Is anyone else an atheist with BC besides me?
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aussiesheila
yes, plumeria is frangiapani
LIKE A WEED. I am pea green jealous I must look online to see if there's anyway I can grow it as a houseplant in western MA - tho I've had no success with gardenia, or jasmine - lots of green but no flowers. Both are quite finicky about growing conditions, all I can offer is water & south facing windows! Darned if I'm gonna burn OIL from the furnace to keep a plant happy. I wear lots of woolies indoors in winter - btw, we didn't get the snow predicited - the weather persons TERRIFIED us - town had a meeting just to figure out how to deal with the cost of plowing - we're so over budget for that - and then we just got about 6 inches - considered a light dusting here 0 -
I love plumeria .. and like Lisa, it reminds me of Hawaii and the wonderful smells that greet you when you step off the airplane.
Sunflowers .. OMG .. 6 inches is "a light dusting." That's awful. Shoveling snow is good exercise and I don't mind doing it .. but I'm ready to start gardening now and be done with this winter.
I walked my dogs today in 45 mph winds! arghhh! I want warm sunshine!
hugs to all,
Bren
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Sunflowers., hard to believe there is still snow out there!! wow what a winter
you have had. A year from now we will be heading from Southern Calif to
New Hampshire for the 50th reunion for my DH at Dartmouth...hope I don't
have to buy some woolies for that...
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LOL - Lisa - buy woolies!!! Western MA gets it's last frost at the very END of May - white River Junction is about 2 1/2 hours north of us!!! Bbbbrrrrrrrrrrr......I suggest silk underwear - it really makes all clothes warm
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yes, also known as frangi pani here, also. hope to get more colors... 0 -
also blooming here.. star flowers?...3jays 0 -
bumpetybump in case we just fade away.........
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I have a few daffodils up along the road and a garden full of promises. I found the energy to put in some violas as underplantings for the Rose of Sharon. It felt good to get some dirt under my nails again.
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Brigadoonbenson - I completely understand about how good it feels to get dirt under your nails!
Gardening is my passion - actually I think it's almost an addiction. April 8th, 2010 I had my bi-lat surgery. Recovery was difficult especially when it was prime gardening time and I desperately wanted to be working in my yard. I remember sitting on the ground trying to plant annuals and hurting so much that I had to stop. My husband was helping me so he said for me to just place the plants where I wanted and he'd plant them. As I sat there watching him with tears rolling down my cheeks I said something like it was so very difficult to not be able to do the things I was used to doing & how very badly I wanted to have my hands in the dirt. That sweet man scooped up some dirt in a pot and put it next to me and said ... "Here, put your hands in this".
Even though I went though chemo before surgery, radiation after surgery, more chemo, the loss of the implant on my radiated side and have been dealing with frozen shoulder which has been almost worse that surgery, this year is MUCH better.
The retail business I did computer work for closed in February and I'm now unemployed. The positive side of that is that it's really given me time to recover and time to play in my yard. :-)
So ... here are a few pics of my spring bloomers ...
Ahhhhhhh ... a room with a view!
Spring veggies - kale, 3 different types of lettuce, and broccoli are doing well and I'll be getting the tomato plants in the ground this weekend.
Don't you just love this time of year??
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Hey there, sister atheist!
I'm just out of treatment, after chemo and radiation. Now coping with hormonal "anti-estrogen" meds and awful leg pain.
I confess, I became very tired of thanking people for praying for me -- but my mother didn't raise me to be rude. The prayer shawls (they swear prayers are knitted right into them!) found other homes, mostly because they were pink - I do not like pink any more than prayers. I guess I found it helpful to consider the motivation behind people's messages, rather than the message itself.
I do not hide my atheism, but neither do I announce it. I live in a rural, evangelical-rich region, and if ever there were a winless situation, it is this. I work in academia, so some of the enlightened faculty are heathens like me, but the staff? Very kind, thoughtful, and all praying for me!
Best of luck to you, dudess.
Ellen
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Bec9861
I love our magnolias - to had to smile when you said "don't you ove this time of year
My lilacs are JUST beginning to show some buds, green buds - tho a few daffodil have grown enough to bring inside & "force" in water. A neighbor also cut some of her Qunce for me to bring inside & also force in water. Our last frost is May 31!!!! So the only thing going into the ground this week is Sugar Snap Pole Peas.
Know what you mean about the feel of the soil - I hae a wooden decorative sign near my desk: the word GARDEN in large letters, and beneath it: "There's Magic in the Dirt."
Can't wait to smell the lilacs - and I also love Lily of the Valley: very old fashioned, reminds me of a favorite grandmother.
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Gardens - yes!!!!! Spent a few hours in mine this week. Wearing an old winter coat 'cause it was cold. Burrrrr.
Hostas are budding through the ground, as are the iris and daylilies. Heleborium (sp?) my spring personal favourite is in full bloom. Haven't seen the Trilliums yet.
I feel like the earth strengthened me.
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Lovely. Thanks for sharing.
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The oak tree that was doing poorly last summer is still doing poorly. The leaves are small, sparse, and pale. I have spread 13-13-13, iron and Epsom salts (magnesium) around it and I am waiting to see what happens. I may add some bone meal in case the ground is short on calcium. The base of the tree is over 4ft in diameter and it would be a terrible loss if it dies.
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Notself, I hope that your oak tree pulls through. If you Google oak tree problems sparse leaves there are a lot of links. Maybe you can find something helpful there.
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River_Rat,
Thanks for the suggestion. From what I just read, either my tree is short on nutrients or it is diseased. If it is diseased there is nothing to do but wait for it to die or cut it down.
I have fertilized it and will call an arborist if I don't see improvement by the end of May.
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Notself, one thing that I noticed was that if grass is close to the tree and you're using lawn fertilizer that could hurt the tree - not the right nutrients for the tree. I hope you don't lose it.
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There is no grass close to the tree. We have a bagger attached to our lawn tractor and it mulches oak leaves. Several years ago we spread oak leaf mulch under all of our trees to cover roots that were being exposed by erosion. These are old trees. The mulch has now turned into rich soil and all of the other oaks are doing well.
We fertilize our lawn every other year with a low grade fertilizer at half strength so I don't think over fertilizing is a problem. I believe the oak was hit hard by the ice storm we had two years ago and hit again by the summer drought we had last year. We have had a very wet an windy spring and the tree hasn't lost branches so I am hoping that it is just hungry and not diseased.
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Notself, I'm so glad to hear that you have other oaks and they're doing well. I just love big, old oak trees but don't have space in my yard to have one myself.
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We have 7 oaks with the smallest having a trunk about 3 ft across and the largest having a trunk over 5 ft across. The oaks average 60 ft in height. They were taller but the ice storm caused a loss of the top 15-20 ft of branches. Our hickory tree has a base of about 3.5 ft and is about 30 ft tall. We have a large maple and two smaller ones.
We have quite a few evergreens with the star being a very large lob lolly pine which is about 60 ft tall. Our other evergreens are 3 large cedars and a half dozen Leyland Cypress. We have just planted 3 apple trees and two 2 pear trees.
Since we don't mow along our property lines, we are getting more young trees all the time. Of these younger trees, 7 are wild cherries. We have one large sassafras tree and many many baby sassafras. The squirrels are planting baby oak and hickory trees all over the property. If it was left unmowed for 50 years, it would be a small hard wood forest.
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Greetings Notself and Riverrat - I've not been here in a while - just smiling about the trees - we have lots of oaks, here, too - Notself you might be interested in a lovely book on trees - a sort of the secret life of trees or what's really going on - called The Global Forest by a Canadian Diana Beresford-Kroeger - maybe get it on library interloan? a total delight - but won't answer gardening questions!
For instance - we have black walnuts here and she says - get this - a child who holds the black walnut nut-ball (lime green and very pungent with juglone the black walnut chemical) will be conferrred immunity from childhood leukemia. She IS a biochemist and expert on trees. Might be some nifty info on oaks and your various local trees you might enjoy.
Daffs and trilliums and dutchman's-breeches in full bloom here, and the spring frothing-out like delicate fairy dresses on the trees - my absolute fave time of year
Metta
Arlene
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We use to say "Hey, hey, the first of May. Outdoor loving begins today." I am old enough that now I say, Hey, Hey, the first of May. Living outdoors begins today". Hope that's true but at least we have a beautiful day to begin the month. Got up this morning to blooming tulips and what a happy sight they are. My mantra for today is garden, garden, garden. Hope everyone else is having a beautiful day also.
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Hi: I too have been newly diagnosed. I'm not exactly an atheist, but I'm not religious & if I were, I'd be a pagan. However, under the heading of "leave no stone unturned " in my quest to beat this disease, if someone I know who is religious asks me what they can do to help. I say "Pray for me".
I am finding it extremely difficult to stay calm & optimistic. Instead of prayer, I do regular relaxation exercises to try and keep my anxiety at a minimum. Physical activity is also helpful & with spring coming, I'm looking forward to more of it. I find walks in forests particularly calming; frankly it's the closest I get to a religious experience. I would suggest any activity that makes you feel at one with the world/universe.
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jr081952 - I was diagnosed in January and knew immediately that I was going to get a dmx with diep. It just felt like the right decision for me. I can't say that I didn't have a lot of anxiety about this but knowing my course of action and pursuing that gave me some peace because I knew I was doing all that I could do. I am also working on strengthening my immune system. I am sure that the stress of the last few years was a number 1 contributor to this diagnosis.
I think your relaxation exercises are probably one of the best things you can do.
I am more of a Panthiest than anything and I have been doing a lot of reading on Quantum Action, Quantum Physics and Mechanics. Nature and science have given me the answers that I have never found in other beliefs.
There is a lot of courage on this website and when I am weak I borrow some from someone else. Hate the reason you are here but glad you found this forum.
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Thanks Caerus!
If you guys haven't seen this movie, you really should rent it. I just watched it last night. I've been a closet agnostic for years. I've heard it said that agnostics are just atheists that are afraid to commit. I think I'm finally ready to commit.
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Hello all. Been out of touch for awhile. Good to "see" everyone. Welcome to those new to the thread.
I too find comfort in nature and animals. Even a park is "heaven" to me. I used to stop by a park on my way home from rads. It was centering and made me feel normal again. I also am a yogi and practised almost every day throughout treatment. Right after surgery I couldn't do yoga, but did meditate. There is always some way to feel better if only for a few minutes. And those few minutes lower cortisol helping de-stress us.
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Hiya folks. As soon as "atheist" or "agnostic" slips out of ones' mouth that person is an immediate target for the born-agains and those virtuous persons of faith..
As for me, please respect my right to Freedom from Religion.
Enough said.
Thanks,
~w
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Wreni - that response to saying you are atheist or agnostic does not happen everywhere. It is much more a feature of the culture where you live.
Here in my part of Canada no one would say upon meeting a person "what church do you attend?" Except for those peculiar people who think it is OK to come to the door with their religious pamphlets, we rarely even know (or care) what is someone else's religion.
Well, there was that discussion at the bridge table the other day: I told about being surprised at our usual Friday visit to the pub last week when a whole bunch of families with children came in on what we thought would be a quiet day. Our wise friend, the server explained that these people had been to church for Good Friday and now were taking their families out for dinner. It was a great surprise to my friends and me that there were church services on a Friday. Someone commented that any Friday you go to the pub is a Good Friday.
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Good Friday, indeed! :-) I live for the day I can live in a place where people don't automatically assume one is a church-goer. Or ask me about my relationship with Christ. Etc., etc., etc.
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JulieH - it must feel like a pressure cooker to live in that kind of environment. I rarely know the religion of my neighbours unless I go to one of their funerals.
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