Gardening, anyone?
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All,
Love seeing the pictures of night animals and everyone's flowers! I am thinking about a camera to see what goes on in our yard at night.
Mariange43, This is the first year my lavender has grown. I don't know why ... It is just growing.
Jazzygirl, thank you for the kind words.
Coach Vicky
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Mariangel, welcome to our garden! I know nothing about lavender except that it's my favorite color. I'm going to add some to a small flower bed I have planned... as soon as DH gets our new sidewalk put in.
Jazzy, I'm still praying for rain for you! 🙏 Hopefully you'll get some soon, sizzling is not good for plants!
Vicky, sending gentle healing hugs and prayers that your treatments pass quickly. We've got your back, you just need to take slow deep breaths and rest as much as you need and enjoy your garden when you can.
Gardennerd, awesome pictures! I've got 2 cameras but never figured out how to work them. My DS figured it out but he forgot to show me before he headed back to TX, oh well
Enerva, I was tempted to get an automatic sprinkler that was activated by movement. Withyou living in an apartment your lower neighbors may not like getting splattered with water. They have some that you fill with water and are solar powered which would work well for you.
It rained off and on most of the day yesterday so I just slept all day. I can't seem to figure out why I'm so tired all of a sudden? I don't like it! I'll wander out to check my garden in a bit to see if my tomato and pepper plants have grown with the rain. They still seem awfully small to me, they are growing peppers and tomatoes so I guess I shouldn't worry about plant size. The only thing I have planned for the day is to pick up the fallen branches from the storms Saturday and Sunday and mow the yard. I'm worn out from just thinking about it. 😜
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Hi ladies- the news is funny here, they said we are in a cooling trend now which to them means not 100 degrees? It is upper 90s now but going to 105 by Friday. Dang!
My front yard rock garden plants have shrivled, most seem to be dying or withered out. The succulents are fine for the most part. So sad to me, and done my best to water a couple times a day and also have drip but it is just too hot for too long right now. That being said, the perrenials may get new life when the summer rains come. The monsoons should be ramping up soon.
The back yard gardens are holding their own for the most part, some shriveling but they get less sun and are doing better.
Gardennerd- great pics!
Vicky- any time sister. After all, we are a breast cancer support site, right? Gardening thread is fun to watch even if you cannot garden right now. Something to look forward to. And if I can suggest this, make a list of all the things you want to do when you are better? It helps to have thing to look forward to- trips to take, gardens to plant, people to spend time with, food you like to eat that may not taste good right now.
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The above is before the landscaping. I had someone bring in dirt and plant some evergreens. I added flowers. The below is a picture as it looks now. I still have a lot of work to do to make it match the picture in my head.
Here's a close up.
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Ananda, it's beautiful just as it is! I love it!
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Gardennerd, what awesome night pictures! Who would have guessed so many visitors would show up?
Ananda, that is gorgeous and looks like you have planted my type of plants....ones that mostly take care of themselves while looking beautiful.
Jazzy, I understand the sizzling garden. That is why I am mostly planting peppers now. We had too many years of high heat and no rain and I would lose my veggie gardens after all the work I put into it. I don't plant a lot of flowers for that same reason. I do have 2 beautiful fake hanging baskets which also give me joy. Still hoping for rain your way and mine too. We got teased with a misting yesterday. It was so light that I went out and watered the veggie gardens, the flowers, and the grapes and blackberries. I figured if I did not water then they would all look awful tonight when I got home and since it takes me about an hour to hand water I was not looking forward to that. I still prefer nature's watering as the plants do seem to perk up a lot better.
Scottie, what a cute lil frog!
Welcome to the site Mariangel! Lavender is such a great plant...looks great, smells great.
Enerva, sorry to hear the squirrels are back. I didn't know bonsai bloomed. What type is yours?
Teka, That beauty bush is so pretty as is that red honeysuckle. I have some of the invasive yellow that has made its way to the front yard and wrapped around the water faucet there. I should pull it. Ugh
Vicky, it's OK and will get better. I find on my worse days thinking about the garden helped me as it always brought me joy in the previous years.
Lori. I still experience that tiredness too. I think it is the body still recovering from the assault on it and then the AI I take contributes to the feeling too.
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I almost forgot...I picked my first ripe blackberry yesterday! Yeah me! LOL I may need to get some netting over the plants so the birds don't get the rest as they ripen. These are the plants I put in last year after losing all the others to the years of drought. I should cover the grapes too as they will start to ripen in the next few weeks as well.
DH built a small porch for the front of my new shed to make it easier for me to get in and out of it. He says he is putting a railing by the step "in case" I need to grab it. Since my treatments it has definitely become a little hard to go up and down stairs and even to get out of chairs. I had moderate arthritis I dealt with prior to BC but now everything seems to have intensified. Grrrrrrrrr But ...motion is lotion. :-)
~Heidi
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Does anybody use shade cloth? We don't need it here but it seems like it might be helpful where there's more sun. Our front lawn is mostly clover. I'm fine with it since it doesn't need any care and stays green much better than the grass. People here let their grass go brown in the summer. It's green from fall to spring.
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Wren- my sister was talking to me about plant tents today. It will be hard to do that here, but may consider. She has a second home in Palm Springs and it is going up to 123 there tomorrow.
This is what I joke about but now it is feeling like no joke?
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Jazzy. . .123 degrees is insane weather. We are having an odd Georgia summer. Mid to high 80s, when it's usually 90s and rain almost every day. Keeping fingers crossed.
Scottie
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LOL Jazzy...but again..I understand!
Wren, I have thought about shade cloth but would need quite a lot. My understanding is that you typically get only a year or two out of the fabric.
Wren, we don't normally water our lawns either. DH likes it when he doesn't have to mow as there is nothing to cut when it doesn't rain.
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Great day yesterday! Thank you all for your encouraging words.
After a swim DH (I call him Pool Guy in the spring and summer, Mountain Man in the fall and winter.) we went to the garden. We gathered strawberries, red and white radishes, and out first zucchini!
Coach Vicky
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Jazzy, I heard about the nasty heat wave you guys are having, I thought we had it bad here last week in my area. Hope it breaks soon.
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I read this on my Farmers Almanac and wanted to share 😍
Fair and green is the marsh in June;
Wide and warm in the sunny noon.
The flowering rushes fringe the pool
With slender shadows, dim and cool.
–Antoinette Alcott BassettJazzy, 123!!! Holy cow! We lived in Alamogordo for 4 years and it'd get so hot and crispy every summer with very little rain during growing season. Dang!
Vicky, yay for great days!
Heidi, yay for your DH building you a porch for your garden shed! I'm wondering if it's the AI that I'm taking too? I can deal with a sleepy day now and then as long as it doesn't move in and take over my body. Otherwise, it'll have to move out! If it were just that easy.
My beans are doing great and I have the cutest baby cucumbers. We got a nice down pour late last night so it saves me from watering this morning. I'm trying to send rain to everyone that needs it but it keeps getting sidetracked!
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Ananda. . .;lovely raised garden beds. Keep that picture in your mind and just keep adding or changing plants each year. We've been working on our gardens for 19 years. I keep re-purposing some of them.
Jazzy sorry about the extreme heat. My friends in Cali are frying and Dd's boyfriend lives in Phoenix which was nearly 120 yesterday,
We are getting tropical rain again today. Plants and lake are loving it. We are NOT! Sending our rain north and west to all who need it.
Scottie
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The new beans seeds I planted because the squirrels got to some are growing nicely. One tomato plant has three flowers already.
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Lori, Arimidex knocked me out. I couldn't keep my eyes open. I switched to taking it at night and was fine in the daytime afterwards.
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Hi folks- just to clarify, not that hot here in central NM, but down in southern NM, it will be hotter and Phoenix and places in Palm Springs and Palm Desert are in the 120s. Phoenix is cancelling flights, tarmac not stable in this heat and seen that once before but not in awhile. Dangerous heat.
For anyone here taking AIs, the pharmacist advised me to take it before bed as I would not feel the immediate SEs when I took it. I have stiff joints that are with me always, but it helps to take it before bed. I was on Arimidex and my MO changed me to Aromosin about a year or so ago (less joint SEs). Its a long time taking these (5-10 years) so keep trying to figure out what works.
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Thanks for the rain thoughts/sending Scottie and Lori. I wish it were that easy so those who needed it could get it from those who had too much. Mother Nature can be so unbalanced.
Wow Jazzy,,that is crazy heat for sure to cause the flight cancellations. I read somewhere (and it may have been a post from you) to take the AI at night so I have been doing that too recently.
Lori, I started my AI in mid November. I still think it is the main cause of the tiredness along with the healing body. My aunt went through the surgery last year too, before I was diagnosed and her main concern is also the tiredness. I keep thinking "This too will pass." I know that if I stop too much of my regular routine it seems a little worse. That's why I keep up my dancing. Too bad the tiredness doesn't translate into letting me fall asleep right away at night and sleep more than 2 or 3 hours before awakening.
Mommy and Lori, my mouth is watering at the mention of fresh green beans. I hope you get many, many of them! I planted my cuke and zuke seeds a couple weeks later than I normally do but we have a long growing season so I should be OK.
I picked 3 little tomatoes this morning. I am having taco salads tonight so they will get used right away. Or I may just eat one by itself and savour the homegrown flavor
~Heidi
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Jazzy, I heard about the flights being cancelled out that way.
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Wren, I already take it at night lol I know the heat has something to do with it also. Most of our yard has mature trees and 90% of our yard is in shade so everything I do outside is in the shade. I just haven't gotten it intomy head that I can't do what I was able to do a year ago. Some lessons I just can't seem to teach myself 😜
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Jazzy, do you notice the difference between the 2 AIs? I am on Aromosin and, like you, had the joint pain prior to the medication. But now it seems so hard to get out of a chair if I have been sitting more than a short period of time. I am always up and walking at home during commercials to prevent that stiffness. Once I start moving I am OK but that initial get up and go seems to have gone. LOL
I am also taking a claritin tablet each day as I read that it can help lessen the pain. I did a trial run, then stopped it. I started it again because, for me, it did make a difference, My family doctor says he had heard it worked but was not sure why.
And sitting by the garden watching everything grow just makes everything feel better!
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Heidi, our gardens are our best Blessing.
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Heidi- my MO told me Aromosin would be easier but honestly I did not see a huge difference. I have noticed some of the sorer areas like my elbows and feet seem a bit better through time though. I get tired too sometimes, which can be from lots of things. My MO confirmed last visit I can stop after 5 years and will be coming off them next March. I know a lot of women are on the 10 year protocol. The heat is making me tired here right now! I need a siesta!
The thing that has helped me the most is swimming. I have always been a swimmer but changed back to a community olympic pool this past April, and now swimming up to 1 mile at a time (70 lengths). Last night I broke a personal record and did 80 lengths, whoot whoot. I find it keeps me feeling stronger and helps to keep the joints lubricated. I like bike riding too, but not back to being strong with that yet either. Walking and hiking still has it's limits because of my feet. And well, that outdoor stuff is out of the question until this heat wave passes.
I am definately stiff when I get up after sitting awhile. I try to move around regularly, but notice especially after a plane flight where I have been sitting for a few hours.
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Here is one of my favorite forums on BCO:
Topic: For Arimidex (Anastrozole) users, new, past, and ongoing
Forum: Hormonal Therapy - Before, During and After — Risks and benefits, side effects, and costs of anti-estrogen medications. Note: Please remember that there are good experiences and bad with ALL treatments and this is a safe place to share YOUR experience, not to be influenced or influence others.I am switching to the TEVA brand of Arimidex based on information from this forum. I might have fewer SEs.Coach Vicky
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You bet, Lori!
Jazzy, congrats on being less than a year away from coming off them!! The swimming sounds great. I know it did wonders for my arthritis but DH did not put up the pool after I was diagnosed last year and he hasn't mentioned it this year. I wonder if a hot tub would help. Too bad insurance companies don't pay us for the more natural pain relievers like pools and hot tubs...and garden supplies!
Vicky, I'll have to check that section out and see about useful tips they might have as well.
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Heidi- I was going to a gym for awhile and the hot tub did help too, but find exercising in water helps more. Can you find an area pool (YMCA) etc. to go? Lots of people do water aerobics and even aqua zumba. I love the later, the place I go now just has the water aerobics.
Coach Vicky- Good idea to try the Teva generic. I am on the generic for Aromosin. The Arimdex thread you mentioned is a good one, was on that for a couple years!
The tree guy was just hear and gave me a quote to do the large ash tree pruning. He said probably will be back in August to do that work. He also looked a my funky oak tree and said he will return later in the year after it is dormant to bring that up and that it will fill out more on top with time. He says it looks good, just needs some more help. The oak was planted in 2012 and the top died (transplant shock) but it had a good leader so we sawed off the ted top and the leader is now sky high (probably 25 feet!). Tree guys rock!
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Thanks Jazzy. I live out of town and carpool so no time really for me to get back into town to swim. :-(
I headed to the blackberries last night knowing there would be a nice handful of ripe ones. But...not a single ripe one. They had been picked off by the birds! Grrrr. I told DH that we needed to fling the netting over them tonight so I can at least get some as the rest ripen. May need to throw netting over the grapes too as I know from experience that I can come home and not find my grapes either.
To top things off my freezer part of the frig seems to be going out. Things on the top 2 shelves have been defrosting. it is 16 years old so I guess it's time to look for another. But it sure is a pain in the tush especially if we have to go back into town tonight. My net flinging may have to wait.
~heidi
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Heidi. . .I need to check my figs and blueberries. Last year the deer got them, but birds may be too. Sorry about your freezer. We had a chest freezer in the garage for years but it was hard to get things in and out. When that freezer died, I bought an upright full freezer for the garage. We love it and use it to stock up on meats, frozen fruits, veggies. Pretty much everything. Good luck. Home Depot is a great place for appliances.
Scottie
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The birds will get my figs too if I am not quick enough to harvest them. I don't mind sharing, but don't take everything!
Ohh yes, Home Depot and Lowes. I'll have to check there. I started to fret a little because our Sears store closed down last year. Two years ago we were looking at refrigerators because ours was giving us a problem. They had such nice ones with cool (no pun intended) features. But then for a $75 part my husband fixed ours. We also have an upright freezer in the garage and a small refrigerator(also 12 and 16 years old) out there. I tend to..err...ahem..cough cough..keep all of them filled up. I would hate to look at the things on the very bottoms of each freezer and see how old they are. But I may need to toss some things to make room i9f we can't get a new one for the house right away.
My student worker has brought in the loveliest of plums. No insect damage at all and so juicy and tasty! She says she has an apple tree whose fruits are almost ripe and a big fig tree too. I am in fruit heaven!
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