, but they are apparently easily clogged... so... maybe not. Here's a px of my darling niece, Elizabeth, with her husband and two babies... the older children were with their father. Elizabeth has always been like my own child and her children treat me as another grandmother... lol... and I love it! Back to bed for me... Jeannie
Read Comments (2) • Make a Comment
Saturday, March 25, 2006
sick
The weather turned nice... still a bit chilly, but at least the sun is brightly shining. The crepe myrtles are almost completely leafed out... at this rate they'll be flowering in a month or so. Before I bought this home a previous owner cut almost every tree to the ground so I've tried to replace a few. This year I'm putting in a good size live oak (well... not huge... but maybe 20'... )... large enough to make a small splash of shade in the front yard... and... hopefully... may provide a bit of shade for the front porch. But... these past few days have been a bit of an eye opener for me. I've felt pretty good for the past several months... discontinued my daytime oxygen most of the time and just generally had more energy. So... planted a few more plants this spring, but... after the past few days I am not sure I did the right thing because I sure do not feel like taking care of anything right now. (Last night my sweet doggie was sniffing around her food bowl... she usually has NO interest in eating... I usually must cajole her and offer all sorts of little "baits" to get her to try her food... it is almost like her engine must be primed...lol... anyhow... I started fixing her dinner, but I remember thinking... "Didn't you JUST EAT?") I just wanna rest. Saw my GP Friday to see if he could do anything for a cold... and, of course, duh... I suppose you know the answer to that! I swear, if we can send a man to the moon, it seems someone could figure out something to cure the common cold. I've been SO careful this year and last... to avoid colds and flu.... always wiping phones, door handles, grocery cart handles, etc with clorox wipes.... washing my hands 200 times a day... anyhow... whatever... still have a miserable rotten cold... headaches, sore nose, my sides are so sore from coughing, etc etc... so... whine whine whine... lol... back to bed... watching the Simple Life marathon today... i must say those two girls are a bit over the edge, but they are SOOOO funny!!! "What's WalMart? Do they, uh..., sell walls or something?" i should be taping these to watch when i'm feeling bad... anyhow... back to nap time... i hear gertie un the kitchen...
sick
The weather turned nice... still a bit chilly, but at least the sun is brightly shining. The crepe myrtles are almost completely leafed out... at this rate they'll be flowering in a month or so. Before I bought this home a previous owner cut almost every tree to the ground so I've tried to replace a few. This year I'm putting in a good size live oak (well... not huge... but maybe 20'... )... large enough to make a small splash of shade in the front yard... and... hopefully... may provide a bit of shade for the front porch. But... these past few days have been a bit of an eye opener for me. I've felt pretty good for the past several months... discontinued my daytime oxygen most of the time and just generally had more energy. So... planted a few more plants this spring, but... after the past few days I am not sure I did the right thing because I sure do not feel like taking care of anything right now. (Last night my sweet doggie was sniffing around her food bowl... she usually has NO interest in eating... I usually must cajole her and offer all sorts of little "baits" to get her to try her food... it is almost like her engine must be primed...lol... anyhow... I started fixing her dinner, but I remember thinking... "Didn't you JUST EAT?") I just wanna rest. Saw my GP Friday to see if he could do anything for a cold... and, of course, duh... I suppose you know the answer to that! I swear, if we can send a man to the moon, it seems someone could figure out something to cure the common cold. I've been SO careful this year and last... to avoid colds and flu.... always wiping phones, door handles, grocery cart handles, etc with clorox wipes.... washing my hands 200 times a day... anyhow... whatever... still have a miserable rotten cold... headaches, sore nose, my sides are so sore from coughing, etc etc... so... whine whine whine... lol... back to bed... watching the Simple Life marathon today... i must say those two girls are a bit over the edge, but they are SOOOO funny!!! "What's WalMart? Do they, uh..., sell walls or something?" i should be taping these to watch when i'm feeling bad... anyhow... back to nap time... i hear gertie un the kitchen...
Read Comments (2) • Make a Comment
Sunday, April 02, 2006
spring festivals and small towns
I finally ventured out to check on my teensy little garden... pulled a few weeds and then straight back to bed... lol. we're having lovely spring weather... sunny and warm... humid... and the lawnmowers are going full blast today. Our little town is gearing up for their annual Heritage Days festival where they celebrate the "old days" and have a real live longhorn cattle drive through the town square. (I suspect those cows might be on valium though for they're very docile...) I love living in this small bedroom community to Houston... we had tons of tourists this weekend for the monthly market on the square. I thought we were having the MS bike ride through here this weekend but turns out it is April 22nd... I think last year we had FIVE THOUSAND cyclists ride through here... lol! Talk about chaos... actually, the schedulers have done a very good job in past years... they set up hundreds of portacans at the fairgrounds on the edge of town and some of the cyclists have scheduled rest stops in our town. The schedulers try to keep the cyclists moving in groups of 3-4-500 at a time... they even change the train schedule on that day to allow cyclists the right of way. The bikers ride from Houston to Austin, Texas to raise money for MS... they train almost the entire year for the ride. It is sorta fun to see them en masse... lordy, dontcha know their butts are sore on Monday morning? So... that's my "exercise"... thinking about bicyclists... lol. I'm back to walking on my treadmill and riding the exercycle... in very short increments. Think I'll take Gertie for a little walk through the park... she's been cooped up here with me for the past week and barely been outside the house... such a sweet doggie she is! attaching photo of the longhorn drive during last year's heritage days... this is just inside our city limits...
spring festivals and small towns
I finally ventured out to check on my teensy little garden... pulled a few weeds and then straight back to bed... lol. we're having lovely spring weather... sunny and warm... humid... and the lawnmowers are going full blast today. Our little town is gearing up for their annual Heritage Days festival where they celebrate the "old days" and have a real live longhorn cattle drive through the town square. (I suspect those cows might be on valium though for they're very docile...) I love living in this small bedroom community to Houston... we had tons of tourists this weekend for the monthly market on the square. I thought we were having the MS bike ride through here this weekend but turns out it is April 22nd... I think last year we had FIVE THOUSAND cyclists ride through here... lol! Talk about chaos... actually, the schedulers have done a very good job in past years... they set up hundreds of portacans at the fairgrounds on the edge of town and some of the cyclists have scheduled rest stops in our town. The schedulers try to keep the cyclists moving in groups of 3-4-500 at a time... they even change the train schedule on that day to allow cyclists the right of way. The bikers ride from Houston to Austin, Texas to raise money for MS... they train almost the entire year for the ride. It is sorta fun to see them en masse... lordy, dontcha know their butts are sore on Monday morning? So... that's my "exercise"... thinking about bicyclists... lol. I'm back to walking on my treadmill and riding the exercycle... in very short increments. Think I'll take Gertie for a little walk through the park... she's been cooped up here with me for the past week and barely been outside the house... such a sweet doggie she is! attaching photo of the longhorn drive during last year's heritage days... this is just inside our city limits...
Read Comments (3) • Make a Comment
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
i wish i could figure out the "magic combination" of what my energy limits are without killing myself. i so want to do stuff like i used to and it just doesn't seem reasonable to feel okay one minute and then a walk to the mailbox feels like i've walked a marathon and i'm wasted on the sofa for an hour. it isn't like i want to go out and plow the back 40... but i sure wouldn't mind being able to plant two tomato plants without needing a nap... and if i'm not able to regularly walk my dog soon i'm afraid she'll be fit only for waddling down the street... lol... she needs more exercise. tried to hire neighborhood kids to walk her when i was really sick in the beginning, but she's very strong (australian cattle dog) with a huge chest and she is almost always well behaved... but... she sees a cat or a squirrel and all bets are off. i can control her, but the kids can't... or won't. we experimented with a few and their tendency is to turn loose of her leash... which she, of course, loves. but not a good thing for her momma. i stand in the yard and toss the ball for her until she tires of it... i figure that gives her a little exercise, but not enough. she is very healthy and even her vet can't believe she is 12 years old.
i wish i could figure out the "magic combination" of what my energy limits are without killing myself. i so want to do stuff like i used to and it just doesn't seem reasonable to feel okay one minute and then a walk to the mailbox feels like i've walked a marathon and i'm wasted on the sofa for an hour. it isn't like i want to go out and plow the back 40... but i sure wouldn't mind being able to plant two tomato plants without needing a nap... and if i'm not able to regularly walk my dog soon i'm afraid she'll be fit only for waddling down the street... lol... she needs more exercise. tried to hire neighborhood kids to walk her when i was really sick in the beginning, but she's very strong (australian cattle dog) with a huge chest and she is almost always well behaved... but... she sees a cat or a squirrel and all bets are off. i can control her, but the kids can't... or won't. we experimented with a few and their tendency is to turn loose of her leash... which she, of course, loves. but not a good thing for her momma. i stand in the yard and toss the ball for her until she tires of it... i figure that gives her a little exercise, but not enough. she is very healthy and even her vet can't believe she is 12 years old.
Read Comments (1) • Make a Comment
Monday, April 17, 2006
heat, gardening, and exercise...
The heat/humidity has returned with a vengance usually reserved only for hell... I cannot believe it is mid April and the weather folks are warning us to avoid jogging until after dark... (as if that's a concern for me...lol!). I long ago gave in to a treadmill and, in fact, recently gave away my dining room furniture. The treadmill and recumbent bike occupy most of the space and because I must walk through the dining room about 400 times a day it is convenient and a constant reminder. I still do not have the stamina or breath to walk more than about ten minutes max so I try to do a total of 30 minutes every day... in 6-10 minute increments. I'm afraid the exercycle has turned into a coat rack... lol... though I'm thinking of trying to get with the program again and add the bike routine. I'm realizing I probably overdid it in the planting department as there is no way I'm gonna be able to (or want to) work out in this heat... I have soaker hoses hooked up to most areas and I'll try to keep stuff watered... but that's about it... It is fun to track the progress of everything though... every morning it seems there's something new blooming. The tomato plants have grown a foot in the past few weeks... no blooms yet. Yellow squash has little "budlet" looking things... I suppose they're flowers about to open... and day lilies, iris, gladiola, and salvia are all popping out everywhere... and candy cane amyrillis has already bloomed, but now I see 7 or 8 fat bulges among them so looking forward to more. I'm trying to plant only toughies that will return year after year with little attention... i.e., if I see it growing in old cemetaries or abandoned homesteads... I know it will grow in my yard...lol. Also using lots of natives... I love the cottage garden look and really wanted to dig up the entire front yard when I moved here... but don't know if I could handle it... so am settling for large pots filled with natives, a few elevated beds (where I'm trying to get bluebonnets started) and flowering shrubs and trees... thankfully crepe myrtles do beautifully here so I'm adding one or two each year. Is this the cutest px you've ever seen? I've used it several years... then this year someone put a little wiggle in those cute little hineys and it makes me giggle every time I see it.... : )
heat, gardening, and exercise...
The heat/humidity has returned with a vengance usually reserved only for hell... I cannot believe it is mid April and the weather folks are warning us to avoid jogging until after dark... (as if that's a concern for me...lol!). I long ago gave in to a treadmill and, in fact, recently gave away my dining room furniture. The treadmill and recumbent bike occupy most of the space and because I must walk through the dining room about 400 times a day it is convenient and a constant reminder. I still do not have the stamina or breath to walk more than about ten minutes max so I try to do a total of 30 minutes every day... in 6-10 minute increments. I'm afraid the exercycle has turned into a coat rack... lol... though I'm thinking of trying to get with the program again and add the bike routine. I'm realizing I probably overdid it in the planting department as there is no way I'm gonna be able to (or want to) work out in this heat... I have soaker hoses hooked up to most areas and I'll try to keep stuff watered... but that's about it... It is fun to track the progress of everything though... every morning it seems there's something new blooming. The tomato plants have grown a foot in the past few weeks... no blooms yet. Yellow squash has little "budlet" looking things... I suppose they're flowers about to open... and day lilies, iris, gladiola, and salvia are all popping out everywhere... and candy cane amyrillis has already bloomed, but now I see 7 or 8 fat bulges among them so looking forward to more. I'm trying to plant only toughies that will return year after year with little attention... i.e., if I see it growing in old cemetaries or abandoned homesteads... I know it will grow in my yard...lol. Also using lots of natives... I love the cottage garden look and really wanted to dig up the entire front yard when I moved here... but don't know if I could handle it... so am settling for large pots filled with natives, a few elevated beds (where I'm trying to get bluebonnets started) and flowering shrubs and trees... thankfully crepe myrtles do beautifully here so I'm adding one or two each year. Is this the cutest px you've ever seen? I've used it several years... then this year someone put a little wiggle in those cute little hineys and it makes me giggle every time I see it.... : )
Read Comments (1) • Make a Comment
Thursday, April 20, 2006
hot april days in texas
we're still in our early heat wave, but it is strange because the nights and early mornings are cool... that's not usual for our area... usually when it is 95 in the afternoon it is 85 at night ...lol... but one good thing... the plants are just growing like weeds... i swear i can almost see them growing... that's kinda fun. squash plants have lots of buds and one flower... tomatoes are 1 1/2 ft tall, but no blooms yet. watermelon vines are running all over the place... i've never grown them before so don't know exactly what to expect... don't think i really have room for the amount of sprawl they need...lol... trying to 'train' them to stay in a smaller area... my plan is to leave only a few melons on each vine (of course i really have no idea how many melons each vine will produce???)... whatever... it will be fun to give them a try. my grandparents grew tons of them every summer... they lived on a farm in an area known for good melons... very sandy soil... we had so many fresh melons we'd each be given half a melon and we'd eat only the heart and feed the remainder to the chickens or cows. my granddaddy would crack open a melon in the field and we'd share it with him... all drippy and sticky... the heat just about kills me so i've gotten into the habit of playing in the dirt in very short sessions as soon as it is daylight... then staying mostly indoors until dusk when i venture out for a few garden errands. thankfully i've gradually hooked up soaker hoses for most garden areas so that takes a lot of the stress off. but... still.... i know i've planted more than i can take care of... it is just so tempting to start one more teensy little bitsy plant... and then another. oh well... at least i will have LOTS of flowers... and that is a good thing. so... i've tried to be more diligent with the treadmill... only walk in five-seven minutes at a time for a total of 30 minutes during the day. ...and it is my goal to dust off the recumbent bike and try to ride it 30 minutes a day... it all seems SO easy... so what is my problem? the treadmill is easier because i just walk by it and hop on and walk a few minutes... i've been trying to get gertie to walk with me but she is scared of the treadmill... lol. (smart girl) she is sprawled here next to me on her little tempurpedic bed on her back with all four feet in the air! what a life... i saw my PH doctor last week and my pressures have dropped to 58 (or something like that)... so i was happy to get that news... started at 88... i know i'm better, but it doesn't really FEEL that much better... still SOB most of the time... still hauling oxygen around everywhere... but i know i'm much more fortunate than most with this disease.... so i'm not complaining, but can't help wishing i had more stamina. oh well... if wishes were nickels we'd all be rich...lol i'm also back to working on my dolls... a nice inside activity... and making an embellished jeans jacket for one of my grand nieces.
hot april days in texas
we're still in our early heat wave, but it is strange because the nights and early mornings are cool... that's not usual for our area... usually when it is 95 in the afternoon it is 85 at night ...lol... but one good thing... the plants are just growing like weeds... i swear i can almost see them growing... that's kinda fun. squash plants have lots of buds and one flower... tomatoes are 1 1/2 ft tall, but no blooms yet. watermelon vines are running all over the place... i've never grown them before so don't know exactly what to expect... don't think i really have room for the amount of sprawl they need...lol... trying to 'train' them to stay in a smaller area... my plan is to leave only a few melons on each vine (of course i really have no idea how many melons each vine will produce???)... whatever... it will be fun to give them a try. my grandparents grew tons of them every summer... they lived on a farm in an area known for good melons... very sandy soil... we had so many fresh melons we'd each be given half a melon and we'd eat only the heart and feed the remainder to the chickens or cows. my granddaddy would crack open a melon in the field and we'd share it with him... all drippy and sticky... the heat just about kills me so i've gotten into the habit of playing in the dirt in very short sessions as soon as it is daylight... then staying mostly indoors until dusk when i venture out for a few garden errands. thankfully i've gradually hooked up soaker hoses for most garden areas so that takes a lot of the stress off. but... still.... i know i've planted more than i can take care of... it is just so tempting to start one more teensy little bitsy plant... and then another. oh well... at least i will have LOTS of flowers... and that is a good thing. so... i've tried to be more diligent with the treadmill... only walk in five-seven minutes at a time for a total of 30 minutes during the day. ...and it is my goal to dust off the recumbent bike and try to ride it 30 minutes a day... it all seems SO easy... so what is my problem? the treadmill is easier because i just walk by it and hop on and walk a few minutes... i've been trying to get gertie to walk with me but she is scared of the treadmill... lol. (smart girl) she is sprawled here next to me on her little tempurpedic bed on her back with all four feet in the air! what a life... i saw my PH doctor last week and my pressures have dropped to 58 (or something like that)... so i was happy to get that news... started at 88... i know i'm better, but it doesn't really FEEL that much better... still SOB most of the time... still hauling oxygen around everywhere... but i know i'm much more fortunate than most with this disease.... so i'm not complaining, but can't help wishing i had more stamina. oh well... if wishes were nickels we'd all be rich...lol i'm also back to working on my dolls... a nice inside activity... and making an embellished jeans jacket for one of my grand nieces.
Read Comments (1) • Make a Comment
Monday, April 24, 2006
storms, dogs, bike rides, and antique dolls
My diary seems more like a weather report... lol... but we've had more weird weather this week... we were expecting rain storms Thursday, but woke up around 4 a.m. to unbelievable electrical storms followed by torrential rains, 60 mph winds, no electrical power for almost 7-8 hours. My poor sweet dog is not usually afraid of stormy weather, but shortly before it all broke loose, she hopped on my bed and was very agitated. I tried to get her to settle down, but she was nervous as a cat... lol. She wedged herself in between me and the wall and I tried to shield her from the noise and light, but, of course, that was impossible. I figured the storm would be short and kept trying to get Gertie to settle down... finally I was so tired... I just wanted to sleep... lol... and she decided for some reason to sleep just above my head. By that time I didn't care what she did... as long as she'd settle down and let me sleep... lol... later a neighbor and I were talking and she told me HER dog did the same thing! I wonder if it some kind of protective instinct they have? ... that somehow they're protecting their human by guarding their head? I dunno... it just seemed so bizarre... she's never done anything like that. Bless her little sweet heart... she's on her bed now and just snoring like a lumberjack. I think she needs CPAP.... Anyhow... we had huge trees down all over our little town... fences blown over... trees on cars... trees through roofs... highway closed because of trees blocking it... but by about 10 a.m. the sun was brightly shining and it was a gorgeous day... albeit a noisy one with chain saws, trucks, and workers cleaning up the mess. My yard was okay except for small limbs... but it sure made me think I must get trees trimmed before the hurricane season is here. Then I had to take Gertie in for sort of an emergency... she started coughing really hard as if she had something stuck in her throat... I, oc course, couldn't see anything so called the vet... who was out taking care of farm animals and wouldn't return til 4 or 5 p.m. blah blah blah... long story short... the vet finally saw her, but she'd stopped the hard coughing by that time... but I was afraid it would return or that she'd swallowed something sharp... vet couldn't find anything, but said Gert had an abraded trachea and that she'd probably gotten rid of whatever caused the problem... and her white count was elevated which indicated a slight infection but she said that could be caused by the stress and we decided not to treat it unless she acted sick this weekend. So that's my little money bags dog... I stopped giving her rawhide chews a while ago because I read how dogs can choke on them... but every once in a while she finds one she's hidden... I don't take it away from her, but as soon as she leaves it I get rid of it... it is funny to watch her just hunting and hunting for it. A year or so ago when I got a new sofa I thought I'd check to see if any of her toys were in it... omigawd... you would not believe... probably ten rawhides, at least a dozen socks, several pieces of underwear (lol... she just LOVES her momma!), and maybe 6000 paper towels or napkins (she loves tearing up used tissues so I suppose she had a supply stored away for when she can't find fresh ones... she about goes crazy when I have a cold... she thinks I'm dirtying all those kleenex just for her...). What a monkey dog she is. I can't stop thinking about the little 14 year old girl in Canada who died after 4 or 5 years of being misdiagnosed... only to be FINALLY referred to the proper doctor and being diagnosed the day before she died... her little heart just wore out. Her parents must feel so angry because they listened to the doctors despite their own doubts. I tell everyone I know these days to insist on being screened for PH or breathing problems if they have any of the vague symptoms... I'm still irritable about how long I walked around half dead and was referred to one doctor after another and not even ONE suggested doing something so simple as the pulse oximetry... would have taken 3 minutes and cost them nothing. But... no... I had to finally ferret it out for myself on the damned internet... and even then when I took the article in and said, "This sounds like me..." ... all the idiot pulmonologist said was... "Hmmm... could be..." Then he had a resident do the H&P and started a 6 minute walk which I couldn't even do... and sent me straight to the damned hospital. But... I digress. It has been fun to venture out each morning and see the progress in the flower beds... seems something new is popping out every day... and lots of blooms already. I had to pinch off all the squash blossoms... my gardener friend said it will make the plants stronger and they'll bear more squash if I snip the first flowers. I washed them and maybe I'll use them tomorrow... but probably not... The bluebonnets are on the wane... instead of fields of deep blue with streaks of almost purple, now we have sort of dusty blue fields... I'm not sure if the later blooms are actually that much lighter... I don't remember this happening in the past... but they're still very pretty... lots of red phlox and pink buttercups are blooming along with the bluebonnets. Very pretty. And we had the MS 150 bike ride through here Saturday morning... I didn't go out to see it, but could hear it ... at first it sounded like a far off train rumbling and it got louder and louder... then, of course, all the music and loudspeakers, etc... I don't know how many came through this year... but I do know they porta potties had already been set up when the storm blew through... what a mess... lol... lots of them toppled over... thankfully they were empty... Here's a px of my latest little antique doll... bought it off eBay today... the head has damage, but it is still a very dear little thing, isn't it?
storms, dogs, bike rides, and antique dolls
My diary seems more like a weather report... lol... but we've had more weird weather this week... we were expecting rain storms Thursday, but woke up around 4 a.m. to unbelievable electrical storms followed by torrential rains, 60 mph winds, no electrical power for almost 7-8 hours. My poor sweet dog is not usually afraid of stormy weather, but shortly before it all broke loose, she hopped on my bed and was very agitated. I tried to get her to settle down, but she was nervous as a cat... lol. She wedged herself in between me and the wall and I tried to shield her from the noise and light, but, of course, that was impossible. I figured the storm would be short and kept trying to get Gertie to settle down... finally I was so tired... I just wanted to sleep... lol... and she decided for some reason to sleep just above my head. By that time I didn't care what she did... as long as she'd settle down and let me sleep... lol... later a neighbor and I were talking and she told me HER dog did the same thing! I wonder if it some kind of protective instinct they have? ... that somehow they're protecting their human by guarding their head? I dunno... it just seemed so bizarre... she's never done anything like that. Bless her little sweet heart... she's on her bed now and just snoring like a lumberjack. I think she needs CPAP.... Anyhow... we had huge trees down all over our little town... fences blown over... trees on cars... trees through roofs... highway closed because of trees blocking it... but by about 10 a.m. the sun was brightly shining and it was a gorgeous day... albeit a noisy one with chain saws, trucks, and workers cleaning up the mess. My yard was okay except for small limbs... but it sure made me think I must get trees trimmed before the hurricane season is here. Then I had to take Gertie in for sort of an emergency... she started coughing really hard as if she had something stuck in her throat... I, oc course, couldn't see anything so called the vet... who was out taking care of farm animals and wouldn't return til 4 or 5 p.m. blah blah blah... long story short... the vet finally saw her, but she'd stopped the hard coughing by that time... but I was afraid it would return or that she'd swallowed something sharp... vet couldn't find anything, but said Gert had an abraded trachea and that she'd probably gotten rid of whatever caused the problem... and her white count was elevated which indicated a slight infection but she said that could be caused by the stress and we decided not to treat it unless she acted sick this weekend. So that's my little money bags dog... I stopped giving her rawhide chews a while ago because I read how dogs can choke on them... but every once in a while she finds one she's hidden... I don't take it away from her, but as soon as she leaves it I get rid of it... it is funny to watch her just hunting and hunting for it. A year or so ago when I got a new sofa I thought I'd check to see if any of her toys were in it... omigawd... you would not believe... probably ten rawhides, at least a dozen socks, several pieces of underwear (lol... she just LOVES her momma!), and maybe 6000 paper towels or napkins (she loves tearing up used tissues so I suppose she had a supply stored away for when she can't find fresh ones... she about goes crazy when I have a cold... she thinks I'm dirtying all those kleenex just for her...). What a monkey dog she is. I can't stop thinking about the little 14 year old girl in Canada who died after 4 or 5 years of being misdiagnosed... only to be FINALLY referred to the proper doctor and being diagnosed the day before she died... her little heart just wore out. Her parents must feel so angry because they listened to the doctors despite their own doubts. I tell everyone I know these days to insist on being screened for PH or breathing problems if they have any of the vague symptoms... I'm still irritable about how long I walked around half dead and was referred to one doctor after another and not even ONE suggested doing something so simple as the pulse oximetry... would have taken 3 minutes and cost them nothing. But... no... I had to finally ferret it out for myself on the damned internet... and even then when I took the article in and said, "This sounds like me..." ... all the idiot pulmonologist said was... "Hmmm... could be..." Then he had a resident do the H&P and started a 6 minute walk which I couldn't even do... and sent me straight to the damned hospital. But... I digress. It has been fun to venture out each morning and see the progress in the flower beds... seems something new is popping out every day... and lots of blooms already. I had to pinch off all the squash blossoms... my gardener friend said it will make the plants stronger and they'll bear more squash if I snip the first flowers. I washed them and maybe I'll use them tomorrow... but probably not... The bluebonnets are on the wane... instead of fields of deep blue with streaks of almost purple, now we have sort of dusty blue fields... I'm not sure if the later blooms are actually that much lighter... I don't remember this happening in the past... but they're still very pretty... lots of red phlox and pink buttercups are blooming along with the bluebonnets. Very pretty. And we had the MS 150 bike ride through here Saturday morning... I didn't go out to see it, but could hear it ... at first it sounded like a far off train rumbling and it got louder and louder... then, of course, all the music and loudspeakers, etc... I don't know how many came through this year... but I do know they porta potties had already been set up when the storm blew through... what a mess... lol... lots of them toppled over... thankfully they were empty... Here's a px of my latest little antique doll... bought it off eBay today... the head has damage, but it is still a very dear little thing, isn't it?
Read Comments (1) • Make a Comment
oldest to recent
.jpg)