Gardening From Another Point of View

Volunteer morning glories

2011-10-22T20:26:00.000-05:00

These morning glories are always so beautiful along the fence line. Quickly climbing many feet until the fence is covered. I love the way some of the flowers are magenta whild others are purple. They became tangeled in with the currant tomatoes that came back as volunteers.

Back In The Garden

2011-05-16T22:04:00.007-05:00

This a seasonal journal with perspectives from a wheelchair thrown in. Our winter was so long and difficult. Now it is mid May and my gardens are planted. It's going down to 37 degrees tonight! I spent my evening covering the tomato's and peppers then brought in the hibiscus. My husband built a new raised bed that is very accessible for my wheelchair. For the first time in 8 years I have a real vegetable garden again! I am so pleased with the cool season crops that are doing well. At least the spinach will be happy tonight! Burrrr.

2010-08-29T11:11:00.002-05:00

Double Impatiens and New Guinea Impatiens

2010-08-29T10:24:00.001-05:00

Butterfly Bliss

2010-08-29T07:36:00.001-05:00

Butterfly bling

2010-08-29T07:34:00.001-05:00

My husband was taking flower pics for me and the butterfly landed just in front of him for a quick pose.

Good thing I like morning glories!

2010-08-29T07:31:00.000-05:00

These are volunteers! I will have them forever probably, they seem to have seeded themselves even though I tried to get rid of the seeds last year. They show up in my planters and beds but are easy to pull out if not wanted!

Wheelchair conundrums

2010-07-18T18:40:00.004-05:00

It is always a question in the back of my mind....how long will my wheelchair last, how long will the lift in my van hold up? I really use the chair hard with my full time job and gardening.

Every so often I get into a pickle while trying to continue onward.

The other day I got the chair all the way up to the top of the lift then everything came to a halt. I messed around with the switch and jiggled the wires. Nothing. I looked around, of course my husband was gone at work. The chair is hanging outside the back of the van and rain is coming.
Just as I was about to go sit in the car and plan my next move my neighbor pulled in. He kindly helped hold me up while I walked up the ramp and into the house.

I have not been able to walk into the house from the car for over a year. Actually I only walk now in my house and once in a while in my office at work for a few minutes at a time.
It is a tough reality check to look at it in the face. I am so dependent on the chair and lift now.

My husband came home and managed to get the lift loose so the chair would swing into the back of the van.
The next day I quickly got going to the lift place United Access. Much to my chagrin my husband had grabbed pillows and lawn junk to stack under the chair so it did not swing like a pendulum on my way. It worked but the look on the techs face when he opened the back of my van was truly priceless. All I could say was "I bet this is the first time you had something like this drop in!" He laughed and in a nice supportive way said,"whatever it takes to get it done". Boy that is so true.

A few days later the onboard charger on my chair went out. Third one in three years! Once again I had to drop everything and hightail it to United Seating on a friday to get an external charger. The battery was almost gone. Once again leaning on the kindness of others, I mentioned that I would not have enough juice to go into the building and another kind soul happily carried the charger out to the car. I did not have to get out of the car thankfully!
There was just enough juice in the battery to creep up my ramp, but again... everything worked out.

I dont get super upset when these things happen unless they interfere with work.
I just say to myself "And then that happened!!!" and shift gears into "gitt er done" and move on down the road.
These kind of episodes remind me to remember some very wise words, " it is how I choose to react to things that determines the outcome"

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Bucket of Maters

2010-07-18T10:02:00.000-05:00

Help me identify this plant

2010-07-18T09:54:00.001-05:00

These graceful plants showed up in my garden. I have been trying to identify them. If anyone could help me out I would appreciate it.

Surprise blooms

2010-07-18T09:52:00.001-05:00

If you look closely you can see that some of the blooms on this gloriosa daisy are double and some are not. I was surprised to notice this after I got the plant home. I hope to save seeds for next year.

Star gazer glory

2010-07-18T07:48:00.000-05:00

2010-07-18T07:46:00.000-05:00

These are called Red Robin. I love their flavor and they were easy to grow from seeds started indoors in March.
They have developed some fungus issues probably because I used some of my home made compost in the pots. Next year I will use sterile potting mix!

Still learning what works under trees!

2010-07-18T07:40:00.001-05:00

I planted several nice variegated geraniums here with the idea of a green white and red garden. Unfortunately the tree really leafed out this year and the little garden is not getting the same amount of sun as in the previous 3 years. The geraniums are struggling to bloom and the wet weather has caused some browning of the leaves. My first thought is to move them but I have used up all my space!

Hello Hibiscus

2010-07-18T07:38:00.002-05:00

Always worth waiting for the first hibiscus blooms. It is fun to overwinter hibiscus if you have a spot. They will bloom a bit in the winter and reward you with more blooms when back out in the garden next spring.

Beans on the run

2010-07-12T23:48:00.001-05:00

One of my experiments has been growing scarlett runner beans in a pot up this archway. They are doing well with daily watering The blooms are plentiful so I hope to have beans soon. I should be able to pick them with chair raised up as high as it will go. I have never grown these beans before and I love the blooms!

Contained Maters

2010-07-03T21:28:00.000-05:00

I am so excited about my "Health Kick, Patio and Tiny Tim tomatoes grown from seed!

Hope it isn't "Hosta Luego"!

2010-07-03T20:56:00.001-05:00

How many of you hosta lovers have had serious bug issues this summer? My beloved hostas which are front and center to my garden entrance, have been chewed to pieces. I decided it was much too soon in the season to let my hostas be cannibalized by strange critters.

I went to my local nursery Farrand Farms here in Independence Missouri.

For 25 years my summer have always included frequent visits there. Their new website is pretty neat. My friends there hunted down the plant doctor expert and came back with a diagnosis of tiny worms on the underside of the leaves. I purchased some organic spray.My hubbie got the honors of standing on his head while trying to coat the bottom of the leaves. I have about 15 hostas in this garden! So far I think it has knocked them back but I plan on spraying again after the next several days of rain have passed.

I am going to try and use my reacher while in my wheelchair to lift up the leaves so I can help this time. Anyone who has ANY problems with movement and bending should have several reachers. I am always coming up with new ways to use them every day. They come in handy for picking up hoses, transplanting and tool retrieval whilst gardening from a wheelchair.

2010-07-03T20:05:00.005-05:00

Encounters That Mean Something

2010-02-21T18:24:00.000-06:00

This is pretty much how our Kansas City weather has been. One snow storm after another like no other winter I can remember. It's tough being couped up all the time as it is very slow going out in the tundra for me these days. I have still managed to get to work with my husbands help in the mornings and the help of friends at work who keep an eye on me when I am unloading the chair in a slick parking lot. Lately I have had several encounters with the kind souls in this world. I am in awe of how these encounters have more meaning and impact on me now. Compassionate folks are still out there in spite of the bad news on TV. I have written before of the parking lot angels at HYVEE. I actually cringed the other day when I got out of my car with fear and trepidation of another of my famous crappie flops. I actually mutter to myself "you can do it" and have attracted the interest of folks nearby.
One woman saw me standing up behind my car unloading the chair and looked into my windows with a quizzical expression before saying to me," where is the person who needs that chair"? I had stopped by after work and still had my scrubs on so I looked like a care attendant not the " special needs" person.
Another lady on a previous visit had come over to me and wanted to know all about me and my wheelchair lift. She wanted to tell her sister about meeting a lady who still "goes out in my condition". She went on to tell me of the disabling illness that had taken her sisters leg and how she had given up on life. I gave her the phone number of the company who had installed my lift and ended with a hearty, "tell your sister to hang in there."
My husband and I went to garden show last weekend and stayed for hours. It was a blessed breather of color and scents after such a brutal winter. At the end we encountered a man probably close in age to us on a segway in the arena. He went by slowly and I accidentally cut to close to him in my jazzy. I looked up at my husband and said, "I had always wanted to try one of those" . Unexpectedly the man stopped and turned to me and said " if my wife was not in such a hurry I would let you." We briefly discussed the logistics and how I would not be able to step up onto the foot platform. I think I said it seems to be a fun thing to do, when he abruptly said, " Well I am dying of cancer so I guess I get to do whatever I want!" And on that little bombschell he turned and zoomed away. My husband and I where a bit taken back, him more than I. I can understand how that man wanted to say it out loud and say it to someone who might understand the meaning of being ill and vailidate his existence even for a moment from a stranger. I tried to explain how sometimes peopel with serious and or life threatening illnesses need to say it once in a while. Not for the purpose of seeking pity, but for some glimpse of understanding. I imagine some people considered to be"differently abled" may take offense. I'm sure you have met them... those who wont let anyone help them...ever! I don't wish to offend anyone who feels they are less of a person if they ask for help but when compassion is offered don't turn away, consider the person offering to help. A smile or kind word or story about someone you remind them of may turn out to be an encounter that really means something!

Pretty Purple Lisianthus

2010-01-22T14:51:00.001-06:00

The Common names of Lisianthus are Prairie Gentian, Texas bluebell, Tulip gentian, Bluebells and Lira de san pedro. This bloom was just opening when my husband took some shots right after a rain storm. I hope to get seeds for this plant and start them soon. It is getting to be time to plant seeds indoors here for spring and summer blooms. This plant did well in a large combo planter in partial sun. I was so pleased with the long bloom time. We are just now free of several inches of snow that I hope has insulated my perenials from the severer cold spell we just had. In Missouri just about every kind of weather is possible and happens!

There can be no other occupation like gardening in which, if you were to creep up behind someone at their work, you would find them smiling. ~Mirabel Osler

November Nasturtiums

2009-11-30T21:22:00.000-06:00

Never before in my years of gardening in Independence MO have I had so many blooming plants in November! Normally by now the plants are all gone. I just cut down the Persian Shield last week, it had become tattered looking but was still standing! This would be a good year round plant in warmer areas. I am so glad I found it at a nursery this year and my cuttings have taken root so I hope to have it next spring to put in the garden. A pot of Nasturiums at the corner of the driveway burst out in blooms in this months picture as if to celebrate the cold! My sister in law told me on thanksgiving that everything she cut back came back!

Today there are still bronze leaf begonias covered in red blooms, impatiens and blue salvia in my gardens.We have not had much rain and things are dry. I decided to water yesterday in honor of those plants still growing! It was fun laying out christmas lights in the newly blooming dianthus. I can't remember this ever happening before, if it is due to El Nino I say gracias amigo,I can still go out and play with my plants on Thanksgiving and for this gift I am grateful!

2009-10-10T19:06:00.074-05:00

"Do what you can,

with what you have,

where you are"

Theodore Roosevelt

2009-10-10T19:04:00.000-05:00

Persian shield, browalia and heliotrope

2009-10-04T20:35:00.000-05:00

On the east side of the house is a nice partially shaded area that gets some morning sun.
The browalia and persian shield did very well but the heliotrope
will have to be in a sunny area next year. It is so fragrant. The tall purple persian shield
starts easily from cuttings in water so I hope to have it for next spring.

Hummingbird Happiness

2009-10-04T08:31:00.023-05:00

I dont have a picture of my humming bird but this one is very similar from http://humabout.net/ . I had one regular lone hummingbird visitor this year that was a gray green color. I was surprised by him one morning when getting ready to start my car to go out. He flew right up to my windshield and paused in front of me for a few seconds as if to take a look at me before flying over to my cannas to sip from the red blooms. A couple of weeks later I was sitting in my wheelchair on the front porch around 6:30 on a warm and quieter than ususal evening. I have an iron bakers rack shelf on the porch with pots of flowers and some cannas that had almost finished blooming in front of the porch. There was only one bloom left and quite suddenly there he was , my lone hummingbird just 3 feet from me sipping on that bloom. I was so excited and tried not to move at all. Suddenly there he was right next to me visiting the two pots of impatiens on the bakers rack just inches away. I held my breath with delight and said "Thank you God" as my hummer went to every single bloom on both of the pots of impatiens checking for nectar. I always feel like these precious visits are a special gift from above and dont take them for granted as hummingbirds are not that plentiful in my area.

True to its name the butterfly bush

2009-10-04T08:05:00.002-05:00

This monarch has moved on. He was a regular visitor to my two year old butterfly bush.

Concrete Dish of Green

2009-09-21T22:57:00.001-05:00

White and green veined caladium with polka dot plant and impatiens in an old concrete dish in a shaded spot by the sidewalk to the front door.

Sun Coleus

2009-09-21T22:54:00.001-05:00

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are
the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.

- Marcel Proust

HOLY ELEPHANT EARS BATMAN!

2009-09-16T20:35:00.000-05:00

The bulbs that produced these huge elephant ears were from our school plant sale and a coworkers yard. I had no idea they would get this big. I could not resist that Batman reference...my name is Robin and I always watched Batman with my younger brothers growing up. I am going to have to put them further back next summer. They just about obliterated my path!

Peaceful Pose In The Garden

2009-09-06T19:33:00.000-05:00

Summer Is Winding Down

2009-09-06T19:11:00.004-05:00

Here are a few photos of the garden in late summer. My flowers are doing beautifully after a long rainy summer. It was very nice not having to wrestle hoses and water all the time.
The cooler nights have slowed some plants down and I have been busy taking cuttings so I can have a bit of summer in the house this winter. I find it so hard to let the plants go at the end of the season. One day I will have a winter greenhouse to play in and keep my propagation going. The challenge of trying to start new plants is an endeavor that intrigues me. I will be bringing in as many pots as my little house will hold! So far the count is growing with my pots of herbs added in. Fortunately my little garden window in the kitchen works well until it becomes bitterly cold. My husband does not know it yet but I am going to make him climb a ladder and cover it with plastic this winter! I have successfully overwintered a pot of jasmine, dragon wing begonia,coleus and mandevilla vine the past two years and hope to have them for next summer again.

Emergency flower therapy needed

2009-07-26T19:04:00.004-05:00

Today I spent several hours outside tuning up my gardens. This always restores my soul and my spirit after taking a hit. Yesterday was really something and I sure needed to get out of my own thoughts and quick.
So the story goes about Angels in the Parking Lot.

Nine days after I had arthroscopic knee surgery my dear friend of many years came to visit from out of town. I had worked on cleaning house all day in the power wheel chair I have been using due to fascioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. Coupled with severe pain in my left knee from repeated injuries after numerous falls over the years I use the chair about eighty percent of my day. I have found it to be great to be able to get more things done in my chair than when trying to walk yet have discovered that my weakness is accelerating since I have started using it all the time.

Today I had pushed pretty hard to get the house and yard to a point I was comfortable with. My husband was at work and I had not had my friend over for a year.

I already had an inkling that I had worn myself out when I started having accidents one after the other.... I dropped the chicken that was to be dinner into the garbage disposal, broke a glass vase full of water, plants and colored stones all over my counter where the electronic stuff sits and I fumbled my cell phone right in the dishwater in the sink! Earlier I had gotten my wheelchair stuck in the mud trying to pull weeds and had to call the little kids across the street to come and bring me rocks and pull on the chair as I struggled to get myself free. This incident of course caused more mess as I had mud caked on my tires even after much hosing off.

My knee had been feeling somewhat better though still not good enough to stand in the kitchen and cook as I still try and do most of the time. I find trying to work in the kitchen very awkward from the wheelchair,the counters are too high the chair blocks access to cabinets and the refrigerator door keeps closing on me while I reach to get things. Adding to this I am using my left hand due to my right arm getting so weak now.
Today, I had more messes to clean up than I started with. Feelings of frustration and fatigue were trying to get the best of me but I ignored the twinges in an attempt to STAY POSITIVE!

My friend and I had a nice laid back visit for an hour and then decided to go out and get a salad at the HyVee store. After our meal she left and I decided to stay and get a few things we needed. She did not offer to stay with me and I did not want to ask, I should have! Holding on to the grocery shopping feeds my desire to keep some independence. I am remiss to ask for help if it is something I can do for myself.

For the past two days I had managed to get out in the car on my own and not have any problems.
I have been cautious about my steps from the back of the car to the drivers door and had not had any falls which have become a constant problem these days.

Well no such luck today, it was starting to get dark but the parking lot was well lit. I got up and out of the chair okay and loaded it into the back of my van. As I made my way to the front holding on to the car, I tripped as I failed to pick up my left foot high enough. This caused the bad knee to buckle. I collapsed forward catching myself from going all the way down. There I was bent down with hands on the ground and backside up in the air with all my weight on knee looking like a stinkbug. I silently bad mouthed myself for allowing it to happen.

I struggled to get a hand on the top of the tire and braced my upper body with my head against the car as I tried repeatedly to swing my right arm up to push with. I cannot straighten my torso back to an upright position without pushing off of something.
.
As my muscles started to shake with immediate fatigue it seemed like I was stuck in that position for an eternity, I was not going to be able to hold myself up much longer and started to go down, when suddenly a man was behind me with his arms underneath my arms pulling me up. I was never so happy to be grabbed by a stranger! Simultaneously a woman from the parking place in front of mine came. She helped me gain my balance and the man made sure I got to the car door. I kept saying "oh thank you, "bless you you are angels". I think I also threw out an, " I'm sorry", while they just humbly said "no problem" and " be careful" as I got into my car and sat there trembling from the exertion of what had just happened.

I dont know why I always feel like apologizing to people who get me out of a fix, do I feel guilty for getting myself into these messes? What does a girl do with a deep question like that, sit around and do nothing? Quit trying?

Now outside observers would be saying "It must be time to reevaluate your ability to go places on my your own". Yet I know if I stop I will lose ground more quickly both mentally and physically. Inside me the words scream " I am not done yet!" My boundaries and limitations are always changing as the muscle disease progresses. It is so hard to allow myself another loss, the news that my knee is not fixable in my condition. I had waited several years to get the doctors to look closer at the knee. My plan was to have less knee pain after the surgery to repair a torn meniscus and increase my ability to stand and walk with braces and walkers. The MRI and Xrays had not shown the fact that I have two sizeable areas of missing cartilage causing the bones to wear against each other. This was a result of the way I had been walking with my knees hyper extended backwards from the dystrophy. I am not unfamiliar with having to change my plans. Actually having the surgery was a leap for me to begin with after having just had my neck fixed 6 months ago.

I have always been an extremely independent person since childhood . Now I fight everyday to hold on to the abilities I have left for a bit longer. It is so difficult to gauge how much is too much activity. I have a clear memory of my first MDA clinic doctor saying to "stay active but don't overdo it", anyone out there know just how to do that?

The next morning my knee was swollen and my spirit injured. That spirit of stubbornness not to give up is what keeps me going. Anyhow after thinking this over I wondered how it must be for so many other people with a worse neuromuscular disease like ALS. I bet they have met the parking lot angels before too and would have interesting stories to tell. Maybe I will ponder this thought some more and start a record of parking lot angel stories in their honor.

For now I must move forward and one of the best ways for me is to handle things is to write about how my life is going and then go play sweaty dirt woman in the gardens. Throughout my journey I have met the parking lot Angels four times. They have never let me down! They are real on this disappearing road called life with muscular dystrophy.

July Joy

2009-07-21T20:16:00.003-05:00

I guess its time for my montly post, I really was thinking of letting the blog go, you know those negative thought patterns that you get stuck in your head....
"no one really cares about you gardening from a wheelchair" or "just a waste of time" or how about " why would anyone want to read about an aging lady in a wheelchair" well I say away with you negative thoughts!!! If for no other purpose I have kept a journal of my gardening for this year and that is new for me.
We have just had 5 days of cooler weather than normal for July. We even broke a few record lows getting into the 50's at night. The tomatos are confused! Now a disease has hit them and the folage is dying off. I need to study up on what is happening. I hope the pretty green fruits make it to "fruitian" before the plants keel over.
There are thankfully 5 tomatoes on my kitchen counter waiting for us to feast on. The peppers in pots are starting to fill out and yesterday my grandaughter came over and had great fun picking them. We still have to keep her from taking bites out of them before we get them to the house. It is so sweet to see her proudly carry them in and she made sure I carried her toy while she carried three bannana peppers with her to the car. The two boxes I let her plant have been hanging in there and we may actually get some green beans and squash from them. Now for the flower gardens....I have my first mole problem! Darn critters are persistent. I had planted some ivy geraniums,verbena and dahlias in my main bed and have found them uprooted and wilted on several mornings lately. The soil is all in upheaval. Each time I have carefully replanted them. They still live but are in what looks like suspended animation.
I am going on a hunt for mole traps this week and welcome ideas from those who have been down this tunnel already!
I finally found a tool that helps me deadhead the spent flowers. After much searching I found a long pair of scissors that are normally used for taking care of fish aquarium plants. I can just about reach most of the flowers that need it from the wheelchair now. Seems like there would be more options for that... most of the trimmers I have seen are either too heavy or require two handed operation which makes it difficult to stay seated in the right spot. I dont need anymore dips in the dirt than I have already experienced. Hope everyone's gardening efforts are a success this summer. Here's to positive thoughts and bountiful harvests.

Funny Medical Terms For Bloggers

2009-06-23T19:38:00.002-05:00

In keeping with my earlier comments about Missouri weather...it is insane here sometimes. We went from having a longer than usual and cool wet spring to boiling oppressive heat!
I am cranky about having to be inside. It only took about 15 minutes in the 99 degree/107degree heat index, to break into a sweat. Now that is not all bad because they say sweating is an important way to remove toxins from your body. I find it hard to work up a sweat these days from my wheelchair so I look at it as a good thing, for about as long as it takes to water all my gardens then I have had enough!
I have several potted vegetables and have been watching them very closely as they dry out fast. I'm Happy today to have picked my first bunch of red robin tomatoes (small plant for containers). I picked some serano peppers and a roma as well. This is good timing since some years I don't see a red tomato until after the 4th of July. I am trying one of those upside down tomato planters and the plant has been doing well. It is tricky to water.
So that took all of 30 minutes today and I found the heat overwhelming and had to go in. I still have a few little darlings to finish planting and hope they make it through the heat wave. I have a large bed of sun coleus with black eyed susans that are not to thrilled about the soaring temps. Two hibiscus bushes that were in two gallons pots have taken about 4 weeks to get going. It has been a long wait but they have finally decided to grace me with some blooms. Apparently they were waiting for the hot temperatures. My gardens are always a work in progress and a learning adventure each year.
While this heat keeps me from being in the gardens I entertain myself on the computer. Being a Nurse, I tend to think of strange terms. Somthing about the word "blog" lends itself to funny phrases.
I am developing "blogitis" from surfing a ton of blogs lately. The blogitis has caused me to grow a "blogoma" on my surfing hand. If I dont slow down I may have to have a "blog O plasty" or worse a "blogectomy" to be healed! I have consulted a "blogopractor" and his prognosis was favorable... he said I could continue since the blogitis was not at pandemic levels just yet. So for now I will continue to reach for that blogolicious experience out on the blogospere hiway!
Happy Heat Wave From Kansas City MO.

Cats and Flowers Enrich My World

2009-06-11T11:13:00.004-05:00

I can't help but put up picutres of my pretty kitties. Only those who enjoy cats can relate. They always come out to help me play in the dirt, explore newly dug up areas, swat at butterflies and generally just "pussy foot" around. They are such good company and I find myself talking to them. My husband refers to me as the crazy cat lady because I wont go to sleep each night until they are all accounted for and inside. I know he grows weary of my insistence every night but too many animals have gotten hurt or lost due to inattentiveness on the humans part in their lives. I truly believe having kitties helps me cope with my situation. It is such comfort to have Ollie come and climb in my lap when I have to spend extra down time due to my tired and painful muscles. Science validates the effect pets have on lowering blood pressure and decreasing depression. I have always had cats my entire life thanks to my moms love for them when I was a child. Now my daughter has followed in my catsteps and has a litter of her own including two very old cats left from her grandma. To all those who love kitties we send you a great big purrrrr. To those who dont just skip over this post but dont stop reading!

What a difference a month makes

2009-06-10T11:26:00.002-05:00

My early spring gardens have been flourishing with the ample rain we have been getting this past few weeks. It has been wonderful to skip the hose wrestling match fighting to water. I am astonished at the tremendous increase in the size of my hostas this year. Hopefully I will get the slug bait out before they start chompping holes in the leaves. I had an unusual pest problem with grasshoppers last summer. I am hopeful it was a seasonal thing and not a recurrent problem. I am on the lookout for advice on controlling these voracious eaters! I have been slower to get the beds all planted and hope the rains will slow down soon. Missouri weather has been predictably active and we have had some tornado's around the area and hail. I was outside yesterday covering up tender plants like browalia and helitrope to prevent hail damage until the very last minute. Thankfully we did not get the grapefruit sized hail that northern missouri experienced. More storms are on the way today so unless I want to four wheel in the mud I will have to stick with catching up on my blog! New pictures of the pansies and early spring plants are on the way. Hope everyone stays safe and happy gardening to all!

Flower Frenzy!

2009-05-12T14:22:00.002-05:00

Well, it has been way too long since I posted, seems like I go through computer avoidance sometimes and when it's planting time I stay at it until it is done. I am happy to report the planter of pansies made it! It is beautiful and I will post some pictures soon. We have had a cool spring with nights still dipping into the 40's. The bleeding heart has been outstanding this year in spite of the cold temps. My hostas are huge taking over most of their areas. We had our yearly plant sale at my school and I have spent the last 3 weeks on a flower feeding frenzy. We received many donations and I had great fun spending 2 hours in a greenhouse picking out plants for our big purchase. I find my energy level is still under par but I managed to pull it off with the help of two other girls at work we made more at this years sale than ever before. We plan to make further improvements to the school grounds with our proceeds. I finally got out of the wheelchair to sit on the ground last evening to plant my many treasures. Vic was on call to hoist me back up. I have focused more on plants that dont have to be dead headed since I have found that to be almost impossible at times. I cant believe the mountain of dirt I bring into the house on my wheelchair tires, it's always something! I continue to find people out in the local community who are looking for someone like me to help. The other day I got stuck in the gravel at a greenhouse and had to get a tow! Folks in general seem to not mind much although a lady reacted strangely to me at the grocery store recently. I needed toilet tissue and of course the one I wanted was at the top of the rack. Sometimes I get accused of having muscular dystrophy of the brain and this was one of those moments. As this lady approached me frowning, I decided to pull out the bottom package and see if the top one would fall into my lap. The lady still frowning said "here let me do it" and then walked away shaking her head like I was a stupid idiot. It was a weird encounter, I think most folks who do not have physical problems dont really understand the idea of trying things differently in order to do things yourself. I am not nearly as independent as I was even a year ago, my disease process is percolating right along in spite of what I want. I'll be darned if I let it stop me from having flowers though so I will be outside till dark every evening weather permitting until my beds are done!

Giving Flowers Really Does Make A Difference

2009-03-26T19:53:00.004-05:00

Giving Flowers Really Does Make A Difference

It was during my hospital stay in December when I experienced an Aha moment about the meaning of giving flowers. It was the week before Christmas when I had two surgeries at the same time. Having muscular dystrophy for 20 years had taken it's toll on my body thanks to the many many falls I have had as I continued trying to keep up with my family, work as a nurse and gardening hobby. I had to have a herniated disc in my neck removed with fusion of the vertebrae, and carpal tunnel surgery on my hand. My doctors had both felt it would be best to have both operations done at the same time so I would not have to undergo anesthesia more than once. Well it was quite an undertaking, there were some very difficult moments as I tried to move around without the use of my left hand and arm. I knew it would be hard and had psyched myself up for 4 months to go for it. They always say the third day is the worst and that held true in my case.It was the dreaded get up out of bed to go the bathroom day! At one point two nurses were pulling as hard as they could and I still could not get up. The anesthesia had made my sick muscles extremely lazy. I guess I was not prepared for this and it hit me hard emotionally when I could not get up on my own. I lay there exhausted with various tubes hanging out of me,a neck collar on and in a pain medicine fog and having a good cry seemed like the thing to do. The weather was cold and we had an ice storm so up to this point visitors had been scarce. I was starting to get that "all alone feeling". During this full blown pity party, the flowers started to come. I think God must have told my two best friends that I needed them. They both live out of town now and I have missed them dearly.
The first bouquet was of beautiful fragrant white lilies, then another came within the hour with red and white tulips in pine bows again very fragrant and pretty. The next day my work friends sent daisies in a darling snowman vase. Those flower bouquets really brought me around and gave me such comfort and distraction from my pity party.
I took pictures of my flowers with my cell phone and sent them to those kind souls who remembered me. I was so pleased to have the flowers and every time someone came to my room they commented on the smell of the lilies and tulips which remained strong for my entire time there. The bouquets made me feel special, loved and cherished. During my 3 week recovery at home, I spent a great deal of time surfing the net one handed. Of course I had to play on ebay! I found a website that intriqued me, a flower store through amazon. It is my hope that this little website will succeed in developing a second income as I prepare for the future when I may not be physically able to continue my work as a nurse with special needs children.
It was the pleasure and comfort that I received from my flower bouquets that inspired my online adventure, http://FantasticFlowerBouquets.com . I will always be grateful to the friends who pulled me out of that pity party and reminded me they were with me in spirit. Thanks is not enough.
A sample of the flower bouquets in my amazon store can be found at the bottom of this blog page. I am more sure than ever that giving flowers really does make a difference to someone going through difficult trials in life.

Seeking A Positive Outcome

2009-03-21T09:20:00.004-05:00

It is exciting to have spring finally here. I am grateful to be recovering from neck surgery in December and looking forward to gardening again. I am hopeful that I will have less pain and muscle spasm now that my neck is fixed! It is very easy to overdo it even from a wheelchair, too much bending forward, reaching and lifting while gardening can make for extended down time to recover the next day. As my disease has progressed I have learned from my mistakes. I still have issues about knowing when to quit, on a good day I can spend hours outside playing in the dirt. I am learning however that it is good to recognize when my body is on overdrive so that I dont ruin the next day. Muscular Dystrophy is a tough disease to live with. A persons muscles do not recharge once the energy is expended. It can take a couple of days of rest to recover from a big energy expenditure of any kind. And then there are the acceleration periods. Ususally about two times a year the disease will speed up and weakness is exagerated causing debilitating fatige. Once that starts up it can last for about 6-8 weeks. This is hard because it typically will happen in March right when I am chomping at the bit to get outside. In the past I had a tendency to allow these periods of acceleration to depress me. Now I try harder to be grateful for the good days. By doing this instead of focusing on the thought that I will be weaker when the acceleration period is over, I can move forward.
It really does take a great deal of faith, gratitude and understanding from my family and friends to continue on this path. I am fortunate to have a loving family and wonderful friends at work. Somtimes it is hard to be positive when the future is unknown but being negative ruins the day at hand. Writing these words helps hold me accountable and on track! For more information on Fascioscapular Humeral Muscular Dystrophy see http://www.mda.usa.org

Encouraging Children To Learn About Gardening

2009-03-15T10:26:00.004-05:00

On one of our many cold days this past couple of week, my grandaughter and I did some playing in the dirt. I like to pretend I am an amateur horticultural therapist and encourage gardening projects with the students at my school. We collect milk cartons from the lunches and reuse them to start seeds. Yogurt containers which are my personal favorite for starting tomato seeds are even better.
I brought my recycled treasures home and pulled out the seeds and soil. To my complete joy my little grandaughter Kayla wanted to help plant some seeds. It was fun letting her separate and place the yogurt cups and milk cartons into the trays. Then she carefully placed the Jiffy pellets into a bowl and poured the water in. Every few minutes we would check to see how big the Jiffy pellets had grown as they soaked up all the water. She was not so sure about the mess on her hands when she picked up the wet pellets to put them in the containers but did not lose interest in our project. At age 3 1/2 you never know how long the attention span will hold up! The next step was to plant so I slowly handed her each pelleted (coated) seed to place in the center of the jiffy pellets. Kayla loves tomatoes so we planted Early Girl tomatoes to try and get tomatoes before July here. She learned to press the seed into the soil and cover it up. It was a fun project to do with her and I love seeing it through her young eyes. I am pleased to say our seedlings are up and thriving giving me the promise of gardening soon and the final passing of winter.

Never Give Up Your Desire to Grow Something

2009-02-15T16:45:00.003-06:00

Traveling down a winding and often disapearing road called life with a disability, I have gone through long periods when my beloved gardening activities wound down to a crawl. As my muscle disease gradually progressed, it became more difficult walking, getting up, and bending over. In fact those simple movements have become like mountain climbing to me. I stopped working my vegetable garden in the backyard because it was so very exhausting just to walk up the incline in our yard. Combined with a major attack of bermuda grass in my raised beds and pathways I raised the white flag. I became less and less able to continue onward. At that time in my life I did not think of myself as "able I was so focused on the fact that I was losing my previous abilities. This poor me frame of mind caused me to decline in many areas of my life.

For 3 years I only had a few plants up by the house and would look woefully out the window down at what used to be my retreat at the bottom of the hill. That hill has stopped me from using the back half of the yard period!

I have been major dirt digger for all at least 30 years, spending hours upon hours of my time gardening in the summers. I could stay out all day playing "sweaty dirt woman", never wanting to stop for meals.

As time passed it became necessary to start using a powered wheelchair.
I had fought this for so long struggling to keep walking, forcing myself to flail around on the ground scooting and bending over to continue a few flower beds.

Eventually I had to just deal with it. I was avoiding trips outside and missing out on things I wanted to do. So many times I would lose my balance and fall outside when no one was around. I am sure the neighbors wondered about the strange lady covered in dirt crawling and rolling around out in the yard. I recently had neck surgery to fix what I had done to myself by falling so much these past several years.

I finally started using a scooter http://www.mda.org/default.htm thanks to MDA, in the yard to garden about two years ago. It has been interesting trying new ways to go about the business of growing.Thankfully I have reclaimed the joy of gardening now and with a slower speed and fewer expectations my yard is blooming again.

I have found out that most tools are way to heavy. Luckily child sized tools are ideal for those with weak arm and shoulder strength or arthritis. I have learned to always have a grabber/reacher close by and a light garden cart that I can maneuver with one hand while I drive my chair. I also love a good wicker basket with a tall handle for keeping seed packets, phone and hand tools nearby.

Always on the hunt for long handled tools and gadgets, I have developed quite a collection at home. The reachers are great for picking up sticks, standing up a drooping plant and even poking a hole in the soil or putting my transplants at the far end of a bed.
My husband is great to turn the soil in large areas and keeps my hoses buried under ground so that I dont have to drag them around as much. A heavy water hose is quite frustrating when your arms are weak, I am still hoping to get watering a bit more refined at my house.
I always recruit my little grand daughter to help with the watering, that is if I can get her away from my pinic table full of pots with peppers and tomatoe plants. If I don't watch, she will eat them all in one visit! .