Accessible Gardening: #20 Practical Matters for Physically Challenged Gardeners, 1 by seacanepain

seacanepain wrote:
Hey, Sheri!!! It’s good to see your post on the #20 thread. I like the taste of a perfectly ripe fig straight from the tree. My definition of ripe is when it barely holds together for a quick rinse under the faucet. However, I get an odd sensation in my mouth if I eat many that way. It isn’t a problem if the fruit is cooked and I came across an impressive collection of recipes on the website of a California grower. It caught my eye because there are savory dishes along with the usual desserts.

http://www.valleyfig.com/recipes





Carrie, I’ve never noticed hydrangea have much of a scent. But then, I never noticed the distinctive aroma of figs until we moved them close to the main building. There is a relatively new introduction from Monrovia called ‘Golden Crane’ that is advertised as fragrant, but I haven’t seen or heard much about it since the introduction fanfare.

Beth, my favorite recipe in the I Can’t Chew cookbook is potato turnip soup and country pie for the meat dish.

I have a mild case of dyslexia. Some doctors say it isn’t a true form, but the result of my first grade teacher trying to make me right-handed and that caused the wiring in my brain to get a little jumbled. I am solidly left-handed. Anyway, I downloaded a free screen reading program to keep up with the reading. The only problem is now that I can easily read what I write, I write more. LoL.

TTC, I finally realized you meant my snail mail and went through it. Thanks. PharmDogs are a great idea. I know Kay isn’t doing as well outside since she lost Tate in January. Tate was a yellow lab mix Kay’s brother gave her when she lost her LeaderDog, Stanley. (Stanley was a yellow lab.) I wish there was a breed of dog as easily trained as yellow labs that didn’t have the double coat. Stanley and Tate were amazing dogs, but all that fur was a problem.

We need a dog with a sleek coat like Fenny. I’ve thought of training Fenny. I know beyond a doubt she is more intelligent than Tate was, but where Tate virtually trained herself, Fenny is impossible to train. Tate loved games, but I can’t get Fenny to play a single one. Fenny saw Tate retrieve balls hundreds of times and anything else anyone was willing to throw. If I try to get Fen to retrieve a ball, she just looks up at me and makes the strange talking sounds she is so well known for. Knowing Fenny, I imagine she is saying something like, “You threw the darn ball. YOU go get it!”

Fenny does the job she has chosen for herself well. Kay’s like you, TTC, in that she has a bad habit of overworking. It’s like she either has no energy or way too much. If Fenny decides Kay’s been outside too long, she makes her come inside. Fenny whines and grumbles and nudges Kay’s hands away from whatever she is trying to do. If that doesn’t work, she will lay down where Kay is trying to work or intentionally body block Kay when she is trying to walk from one place to another. Kay inevitably gives up and says, “Okay, let’s go inside.” After being tricked once, Fenny now insists Kay go inside first. It’s hilarious! I know this dog is intelligent enough to be trained but she would have professional trainers pulling their hair out in frustration. For those who do not have a screen reader, I will stop here. LoL.

(Jim)