At long last, pictures

I took these today:

More evidence of the crazy

In cleaning out my bedroom in preparation for my dad's arrival I found some more seed packets and plant tags. I think I may have a slight problem.

I've decided to link to my favorite online nurseries this time for the images. Buy! Without further ado or adum:

Triteleia

Tulip 'Queen of the Night'

Delphinium

Gladiolus acidanthera

Daffodil 'Barrett Browning'

Anemone

Montbretia

Sparaxis

Snapdragon

Sempervivum

Nectaroscordum

Scabiosa columaria

Hyacinth

Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender'

Iris hollandica

Mind you, a lot of these were ones that I planted in the back then dug up and replanted in the front. So, I don't know how many of them will make it to next year.

That was a fun little sojourn into the garden I wish to have. Now it is time to water the garden I actually have.

I have a question: I was just going through the links I posted yesterday to make sure they were all correct and noticed that several of them linked to a page that said I was stealing bandwidth. I thought that just linking to something was ok, but not embedding it? Anyone?

In which I expose the depth of my obsession

Never fear, for I have returned. I did not go anywhere, but I am back nevertheless.

Jon has discovered that the scariest words strung together in the English language are not, "I have a vision," but, "I saw this thing on DIY Network/HGTV." I have discovered that my lofty dreams of restoring homes are going to stay in the clouds. I discovered this after attempting to change a Dremel head and failing at it utterly. Why was I using a Dremel? because I saw someone on a DIY show using one.

Still, I could totally salvage the house next door that is for sale for $55,000 below the estimated tax value. The brick is quite unusual and there are wooden floors; can you see me up a on a ladder chipping away at mortar, getting those bricks out? Yeah, I can see it, too. Can you also see me flat on my ass in the driveway after chipping away at mortar all day? Yeah, I can see that, as well. Still, I did design an absolutely stunning mosaic for a pool that I could tile myself. It's in my head and therefore not translatable to a blog, but it is stunning, trust me. All I really need is for someone to come in, dig the hole, wire/plumb it, lay the rebar and spray the whatsit that they spray to make the pool. I can do the rest. Just ask Jon!

I've decided to make a list of some of the plants I've planted. This is not a complete list, at all. I'll get around to putting up pictures, sooner or later.

Calla lily 'Hot Chocolate'

Graptosedum vera higgins

Echeveria 'Red Margin'

Aeonium "Garnet'

Semipervivum arachnoideum cv. Cebenese

Hawthornia

Anacampseros telephiastrum variegata

Ornthogalum caudatum

Echeveria agavoides

Felicia amelloides

Gold Star Esperanza

Penstemon 'Husker Red'

Aeonium 'Blushing Beauty'

Athyrium nipponicum

Scilla siberica

Aucuba japonica 'Picturata'

Hibiscus "Sunny Wind'

Hibiscus 'Luna'

Ligustrum sinense 'Swift Creek'

Cytisus scoparius 'Lena'

Liriope variegata

Hosta 'Queen Josephine'

Hosta 'Sea Thunder'

Solinostemon scutellanoides

Dietes iridioides

Sedum 'Autumn Fire'

Crassula coccinea 'Campfire'

Hoya carnosa variegata

Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'

Cordyline australis 'Red Sensation'

Fucsia

Digitalis purpirea 'Camelot'

Allium sphaerocephalon

Juncus effusus 'Unicorn'

Plumbago auriculata 'Imperial Blue'

Euphorbia myrsinites

Cyclamen

Marginata euonymus

Sedum spathulifolium 'Cape Blanco'

Peperomia prostrata

Crassula oblique 'Tricolor'

Echeveria haggeana 'Green Goddess'

Senecio rowleyanus 'String of Pearls'

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana

Echeveria 'Violet Queen'

Bromeliad

Justicia brandegeana

Tradescantia rhoeo spathacea

Dorsanthemum hispidum

Delosperma cooperi (snicker)

Russian lilac (and ohmygod! I need to find new places for them!)

Adenium obesum Look at how freaky they look in the wild.

Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips'

Lobelia cardinalis (Though this may not survive since I was a dodohead and forgot that it needed extra water and I refuse to water extra)

Petunias

Agave victoriae-reginae

Asiatic lily

Canna

Astilbe

Lavandula angustifolia

Arbutus unedo 'Compacta'

Ornamental pepper 'Purple Flash'

Loropetalum

Agave americana

OK, in searching for another plant, I found this and I need it.

Tiarella 'Pink Pearls'

Helebore

King Ostrich fern

Dryopteris normalis

Dicentra spectabilis

Stevia

Hardy geranium 'Blue Sunrise'

Agapanthus

Azalea

Sunflower 'Moulin Rouge'

Mexican Hat Flower

Echinacea

Weeping cherry

Banana plant

Caladium

And that does not account for all of the seeds I've scattered that have popped up. Nor does it account for the number of plants whose tags I have lost. I'd say this is half. Daaaaaaaaaaaamn!

Picture credit

Linoleum and ladybugs

I swear, I swear, I swear! I am coming back. I am just stupidly busy. Pearly, my baby princess, has decided that she does not need to use the kitty litter anymore. What does she use instead? oh, our gorgeous wooden floors. I want to figure out a way to put something over the wooden floors to protect them and then put marmoleum all over the house. It would save the floors and be sooooo cool looking. We still are walking on subloor in the kitchen but we do at least know how much subfloor we need to replace before we lay down the marmoleum. I am now obsessed with new countertops, specifically Blizzard, by Caesarstone. I don't see why I can't have that. I deserve it. WE deserve it. I need the sink built in thingy, too. It would be so pretty and so environmentally friendly, and easy to work on. Mama wants!

The front garden is just about finished. I need to add a few more shade plants to some areas and finish the stupid pathways, but then? finished! It will take several years for things to fully fill in, but you can see the outline of a real cottage garden. The corn is way taller than I am and we've already had two servings of beans. The tomatoes are plump but very green, so just waiting for them to ripen. I am a little concerned that they don't get enough sun to fully ripen. We'll see. My mom planted a tomato plant that we bought together the same day I planted mine and hers reaches her knee, at best. Mine are taller than I am. Magic soil? The above picture was taken almost a week ago. I have since removed the bucket and planted a spectacular yellow hibiscus, a lovely smelling geranium-- no, not a geranium... what is it? gardenia! and another coleus. Oh, and I released 4,000 ladybugs into my gardens tonight. For future reference: this is a task better done when you are not wearing a red shirt.

I have decided that I do need to leave the house a bit more often. I have spent the last six months working so hard on the gardens with some excellent results. But I am finding that ALL I am doing is working on the house. So, I've decided to "get involved" in my community somehow. How? I have no idea. I tried the political thing with a house party for the Obama campaign. I enjoyed it but had a couple of nasty experiences associated with it, so I chose not to go that route. I hesitate to volunteer for things because I never know if I will have the strength to follow through when I've said I could since I must always put my first strength and energy into my job. So... any ideas?

Caution, strong language ahead

I've fucking had enough. I am so sick of it being OK to devalue people with disabilities in the media, in life, and hearing little about it in terms of outrage.



I did not hear about that one when it happened. I watch the news every god damn day and I did not hear about it. I am informed! but I did not hear about it.

How about this one? did you hear about this one from an article on Politico?

“There’s something tragic about him too,” Klein said, referring to Krauthammer’s confinement to a wheelchair, the result of a diving accident during his first year of medical school. “His work would have a lot more nuance if he were able to see the situations he’s writing about.”

Let me guess, this is the first you've heard about it? Yeah, thought so.

Then there was this gem, at around 8:55, that I blogged about previously:



What.the.fuck?

I went to the store this morning by myself. I hate doing that because the grocery store is the worst possible place for me. So, as I was navigating the myriad obstacles in my path to leave the store a man rushed around me, almost knocking me over, to get past me and get in line at the bank. Glad you got there in time to, um, wait, dude! Sorry to have inconvenienced you for 10 seconds, maybe 5, on your way to waiting. Good thing you had that extra "me" time in line at the bank to reflect on what a dickhead you are.

As I was unloading my groceries I noticed that the security guard's cart was parked where it always is, in front of the handicap parking. This time someone hadn't chained their bicycle to the handicap parking sign, so it was possible to get past. Just barely. Gosh, I guess parking that cart that never seems to move in front rather than on the side is simply too convenient to pass up. Wouldn't want to force someone to walk a few extra steps. I mean, since they can and all.

I may walk funny and have weird movements sometimes and I might not be able to express what it is I am trying to express because language fails me, but you know what? at least I know it isn't fucking cool to use a person's disability as a weapon against them.

Half remembered apologies

I'm working on my end-of-semester post, but in the meantime, a couple of things:

Isis Bridal in Mesquite, Texas kicked a woman with multiple sclerosis out of their store because she has a service dog. The owner of the bridal store issued an "apology" where he apologized for the woman's belief that she was treated unfairly. Sorry, sparky! doesn't quite work that way. Show them a little outrage:


Mohamed Hafez
Isis Bridal & Formal
1212 Town East Mall
Mesquite, TX 75150
972-681-5939

There was something else I was going to post... what was it? It was something about the garden. Crap! Swiss cheese brain strikes again. Well, one piece of news to report is that I think I am finished planting in the front. I have so many plants out there that I've run out of room! now I just need to wait for it to fill in. I think. What the hell was it? Gah! I will be driving myself crazy with this for whole minutes, now!

Picture credit

I'm coming back, I swear. There was an adderall mix up, a garden to work on and a semester to end. None of these things are resolved, of course. In the meantime, I'll leave you with some new garden learning:

When sitting on the ground thinning sunflower seedlings, it might be best to assume that there will be people walking by who can hear you singing Blue October. It also might be best to assume that it is your singing that causes these supposed people to cross the street, not the crazy hair you have going on. Or the smell of sunscreen, bug spray, sweat and nail polish. I'm not explaining that last one.

In which I answer email

I received an email from some concerned person who wanted to make sure I wasn't overdoing it in the garden, physically. Yes, I am being kind in my interpretation of the email. I thought it might be useful to explain a few things and update my loyal and not so loyal readers on the status of my enfeeblement... er, I mean... health.

If you've been following this blog all along then you know that I continue to deal with some serious medical issues. Aside from the heart attack and strokes there is the continued worry of continued, well, heart attacks and strokes. There is also the worry of an accident with even slight trauma causing irreversible bleeding. Not that there is such a thing as "slight"trauma. I also have the ridiculous pain in all of my joints from the rheumatic blah blah that we are not calling lupus, nudge, nudge. These things will not be going away and they are things I am forced to live with in everything I do. However, and this is a big proviso, I have chosen to push past the pain and worry. That is not to say that I think everyone should do such a thing, I am just lucky to have enough medical intervention to be able to do this and enough drive to accomplish the push. I have never been one to sit still.

Yes, it hurts to bend, dig, lug and pick up; those things will always hurt, no matter the weight of the burden. There are days when I do not get out into the garden because I am physically unable to do so; and let me tell you, there is a lot of grimacing going on out there when I do get out. It takes me 10 times longer to accomplish things that an able bodied person can do in a day, but I like it that way. I fall, of course, but I haven't really hurt myself. I refuse to use my crutch at home (unless there are lots of people here) and that does have its consequences. But I'm OK with a bi-weekly fall if it means greater mobility and speed. There will always be physical fatigue that accompanies whatever I do so I decided to make it count, if that makes sense. The pain is there regardless of what I do, right? might as well make it mean something.

The truth is, I feel like my old self when I finish a task or when I look out on the cultivated vegetable garden or plotted front flower, etc. garden. I have done this work mostly by myself and I am proud of the work I've put in and the results. It's not that I feel badly about myself in relation to my disability or limitations; I scrambled over that hurdle a year ago. I simply feel useful and independent in my gardening endeavors. It is something I did, something I can point to as tangible proof that I am still here.

I think of it this way: my garden is my gift to myself for making it this far. Nature has given me more than I deserve in life which makes putting something back into the soil seem a little more necessary. It's true what they say: the pathway of giving meets everywhere.

More

Pictures...

Swine flu alert

Just got this alert I want to pass on:

WHAT? The Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services (DCHHS) has issued a Health Advisory on Novel Swine Influenza A Infections.

WHO? This advisory is being sent to all Richland College faculty, staff, and students.

HOW? The Dallas County Health Advisory recommends taking the following precautions:
* Wash your hands often with soap and water.
* Use waterless alcohol-based hand gels [(60% alcohol) provided at entrances to all campus buildings and in all campus restrooms].
* Cover you mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and put your used tissue in a wastebasket.
* If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands.
* Wash your hands after coughing or sneezing. Use soap and water or an alcohol-based hand gel.

WHAT IF? Seek medical help immediately if you become sick with a fever plus a cough and sore throat or have trouble breathing. Inform your doctor if you have had contact with a sick person or farm animals while traveling. Avoid further travel until you are free of symptoms, unless traveling locally for medical care. After travel to Mexico, pay close attention to your health for seven days.

WHERE? Inquiries about swine influenza from the public can be directed to CDC at: 1-800-CDC-INFO or www.cdc.gov/flu/swine/index.htm

THEN WHAT? Please report any suspected infections to DCHHS immediately at 214-819-2004.

On a completely different note: My friend Dawn has a new blog that y'all should check out: This Side of the Ditch.

We'll do lunch. Cheeseburgers.

We have a new celebrity in the house. As opposed to an old one? Well, a new celebrity in that, he isn't yet a celebrity but is sure to be soon. Our little Harvey has been chosen for super stardom:



The wise people at I Can Haz Cheezburger have chosen this picture for their new book of lols. Harvey is bored by this.

damn, I'm tired

I am a very bad self aggrandizer, I mean... blogger. I've been working so hard on the garden that I haven't had the energy for much else. And yes, it is coming along. I've discovered that ordering plants from online sources when you have memory issues makes for some lovely surprises. I just got a notification that my "order" has shipped from one website; I can't wait to open it and see what it is!

I can't believe that it's true, but I actually have corn and beans growing in the back. Honestly, I didn't expect things to grow! I wasn't so good at the orderly rows, but it will do. There's a guy that has a front yard vegetable garden that is sooooo orderly. I drive by and feel so inadequate! Anyway... I shall now post pictures of things that make me happy.

Her highness, Queen Victoria:



Some succulent that isn't supposed to survive freezes but my nurturing kept it going. Aaaaw.



The same is true for this coleus:



And these succulents:











This is my "pot of fire":



Finally, a new succulent I just acquired (that's code for, "mom bought for me.").



Oh, and being green and OCD SUCKS. It is taking me so freaking long to do my pathways because I insist on reusing the water I use to separate the gravel from the dirt AND I insist on the gravel being pristine.

A tree grows on Lovers Lane

I finally have pictures.

This is what the front yard looked like when we bought it:



As you can see, the lawn was quite green and healthy looking and the look was, well, manicured. I never liked the weird circles or the vinca major, though it did fill in everywhere quite nicely.

After months of digging, covering, rototilling and generally making a complete mess, this is what it looked like after the rototilling on Tuesday:



And now, pathways have been dug (though more gravel needs to be extracted from the backyard) and planting has begun:




Yes, I know I spelled path backwards. Speaking of paths, this is as far as I've gotten with the gravel:



Not very far, I admit. Tomorrow is dig more gravel day.

So, I may just have a lonely plant here or there, but it has begun at last. It's odd: I liked the landscaping when we bought this house. I really liked it, actually. Except the weird circles and vinca, that is. It's strange what living with it and realizing the kind of water it takes will do to your perspective. I admit that not every plant I have planted so far (fuschia!) is water wise, but I am doing pretty well on that front. I did threaten to kill someone for almost stepping on one of my plants. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. Then again, he didn't step on it. Oh, the corn and beans are popping up in the back, too. I also have what are probably sunflowers from bird seed at the edge of the patio. The previous owners shoved rocks in good nesting holes and didn't feed the birds. I, obviously, do feed the birds and have been amazed at the new birds I've been seeing. There was one out there the other day that, I swear, was talking to me. He was tweeting at me, and not with a computer. The bird feeder also happened to be empty, so my anthropomorphic imagination conjured up an entire conversation:

Me: dig, dig, dig.
Bird: Hey
Me: dig... what a pretty bird!... dig
Bird: HEY
Me: dig... stare...
Bird: The feeder is empty.
Me: Stare.
Bird: Did you hear me?
Me: Is your feeder empty?
Bird: Are you slow? I just told you it was empty!
Me: Aaaaw! what a smarty warty birdykins! you let me know that your feeder weeder was empty wempty!
Bird: Lady! enough with the stupid wupid baby talk! Mama has to eat!
Me: Shuffle, shuffle, pour.
Bird: Damn, you shuffle like the wind!

Oh yes, I did make up that whole conversation in my head. What? like you don't scare the neighbors, too. I am also, apparently, the "black plastic lady" in the neighborhood. My neighbor told me people were calling me that. Just you wait! in no time at all I will be the "raving lunatic who threatens people who even breathe on her plants" lady.

OCD isn't just a label, baby!

I stopped taking Adderall and lack the focus to write. Surely there's something for ADD that doesn't cause you to crash? Anyone?