Oh Speedie hope you are back on track soon and feeling better.
Mid-Atlantic Gardening: Your Neck of the Woods 2015 Part 5
Goodness, Speedie, so sorry to hear that! That's awful how long you have to wait for an appointment. :(
Oh man Speedie, sorry to hear about that. Hopefully the doc can provide some help. It's too bad it will take so long but hopefully it will come quick for you.
SPEEDIE, you know I'll be praying for relief and that maybe a spot would open up sooner in the doctor's schedule. Hugs,, dear!!!!!
I'm so sorry to hear that, Speedie. Isn't there any kind of medication a GP could give you to relieve the pain while you wait to see the neurologist?
speedie, how frustrating! I'm so sorry to hear that! I'll be thinking of you...
Thanks guys, the well wishes and prayers are muchly appreciated. I have been added to the "cancellation" list, so I'll get called in sooner if someone cancels; that would be a help. Past experience has shown that the medications that are helpful for many are not effective for me.. they either don't help alleviate the pain or the side effects are far too dangerous to be tolerable (like, toxic levels effecting my liver n' stuff like that). It's the ol' Grin n' Bear It method for now. :) Thank God for God, eh?
Thinking of you, today, dear. Praying you were able to rest. Yes, thank God for God!!!
Good gosh Speedie. Hope all works out soon!
ouch ouch ouch adding my prayers. Speedie, my mom & I both get trigeminal headaches, and carbamazepine works for us. Trade name is "Tegritol," and we take the chewable tablets, twice daily when it's acting up. Just in case that's one you haven't tried... The other thing that helps for me is heat... I put a wet washcloth in a ziploc freezer bag and nuke it until it's steamy-warm. *gentle hugs*
With colder weather and rainy weather we may have a little down time to sit and relax. There is a great site on the old Cubits website. Among some other interesting things there is a free Jigsaw puzzle forum. Right now there is over 2000 puzzles to choose from and if you post pictures to the free graphic data base you may get a few of your own pictures turned into puzzles. You should go over and check it out if you have the time. OH don't worry you won't pick up any viruses over there either.
http://cubits.org/PlaypenGraphics/forums/view/jigsawpuzzles/
HollyAnn, that looks like a fun site, I think I'll be visiting that while I have the time, thank you for sharing that. :) Kind of scary, I have the time for a new addiction right now. ;)
Critter, oh yes, heat is wonderful on the face! Thankfully we have a new water heater so I can stand in the shower with boiling water beating down on my face and have no fear of emptying the tank, ha! .. well, OK, not really "boiling" water, heh heh. Sadly, I have taken Tegretol (and a slew of others... Amitriptyline, Nortriptyline, Imipramine, Gabapentin, Phenytoin, Valproate, Lithium, Clonazepam, Valproic Acid...I don't remember what all else), and they have all been equally horrible; they either did nothing to touch the pain, or they knocked me on my butt and had my blood levels in the toxic range and my liver threatening to jump out in just a couple of days.
My guess is there are differences between TN and the headaches you 2 experience. My experiences include no headache involvement at all, it's strictly the waves of sporadic, lancing facial pain; usually in V2 and V3, but occasionally V1 as well.
Meanwhile... I think I might have a pic or 2 of that "Big Shed" around here somewhere... ;)
First, there she is! The concrete ramp was poured free-hand, and I think he did a pretty good job of it.
The second shot shows the right side of it, where.. "somewhere" along there I'm gonna put a Ruby Falls Weeping Redbud within a curved bed beside that side of the shed. That will be my "Disneyland", where I can play with plants as much as I want. (the rest of the bones will have to stay put).
The (next-to-the) last pic shows the left side, where we will install a little hedgerow of .. I'm thinking Soft Touch Hollies along that concrete base. The rest of that soil will be improved, and then sown with a shade-loving grass seed. There's nothing but shade back there, and you can see it is right next to the wood line.
OK,.. REALLY the last pic.. heh heh. Here's how it looks from the deck. Really not all that intrusive and huge at all! :)
Looks very nice, boy that is a lot of concrete work with the slope you have.
Looks great back there Speedie!
Thank you, we're very pleased with it. :) There was also that concrete poured under the deck as well, to be ready for the little mini sheds to be built under there. That should happen in another week or so. Here's a couple pics of that work.
First, the extension of it down off the deck steps, and extending out from the original concrete pad that was originally poured just outside the back slider. All these pics were taken before the deck was cleaned and re-stained, by the way.
Second pic, view from that original pad back toward under the deck. Hard to see, but the next shot will show how the gradients are "stepped" under there.
Each grade under the deck will have its own little lean-to built on it.
DH just **had** to carve our initials in the concrete before it was set. Yeah, it looks like 5+5, but it's really S+S! :) (I guess it was hard to do with a pen in half-set concrete and nowhere to rest his wrist). ;)
All that concrete looks really good. Do you know how many yards of concrete were needed for that part and the shed?
Hey thanks! It's gonna get a whole lot better, just need to get some of this stuff paid off first. Next year we'll get that fence line planted with Sky Pencil Hollies at each fence post, (back and side fence), Matching Hostas in between, a Steeds Holly on that corner mound and at the end of the side fence, the Ruby Falls Redbud in the to-be-created bed by the shed, compost throughout the entire yard, ... maybe new sod throughout the back yard... THEN it'll look like something! :)
(The 2 pics indicate where the 2 Steeds Hollies are gonna go... I think those should work nicely there; a good size and shape, evergreen, and NO PRICKLY LEAVES!)
It was a total of 7 cubic yards. All told, not too bad. We ended up using 6 cubic yards of blue rock to fill in much of the center of the slab where the shed is sitting, leaving an 8" perimeter of solid concrete all the way round, reinforced with rebar and a couple layers of wire mesh.
Good thing you had that blue stone to fill in the center of the concrete. Sounds like that helped a lot. Did you get a concrete truck to come in or did you guys mix the concrete yourself?
That is going to look really nice I keep thinking of how beautiful SSG's garden is and what a change that white fence she put in made, it is a great backdrop for the plants.
s
YES HollyAnn, that's what I keep thinking about too!!! I've actually gone back through here and looked at some old posts of hers, and compared the "before" and "after" pics of hers and showed DH, that fence has made such a huge difference in her yard!! I'm hoping this one will do the same for us as well. I know all the plantings and curved lines will make it look smaller in our already small yard (not to mention that shed!), but my hope is that it will make it look "warm" and "cozy" and "inviting" not just "OH MY GOSH IT'S SMALL!". ;)
Seq, yeah, I am really thankful for where I work, I got a good price on that rock and got it delivered. The guy who did our concrete work for us "knows a guy" who filled up his concrete truck and delivered it here...("The Concrete Guy"'s name is Gerry). Gerry was here that day with his 4 brothers and 3 wheelbarrows, and they wheeled that stuff all back there lickety split!
Oh I so wish that I had taken a picture of the "Private Entrance" I saw yesterday. One of the homes in this development had a break in the shrubs with a sign "Private Entrance" there was a path with a beautiful lawn pretty wide with nice plantings on either side looked more like a small private yard than an entrance and that is just what I thought a lovely small yard. I will get a pic when I can. Serious rain coming down here right now.
Oh wow Speedie. It sure does pay to know people :-)
NICE!!!
Oh Speedie, that sounds so horrible :( So sorry for what you are going through. Hang in there lady, and get better soon!!!
The shed project looks nice. I love how crisp and clean white looks. I see the new white fence in the background too :) I think you'll love how your gardens will look against that white back drop. I've seen first hand how it looks in SSG's garden, and it sure is striking.
Speedie, everything looks great!
As I read your list of planned shrubs and plants, I wondered whether you have deer in your neighborhood. If you do, they'll be very happy with your choice of plants : - )
Here we go Speedie, I can see why they have it marked as a private entrance. Looks almost like a small park. Very small area with seating area, fire ring, horseshoe pits, gravel path and secondary seating. I think that in a small area the grassy areas if there are some must be in very good shape.
Oh Holly, thank you so much for braving the elements and homeowners with shotguns to get those beautiful pictures!! =) You're right, it looks just like a little min park, it's so inviting and pretty, I love it. Yes, a smaller grassy area like that has got to be much easier to keep in very good shape... and that is my hope for my back yard as well. Now that we get lots of sunshine back in there I'm very hopeful for good grass.
Thank you Aspen. ♥ Today has been a relatively low-pain day; it makes me feel guilty for being off work, but I just know that the minute I think everything is fine it will come sneaking back up on me... it's like Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown. As soon as he thinks it's all OK, -- WHAM, the ball is yanked out from under him and he ends up flat on his back. Hahahaa!! (that's the best analogy I can come up with for the sneaky nature of this stuff). Anyway...today has been a pretty good one, so I was able to go out and get some errands run. I think I will dig through SSG's posts again to re-find those pics; I love seeing how beautiful hers turned out!
Muddy, thankfully we do not have any deer issues where I live, it's all been squirrel problems. When I had those 3-tier benches out back with all the pots on them, I'd have the squirrels digging in the Hostas and bulbs like nuts...now that there will only be in-ground plantings I'm hoping there will be fewer problems with them. Either that or it'll be time for me to find a recipe for squirrel stew. ;)
Seq, you are so right, it has really helped to know people! Gerry, it turns out, is local to me, and has asked DH to do a little electrical work at his home for him next year. If we can get that little connection going on there that would be wonderful. Gerry is awesome at concrete work, he does this "for real" at his day job on large scale jobs like Potomac Mills and multi-story business complexes in Virginia, and has been for nearly 30 years. He does little jobs like ours as a side job. Great work, and a really honest, hard-working, great guy with wonderful integrity and work ethics. We are both really thankful to have met a Class Act like him. :)
Speedie, everything looks great! I'm really glad we got vinyl fencing. At first I didn't like the vast whiteness of it (felt sterile), but it really does a nice job of showing off green foliage. And the shrubs are finally starting to mature and cover up some of the white. I'll take some more pictures once we dry out!
The only downside is that I can't have too many white flowers because they blend into the background too much.
SS--
Put some white flowers away from the fence, but put them where people WILL see them
and then the white will lead to the further white (your fence) where the person will
notice some special planting you chose to BE noticed.
Kind of a bit of psychology...... G.
Almost makes me wish I had a worthwhile skill/trade that I could use to barter with others. Gardening isn't something that is really helpful because 'just anyone can pick out a plant and make it grow'..... :eyeroll:
Too much hard labor (of love) in gardening.
We just came back from seeing ' Everest' at the theater. We have both read the book this is based on (Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer) - it was a MUST SEE for me, as I've read the book 2-3 times, plus a couple other mountaineering books.
As an outdoor adventure movie its certainly gripping. Reading the book gives you a lot of background that they can only touch on in the film;, though they did give good hints, I might not have picked up on them if I hadn't been so familiar with the story and people.
Home for the night, blech, who wants to go out in this chilly rain? Cat is glued to the lap.
I actually got home from work a bit early today, and it was so cold in the house that I just had to crawl in bed to warm up and for a little late afternoon nap. Mike and I were going to go out for dinner, but it is a nasty night, and nope, I don't want to go out either. He is going to pick up Chinese take out instead. Wonton soup sounds good to me. He told me no way no how would we be turning the heat on yet, but I am so tempted to do it while he is out LOL.
I'm so excited to see 'The Martian' in the theaters.
I understand the botany/space gardening in the movie is actually quite interesting. Matt Damon plays a botanist!
I don't like trailers or spoilers so I haven't actually read the article I'm linking here, but it talks about gardening in Mars. Imagine!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/in-the-martian-finally-a-botanist-in-space--but-without-seeds/2015/10/01/70891744-6789-11e5-8325-a42b5a459b1e_story.html
a fire in the fireplace would be so nice! all my wood is soaked.
Aspenhill, I was so cold last night I couldn't fall asleep. It really is way too early for central heating, but that electric blanket came in handy!
Flannel shirt and vest and jeans. Maybe should have been sweats. Slipper socks, too.
I was cleaning off the BIG table in my Shop today in prep for bringing my BIG pots in.
Like..my two Clivias and the Brugs (cut back). Right now--they are ALL in my shed....
Seems so early to have to do that--but when the weather gets this cold-this early---
I don't think there is a chance for 80*+ temps any more.
Either way....Most of my plants are secluded in protective places now because
of the predicted storms and rains. Under my tables,in my shed...my Club room...etc.
Might as well bite the bullet and start bringing them in for the winter.
Even if the weather warms up again--it is something that has to be done soon anyway.
How are the rest of you dealing with this unexpected cold snap?
What are you doing to protect your plants? at this time?
G.
Sally, You sound like my DD Jen, she read every book on that and enjoyed the different perspectives of the different climbers. I know she will see the movie, Josh is going this weekend. I hope to see it when we get home.
During a lull in the rain I went out to the car, I could hear the ocean from here. I haven't been able to hear it from here before. So I just had to go down and look. Took the golf cart only got a little wet when the rain started back up but the ocean is wonderful. The pic's really can't show how wild it is right now.
Wow, Holly, beautiful *and* frightening!
Gita, all of my tropicals and houseplants are still outside. I don't have anything that would get damaged at 50F. I also didn't bother protecting them from the wind because we're just getting a typical nor'easter now, not hurricane/tropical storm gusts, .
We're supposed to get back to the 70s next week and stay there for a couple of weeks, so I won't be bringing in the true tropicals until closer to Halloween. And the brugs and elephant ears will stay outside until first frost so they can go dormant.