Apropos of Nothing v.5

Whew. Glad you went to the doctor. Sounds like "cat scratch fever".

They're creapy but they're cool. I want 3 or 4 to put around the yard. Whew they are expensive. I'm going to look for used ones

The hunt for cheap hea........ ... ...oh never mind.

So glad you went to the doctor and got started on antibiotics. Those kinds of bites are not something to mess around with. Puncture wounds from teeth, garden tools, etc can be very tricky. I hope you feel better very soon. Most of us don't like to take antibiotics but there are times when you really need them.
Cat scratch fever is something different, caused by a bacteria carried most often by kittens until they are around a year old. It is normal for kittens, and a few adult cats, to carry that bacteria. It causes swollen lymph nodes and is often scary because until the diagnosis is made it can look like a really bad disease. It's a fairly benign disease and is treated with an antibiotic. This happened to one of my sons when he was little, and the doctors who poked and prodded his lymph-nodes thought he might have a deadly form of muscle cancer. He had surgery to have a few nodes removed, and when the pathology report came back as cat scratch fever we were elated, as you can imagine. I don't know what it was, but somehow, through the whole thing, I knew he would be ok. It was just a "mother's intuition" I think.
I like those heads, but I can see how they might creep out some people!

I was speaking tongue in cheek. Don't know, of course what bacterium is causing the infection, but it sounds like there is one!!

I always use antinflammatories (Advil) to reduce the swelling and hopefully you are on an effective antibiotic. You will know when about 5 to 10 hours after starting oral ab's you temp goes down. I always use epsom salts on bite wound but only over the opening.

Ah ha! I was right about the Epsom salts! Mom strikes again. I hope Pony is sleeping it off and letting her body do the fighting.

summer, it's an interesting question what my hook is baited with. I'd like to say I'm finished fishing, but I don't think anyone ever really is. Lately I think my bait says 'I know what I'm doing here and I can probably help, but don't count on it'! LOL! I think that's why people are always coming up to me in stores and asking questions as though I work there. It can be very disconcerting. They always look so confused when I tell them I don't work there.
Fortunately or not, when I'm out and about, mostly I think my hook says 'do not disturb, and if you have drama, I don't want any'. That makes me sound like an old curmudgeon. I don't think I am, but I do like to keep my distance. I learned a very long time ago that most people do not want to be rescued from themselves. Call it a side effect of the job. Whatever road they are traveling down they are on for a reason.

I don't know about those heads. I think they would haunt me in a sick kind of way.

Pony, rest well and heal quickly. Not so sure I am a fan of your new holiday tradition! Hugs!

Summer, I like the concept of sending your decorations out into the world. I think that fits the true spirit of the holiday, and affects the people who really mean something in your life rather than strangers who would pass by your home. I wish I had time to play with recipies like you do, your posts make me drool!

Pixy, I love your response to Summer's question! I don't think that it makes you sound like an old curmudgeon... I think that we just eventually pass the point in life when "drama" is a desired part of our life. We will never escape it, but you reach a point where you don't intentionally seek it.

As for the heads, I am not too keen on them... must be personal taste. I would love to have all sorts of creepy gargoyles haunting my garden, but the heads are just not my flavor....

Julie, I love your posts.

As we get older, we pull in our horns, for better or for worse.

In the last few years, I jettisoned most of my friends, who usually were journalism colleagues. I certainly have moved closer to family here in Oregon, but I have to say that being near my college friends Lisa & Larry was a major pull as well. Is it valid to move cross country to be near people you love to whom you are not related? And yet, they make my life worth living in some ways.

Lisa called tonight to make sure that I'm driving to Portland for the game on Friday & can I stay overnight & of course I had to say, "Look, I'd love to, but I'm there every other weekend & you WILL tell me when I've overstayed my welcome, right?" And she said NEVER & I said, "Well, how does your husband feel about that?" So she asked him & there was this uncomfortable silence & then Lisa came back on the line & said "He was trying to think of something clever but couldn't so just said, 'She's fine.' "

I didn't mean to sound soppy about how much I love my friends but I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that, when you've never had children, or you're not really part of a 'couple,' it's a treasure to be welcomed into other people's families.

I'm with you, SK. And, as your friends with kids become immersed in a different way of life, often you're the first thing that they lose a connection to. At least that's been the case for me.

It must be nice to have a little vacation getaway with a couple of people that you have so much in common with.

Katie, I thought you had a big family. But apparently I have just the barest grasp of who's who around here ... Let's see: Rarejem has a husband & rides motorcycles, Judi is an architect & has 7 kids ... Pony's husband is named Tracy & they have lots of tattoos ... Pixy, um, likes dogs ... Willow likes it quiet ....

Honestly, babe in the woods here.

I think you're making a good stab here. That's what I know. Although I think Willow would surprise you - she has a big heart but a wicked sense of humor from what I can tell.

Yup, it's just me and 5 dogs and too many cats to count living in the woods . . .

Oh gosh .... SOOOOO pretty.

Pixy likes dogs... ROFLOL!! I guess that is true. Katie likes dogs, too. We should post our basic bio info for Summerkid so she can find her way through all of us. After all, so many of us, only one of her.

My basics:
Married 27 years to Mike. Two children: Claire, age 24 (but who's counting), Andrew, age 17, a senior in highschool. Two dogs, down to two cats after our recent loss of beloved Crookshanks. Other hobbies besides gardening: sailing, listening to books or reading them when I have the chance, Cement art.

Beautiful, Kathy! You do that all by yourself, too! That's amazing.

This message was edited Dec 15, 2009 11:19 PM

Aw, thanks, Pix. Long way to go - but with your help and help from others, it'll be visit-worthy before too long.

My hobbies? Apparently they included staying online and researching and being distracted by other people's successes. I love to watch other people work . . .

I love this. Sorry - I've been lurking lately and not posting. I do check in almost daily with my PNW family, though. I appreciate our diversity and love.

Married 36 years. 4 sons: oldest's family lives in Beaverton (hence the pull from the PNW), twins- both married, and the youngest is in Houston. 7 grandkids. I'm my mom's caregiver. DG is my lifeline. Am in a reading phase which will probably lead to a cross-stitch phase. Then of course - gardening. Don't do pictures though, however I enjoy everyone elses.

Summer - I am also a woman living alone, and even though I have a bunch of kids, they are all adults now. We are a close family, but they are my children and not my peer group friends. My kids are my kids and my friends are my friends, and occasionally they co-mingle. Your non-relative friends can be terribly important to your happiness!

I have been single for 14 years after a 28-year marriage, 7 kids & 7 grandchildren, recently retired architect, also an RN limited to medical projects, studying to soon get my Oregon RN license (after 15 years in arch - eek) in order to work with the non-profit OutsideIn, love to ski & snowshoe though skiing results in aching body, read lots, love animals, 1 dog 2 cats, interested in how public spaces affect behavior and a sense of community, new to gardening but love it, love not waking up to an alarm clock.

I spared you the names and ages of my kids & grandkids for the same reason that I don't carry all their photos in my wallet.

OK, here goes Summer.
I now also live alone in a large house on 10 acres and have a spectacular view of Mt. Rainier. I lost my husband of 46 years very unexpectedly last year and find it a very difficult process to adjust to that. He was very talented in doing almost all every day stuff and was very creative in helping me with establishing my gardens.
Rarejem is my daughter and also best friend. She lives less than a block away, on 5 wooded acres and has inherited her love of gardening from me, thank goodness. I have two German shorthairs and a minature Schnauzer and also share Julie's three dogs as they like to be wherever the action is. I am semi-retired but help out at our family owned autobody shop, managed by Julie and also son Ward, who has two grade school kids. All cats live at Julie's house, outdoors, as the shorthairs are not very good to them.
I am sole caretaker of my 92 year old mother, who still lives in her home by herself just 1/2 mile away. I have several close friends including Azorina, and am thankful for them and for the fact that they have not deserted me now that I am a widow. Cabindweller has also been a dear friend for nearly 40 years. I find friends every bit as valuable as family and more so than more distant relatives.
I love my gardens, have three greenhouses, a koi pond, and really enjoy photography, reading, and music. The family has a vacation house in EWA that we love to go over to where we can enjoy fishing, birdwatching, the lake, and just relaxing as well as the good crop of tomatoes we can grow and the wonderful fresh fruit we find over there. We also take an annual trip to northern BC for salmon and halibut fishing each summer.

OK, enough already. I am sure Rarejem will add another chapter. Now you can probably see where she gets her writing habits from.

This message was edited Dec 17, 2009 2:03 AM

katie,your home looks lovely. And both of you read me pretty good.
I'm married, 26 years, on Jan 1, 2010. We've been together 29 years. I have one daughter who isn't married but has 30+ kids in her classroom of 6th graders. She has a masters in Special Ed and I love her the most. My DH has three kids, 11 grandkids and 14 great-grand kids. All beautiful and healthy and self-supporting and i love them all also. I grew up on a small farm in Kitsap County, had horses and lots of fun. Lived in Seattle for 35 years before coming back over here to retire. DH taught me to golf and I love that. It's a nice way to be outside in beautiful places. I also used to ski. I garden,crochet, crossstitch, do leaded glass and paint birdhouses. Sometime I will tell you about how we built our house by ourselves.
A picture of my daughter's house at Thankgiving.

This message was edited Dec 16, 2009 6:32 PM

I am really enjoying reading about all of you - this was a great idea!

I will take that credit and run with it!

I Love those red walls! I had red in my living room in my last house. This house doesn't call for red, but I do miss those walls. Has to be the right color red and that one is yummilicious!

Here's the orange living room that goes with it. I didn't get a picture of her purple kitchen

Wow!

Love those colors! The red dining room is very inviting. My bedroom is purple - deep like eggplant. My living and dining rooms are dark gray/brown - you can't really tell which it is. Any body else have fun colors?

I just have blue, tan and rose. I think it looks like it is in it's pajamas. Here is a picture I took down the hall from the bedroom.

Love reading about who all of you are.........
I am in a 10 yr relationship with a great guy, having been divorced from husband after a 27 yr marriage. Have 2 grown sons, one in VA, one in NC. The one in VA has three great kids, 1 boy, 2 girls, all of whom I adore... Been in BC for 10 yrs and loving it. RN in newborn intensive care........ I WISH I were a better gardener.....and you all inspire me, make me laugh.and cry.in recognition of all our great humanity......... Thanks for letting me be a part of this!

Love those colors too! Your pics have inspired me to get started at this house now that the outside has taken shape. Kitchen will be Red to match my Aga, one wall in the family room will be red to compliment - rest of the walls here are builder cheap yellow/white guess it's time to change that. Office study space will be pale, Ice blue - first to get done when I return from holiday visits. Decisions to be made as I go and dependent on the weather. If I can't be outside playing then inside painting/wallpapering will do as well. Kids are still deciding on their decor... plenty of work for several winters.

Portland, I'll bet the Eggplant color in your bedroom is fabulous. Perhaps I should surprise traveling DH with a "new" color. Might end up living in the barn with the horses!

OK I too have enjoyed the summary. Summer I first of all I change my interests every week. I have a 3 acre garden with raised beds and I have enjoyed building each piece of it all. I and my DW have lots of time sharing our garden and because, there were 2 previous wives, and I have learned to submit to her plant decisions. I love every sort of water transportation, I sea kayak, sail, canoe, race sailboats, and most of it is solo so I can escape the crowd. I enjoy getting away from the cities and thrive on isolated treks into the wild. My goal is to be eaten by a brown bear because nobody from my home town in Mich has been. So like Timmothy Treadwell I hang out and hike and sail the edge of the Pacific Ocean with these facinating creatures. Whales and Sea Lions are also a friend of my travels. I read lots and love to see how this world was created in the millions of years of God's hard work. Geology, Weather, History, and Glaciation consume most of my reading. Being a Christian I also seek how the big book can make me a better resident.

*waves*

Hi gang.

Hand is getting better. Day 3 of antibiotics, and the swelling is pretty much gone. Still hurts but not as bad. No more fever. *whew*

Glad you're back.

Thanks. Me too- I was having internet withdrawls. ;)

I was just thinking about your hand, wondering how you were doing. So glad it's better! I must sleep now. I am crazy to still be up.

Sofer, 1) Are brown bears carnivorous? 2) You are very lucky to have DW. Not many women would consider a guy who has 2 ex-wives under his belt. 3) I admire your obvious ability to withstand cold. (This from the woman whose ambient household temperature is holding steady at 48 degrees.)

Off to the Jacuzzi to soak & read ... gotta be up by noon tomorrow to drive into Portland to watch Mizzou's national championship attempt at the unholily early hour of 5 p.m.

Pony, so glad to hear about your healing hand!

In Alaska Brown bears are Grizzley Bears. And you bet people are dinner bells. They up here are less prone to attack as in Montana. Most of we fisherman and kayakers carry large rifles or pistols. I have had 2 chase me out of tent and they left me alone but the tent was totaled. My Wife and I were friends from kindergarden through College. Her best friend was my girlfriend of 10 years. As far as the chance to take on me I agree but I have spent most of my adult life working on not "fixing" the world (and women) anymore. We Codependents are doomed until we use some boundaries.

Good morning all. I'm fairly new to DG and just starting to explore the forums. Thought I'd try tracking a local one to begin with. My life in a nutshell: Married since '74, 2 adult children, 1 grandchild, 1 dog, 1.5 cats (mine and a walk-on I feed but don't allow inside). Live in a now too-large home on 15 acres in north Snohomish County. Lots of perennial gardens around the house and barn, recently converted our fenced vegetable garden into an herb labyrinth (see photo, early spring '08) which is slowly taking shape. We have a year-round salmon creek, in-stream pond, fields, wetlands (ya think), and woodlots. We recently got rid of our livestock, and I am now enjoying identifying and cultivating native plants in our wild areas. We struggle with beavers, trying to find a balance of coexistence (currently they have the upper hand, and have us flooded to the point we have no access to our back 10). I'm a semi-retired paralegal, working on a very part-time freelance basis from home. My husband continues to go down the driveway on a daily basis to the salt mines. He's a golfer and tinkerer, I'm a gardener and reader. Hope to exchange some thoughts and ideas with like-minded folk.

Welcome, bonehead! You will find the Pacific Northwest group to be lively and have few qualms about discussing almost anything. We rarely stick to the topic at hand, hence Pony's beginning this thread, which has no topic. We are also addicted to photos so let me be the first to beg you to post more! What a beautiful garden in your first post! I can't imagine keeping up with 15 acres, beavers or no.

My welcome, too, bonehead. Look forward to seeing your posts and your pictures. What a wonderful garden your picture shows. Please stick around!

The forum had been quiet enough that I didn't think that I would have much to catch up on with missing a couple of days...boy was I wrong!

Kathy, your yard is beautiful! I think that is the first picture I have seen of it other than the tree/fence one.

Willow, I love the wall colors in your room photos as well! In our old house, I did a different color and stencil work in each room, and just loved it. This one is so small with no wall space that it's not really an option, so I just have to work on having a colorful yard instead.

Pony, so glad that your hand is getting better!

Bonehead, welcome! You will very much enjoy the PNW forum. Everyone is wonderfully friendly, and although the topics often drift, the insight, intelligence, and plain old sense of humor of the members makes for educational as well as very entertaining reading.

Welcome, love your name - Bonehead! Your location sounds wonderful, will check back in to see your herbs. Good luck with the Beaver.

Pony, glad to hear you are on the mend. Animal punctures can be ugly.