Be sure that she seals her paintings with something so that the paint doesn't wash off. Wouldn't want to ruin her works of art. :-)
My garden's a tight space...
carrie--I am so sorry that your box did not get out today. I was working on getting it packed and we had a family disaster, so I had to stop and tend to that problem. By the time I got back to the box it was just after 5:00. I feel really bad. But I have everything wrapped in wet paper towels and then in plastic, and they are in my cool room. I think they will be OK. It's a flat rate box, and I am going to go to the main post office downtown tomorrow and see if they have a slot big enough for me to put it through. I think that will work if I get the right postage on it out of their stamp machine. If anything doesn't look good, please let me know and I will replace it. The only thing I would not have another of would be the hosta. I had good intentions. My grandmother used to say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I was pretty tired when I came in from outside today and I just waited too long to start.
The coreopsis came today and look quite fine. Since there are two bundles, I am wondering if they are two different kinds. I will get them planted tomorrow and already have a place picked out for them. Coreopsis are absolutely at the top of my list of favorite plants.
Diane
Oh, they are exactly the same, my PCA Tania had packed them but there was too much left over so I had her stick in another. I am very glad they got there ok. Tania has been the biggest blessing this summer. After a horrible winter with employees quitting and the Medicare Department of Special Investigations, Tania appeared at the beginning of June. She is concerned about me as a person and actually cares for me. We have so much fun together! Heres a picture of her gardening with me:
How fun to have someone to garden with! She looks like she's really serious about it too. :-)
I'll have Samuel dig your iris on Thursday Carrie and we can ship them on Monday. Iris don't mind being out of the ground for too long and they have to be dipped and dried so they don't get mushy in transit.
And I have reserved a fan of 'Heavenly Splendor' for you Diane, whenever you feel that you'd like it. We'll do it this fall.
Dorothie
She is fun! She doesn't speak a lot of English and I, even less Spanish. She also had never gardened before! I tell her when I'm done with her, she'll be ready to open a garden shop. She is much more concientious than I, so she would never let thousands or even ten seedlings die!
Maybe the problem with me and seeds is more of that middle class guilt... I'm actually like a Dr. with millions of embryos in a freezer but not until they sprout and I forget to water them is it actually murder. I really do have a problem with seeds. I used to grow nastursiums and once, sweet peas. Now I have the largest collection of packaged dried seed in the continental US!
I feel better now!
xxxxx,
Carrie
I won't send you the seed I have in the fridge then. LOL I don't have a huge collection. I may just throw it on the ground this fall and see what happens though.
Love the fertility MD analogy. It's funny I've never thought of just spreading them before. Think I'll make a stab at it. If they die, then they haven't just perished in the cold without a chance.
Happy 4th everyone!
Happy Fourth to you too, Dorothie!
The last time I dared talk about politics with a friend, it was with a college friend who was ultra liberal (politically and otherwise) when I met her and ultra conservative (I think she's in a weird relegion which literally tells you how to vote) now. She was basing her entire 2004 decision on abortion. I based my entire decision on the war with no end that we already "won". Her argument was about all the unborn babies. My argument was that all those unborn babies were going to grow up and be cannon fodder. I guess if seed-sowing could be less terrifying to me, I might change my politics as well. Ye gods! But I'm still against wars fought for political gain.....
xxxxxx, Carrie
Carrie - LOL dmail me if you want to talk politics. I'm always terrified of getting shut down. It sounds as if we could have some fun.
Ladies, I don't ONLY want to talk about forbidden topics. We can talk about things we like, like gardening. Do you know the game "apples to apples"? It's quite ridiculous, but lots of fun, and different ages can play it together quite easily. First, of course, you have to buy the card game. There are two piles of cards, one with adjectives on it like "sad" "indifferent" "frustrating" "supercilious", whatever, and then there are lots and lots of cards with nouns on them, like "John Wayne" "eggplant" "nuclear war" "lemon meringue pie" "ball and chain" "BB gun" "Mickie and Minnie" "Catherine Zeta Jones" etc. Each person has a bunch of noun cards. The judge draws an adjective card, and the other people put, face down, the noun they thing is the best example of that adjective to that particular judge! The judgeship changes every turn. So I'm judge, and my card is "SEXY"! Nancy has a wild card which she decrees is Ray. My other choices were New York City, a cowboy, and a bunch of non-contenders like "gardening"! I mean, I love it dearly, but it's NOT sexy. So I have to choose between Ray and a cowboy and NYC. And the kids are already starting their chorus of "eeeeeewwww" "I don't want to know" "yuck" etc. (It wasn't just me and the girls, two of their cousins were playing too, plus Tania and my mother.) I chose NYC because that means shopping and shopping is definitely sexy!!!!
xxxxx,
carrie
You are too funny. Shopping I guess is sexy. I can just hear your girls now. It sounds like a very fun game.
I just discovered that I have thrips in my daylilies. Bother. It's causing some problems in my dark ones. Still pretty but with funny spots that really show up in the darker ones.
I dug your iris today Carrie and dipped them. They need to dry and I'll probably ship them tomorrow. As long as they are dry, they don't mind being out of the ground for a week or two - some say months but I don't like to push it.
Dorothie,
Well, it was clearly a trap laid by tiny (12-14-13-15 y. o.) children so it would be MY fault that they had to think about something they allegedly DON'T want to think about but are actually DYING to think about!!! I mean shopping's not all THAT sexy, it's just fun. Unless at garden stores - then my pulse races, I start to pant and moan a little, I tug at my clothes because all of a sudden I seem to get hot .....
Thank you for "dipping" my irises. (What does this mean?) Wouldn't life be grand if we just said out loud "(What does this mean?)" whenever we were confused? I can see it applying to feeling hurt, irate, intentionally misled, etc. - I think it would all depend on the delivery!
xxxxx,
Carrie
P.S. I like having the morning salutations here - public.
Lol! When I worked I used to say that there were no such things as 'stupid questions', only 'stupid mistakes. People should feel free to ask anything they want. And it does depend on the delivery. I think that positive regard is the first thing that has to go with a question. Especially if you are feeling hurt etc. That is that the other person wouldn't have said it if he/she were aware that it would hurt you, or that you may very well be mistaken. I have a friend with a heart of goal who says that whe would never put a bad 'grape on my tree'. That means that she will never assume that I have bad intent. She's a real gem. One of the very few who have stayed friends with me through my illness.
I 'dipped' the iris in a 10% clorox solution to make sure nothing but the plant is making the trip to your house. Bugs or diseases for example.
Today I'm going to lunch with my other great friend Eugenia and then to Pilates. The garden is so beautiful today. I'm really enjoying it.
Dorothie
Doss -
you can do Pilates?!?! Wow, now I'm impressed! I used to be a real aerobics class fanatic - remember in the 80's that was what we 20-somethings did? I used to try to make 3-4 classes a week. Our opening exercize was always balance on one foot and hold the thigh of the other leg so the calf could swing freely, then switch. I couldn't do it unless I was leaning against a pillar. ???? Finally the teacher (her name was Iris and I thought she was the cat's meow!) said there might be something wrong that after so many classes I still couldn't balance on one foot. Then the composted manure hit the fan! Things started happening too rapidly for me to remember the order. The end of that story was the dx of MS and rapid marriage to Mr. Wrong. Oh well, it wouldn't have made any difference if I'd been dxed sooner.
xxxxxx,
Carrie
perennial sweet pea FINALLY blooming
Pilates is my saving grace. I can do exercises entirely laying down if I want to. I try to do some standing exercise every day to help with my proprioceptor problems. I can do all the exercises with my eyes closed which helps with the dizziness. But the other key thing is to get a studio that is rehab oriented. I had been in bed for so long when I started that I couldn't lift my head off of the floor when I was lying on my back. It was pretty bad.
I love it. I only take two classes a week but it's enough.
I used to dance too and wrecked my knee and had to have surgery, so only no impact exercise for me anymore.
The tell me that I'm supposed to be walking but it makes me very sick to my stomach and I hate it. I used to walk at least 10 miles a week - but that was 15 years ago. I did it with friends and it was just so social and fun.
Today I'm going to lunch with one of those very friends. She needs a hip replacement so we're both not walking much these days.
Dorothie
(a solipsistic reply, as usual....) I feel right at home talking to you and Diane. But who will I be friends with in 25 years? I'll be 70, and I guess my peers will have caught up with me. I guess I'll find out when I'm 70!!!!
xxxx, Carrie
Oh, Diane! Your package came today! What a terrific packing job. Tania and I realized as we finished that we hadn't put anything in tot take up the extra space! Thank you, thank you for the gnomes playing cards; it's perfect because my darling DH doesn't care for games like cards, so I'll put it in a container plant he doesn't like, like the Ribbon Grass. he, he, he!
xxxxx, Carrie
My goodness. 25 years. Who knows who will be around then? Better live for the day and savor the current flavor. LOL
Let's see, 25 years ago I was 33. That was definitely a life time ago. I was right at the busiest time of my career, my kids were in elementary school and I was as strong as an ox. Built a deck by myself around then. Now I have to pot something up or dig a little hole and I'm exhausted. I'm glad that I did a lot of things then so I have them to look back on. There's a childrens book about a mouse who spends his time gathering memories and the other mice don't like it, but when it's cold in the middle of the winter, his memories keep all of the mice warm. Lovely. Guess it's a sort of slow down and smell the roses book. I realize now that I didn't really understand it when I was well. The mouse's name was Frederick which is the name of the book.
Pilates was wonderful!
Dorothie
I'm so glad your Pilates was happy, and that you have that outlet! If you're happy now, you can have no regrets, because if you didn't do everything exactly the same, you might have would have turned out totally different. Do I make sense?
xxxxx, Carrie
I understand the concept, but I'm not sure that I'm really a person with no regrets. Wish that I were. Somehow I haven't been blessed with the ability to actually live that. You are quite a remarkable person with as much as has been handed to you that you do live with no regrets. Sometimes I can be in that space, sometimes not.
I'm so grateful for Pilates too. It really keeps me strong and physically challenged and I'm not the kind of person who can keep up exercise without a structure. I've proved that to myself many times. LOL
Today Marty has a lunch with a student and then we have dinner out with some friends. A nice quiet day. Just have to get out in the garden for awhile.
dorothie
Oh, Dorothie, I'm not saying I live that way!!! I wish. That I guess is my ideal, not my status quo. I am riddled with regrets, from 'why did I put that plant there' to 'why did I conceive this child with this man'? (Emma was horrible to me today.) Ray says I'm the queen of buyer's remorse. I think I'm just fussy, and once it's right, it's perfect.
If I don't get out in the garden at least once a day, I'm useless.
xxxxx,
Carrie
Carrie, wouldn't it be nice to have that peace of mind? I work at it too. Sorry that Emma stepped on your toes. It's so hard having girls that age.
Perhaps this is just a reminder to me to work a little harder. When I look back at things I've accepted it seems so silly that they were so hard to deal with. The sooner the better.
I never buy anything that I can't return! That's how I deal with buyer's remorse. I have found though that the more limited the resources are, the more difficult it is to make buying decisions.
Had a lovely dinner tonight with some friends. It was too hot to be in the garden except for momentarily today. I do love the Blue Wave hydrangea this year. I made the mistake of cutting it back at the wrong time and didn't get any bloom last year. Live and learn. It just makes it more beautiful this year.
Hope that Emma is cheerful and kind tomorrow. Is that too much to ask? :-)
Dorothie
Well it turns out it WAS too much too ask... we found out last night she's been lying and sneaking and drinking! Have I totally failed?
Oh no, you haven't failed at all. The problem with teenagers is that they don't know HOW to lie, sneak and drink. No, really. We had a couselor that told us that everyone breaks rules and the teen years are a place to learn how and what rules to break.
I don't think that there are many of us who haven't done all of those three at one time or another. I think that I'm only one of about 10 people on the planet who didn't drink as a teen and I still can't figure out what was wrong with me. LOL
No matter what she did, it couldn't have been more difficult than what one of my teenagers went through and she's now a hotshot at a big company. The thing is that once these kids learn to use their manipulative skills correctly, it serves them well.
I had a couselor that told me, when things were really bad, that everything that we had taught her was there for her to use in the future and that we could count on that. And it's been absolutely true.
Our culture is a very difficult ones for teens and, although we tend to blame parents, there are forces out there beyond our control. Japanese businessmen who come here seldom bring their children, for example, because they can't put them back into the culture in Japan. They are too rebellious after their US experience.
So I think that you have to have faith that you have given your children the best you can - which is all you have to give - and that they can make their way through this.
The only other thing is the complication of the illness. I found even my grown daughters difficult about it. I can't imagine what it does to teens. And there is no controlling that, for sure.
Welcome to the teenage years. Hold on tight. It's a wild ride! But whatever you do, there is no point in blaming yourself. If you can find a really good therapist it might help though. Having a buffer is a very good thing.
Dorothie
carrie--Don't give up, whatever you do, don't give up. Remember that this too shall pass. Keep telling her that you love her unconditionally. I hate to say this, but let her deal with her own consequences. If she fails a class, she gets to take it again. If she is arrested, don't bail her out (and that's the hardest one of all). If she loses her license or gets a ticket for a dangerous offense, take away her keys. It's hard, carrie, so very, very hard. Love her and let her know it, pray for her and let her know it, and just be there doing the best you can. This is something you both will survive. No matter what you do, mistakes and all, remember that you are doing your very best--and don't stop. It will exhaust you emotionally and physically, but don't stop.
I'll be off line for a couple of weeks due to my surgery tomorrow, but swoznick is going to post the preliminary results and I'll talk to you precious ladies soon.
I was making myself crazy trying to make my gardens perfect before my surgery and my daughter gave me a loving lecture. She said I am focusing on everything being perfect, constantly setting deadlines for myself, constantly overdoing, and overlooking all the beauty right in front of me. So I walked outside, smelled every flower, touched each thing out there that I love, and never looked at the weeds or things that are yet undone. So what if the daylilies are not rearranged. The birds don't care. The butterflies and bees don't care. I had a day of absolute joy in my gardens. It's all in the perspective. They are going to water for me until I can do it again on my own. I can throw out slug bait and fertilizer without bending over. They will do all the winter mulching for me--and we will see how things are going by spring. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I don't have to do it all, and I don't have to do it alone. That gives me so much more time to feel I can just heal--finally. I am going to pretend that there is a rod up my back and I will NOT bend over. That's what my tools are for, and I can't keep going through this. I took my doctor's instructions to heart, but I stretched them, and won't do that again.
So, you ladies keep yourselves held together until I get back to keep you in line. Thank you for being my friends and for caring about me. I'll talk to you soon.
Diane
Oh Dorothie, thank you for the encouraging words! She's been a teenager for years now, and she already has made so many mistakes! This is just the worst one to date, and no doubt she'll continue to make mistakes. Yes, I do need a therapist. She has one but she (or we) keep forgetting her appointments. Do you the think punishing does any good? I'm so MAD at her I want to make her suffer, but that's just the petty part of me talking.
xxxxx, me
'Punishment' doesn't work so well with some kids. Consequences are only helpful if it doesn't make you life worse. Is she amenable to consequences? Or does it just make her mad? It's not the worst thing to make her mad, by the way.
First get over your own mad so you can get some cooperation. It's an opportunity to teach.
And get curious.
I think that all consequences of behaviors should start with wondering what it is that the child needs. Acknowledge that the child knows that it wasn't the best way to behave. It's a great place to start. Then:
1. relate to the behavior, get agreement that it wasn't the best choice.
2. be instructive if possible. Wonder why it happened.
3. teach problem solving - or maybe teach alternative options, and allow for a positive outcome. Most kids know when they are doing something that isn't in their own self interest so 'how are you going to handle this next time? I know you can do better.' is always helpful.
4. Include asking them what they think should happen given the situation. In other words, what should the consequence be? You keep the right to decide but give her some right to discuss it.
5. Consequences should not interfere with the parent's mental health. In other words, don't ground her for a month. Take yourself into account.
I'd cancel her therapist appointments until she agrees to show up and take it seriously and go to your own therapist. Or change her therapist. My daughter does 'Narrative Therapy' and it works very well with teens. And it's generally short term if done correctly. We went with our teen and it really made a difference.
Give yourself a big hug!
And Diane - we'll be thinking of you and whispering in the ear of your guardian angel.
Which reminds me Carrie, talking to my daughter's guardian angel really kept me sane. It may sound crazy but it worked for me.
One more thing. This always worked for me. I'd say: "I have something to talk to you about but I want it to be at a good time for you. Why don't you pick a time." Almost always they would want to talk about it right away because they needed to know what it was about.
I've been taught by the very best. What your kids can teach you is amazing!!!
Diane,
I missed yr comment above - we were simul-posting! She's only 15, and so far it's just the lying and secret drinking (vodka, straight up, imagine!) but I can't imagine how strong you must be if you had to administer that much 'tough love'. Getting a 'cruel and abusive' divorce from her father was the hardest thing I've ever done. [Here in the blue states we prefer 'irreconcilable differeneces'.] Do you think she has DNA from him causing her to act this way? I did do some experimental drinking in college, but that was three years older and three years of getting good grades. I think actually learning things in HS keeps your brain from allowing you to make stupid decisions.
xxxxx,
Carrie
Ack! More simul-posting! I'm too sleepy to think about what you wrote tonight... 'Til tomorrow, then.
xxxxx, Carrie
Carrie - I wouldn't worry about her having DNA problems. 13 is very often when problems arise. I know that it seems young but it's a different world.
Put your faith in her eventual good judgement. Let her know that you believe in her.
See if it works. If it doesn't you haven't lost anything.
Good Morning Ladies,
I just wanted to post and introduce myself. I chatted with Diane over the weekend and we agreed for me to post updates to DG friends as this is access that her family support group would not have. Diane's procedure should be starting just about now and last most of the day. Her daughter is supposed to call me this evening and let me know how things have progressed. I'll post tonight after I hear from her. I know that we all join together in prayer and "whispering in the ear of Diane's guardian angel" today on Diane's behalf. Thank you for letting me join your thread in this way.
Abundant blooms,
Swoznick
Hello Swoznick,
Thanks for being so kind as to let us know about Diane's progress. I'll sure be thinking about her today. She's already in surgery at this point and I hope that it's going well.
Gosh, I have a million specific things to say to Diane, but mostly that I pray her surgery went smoothly and that her recovery is swift and her pain is lessened.
xxxxxxooooooo, Carrie
Ladies!!! Good News!!
I've just gotten the call we've all been waiting on. Diane's daughter said that surgery went from 7:30 am to 3 pm and out of recovery at 6:30. Diane tolerated the procedure well with some of the usual side effects of anesthesia, otherwise the doctor is pleased with what they were able to accomplish.
Our prayers have been answered today for progress and safety thru the surgery. Diane will progress from the hospital to rehab for strengthening therapy before she goes home. Even that move will take many days to happen. I will Dmail each of you with a specific or two. I plan to forward copies of the thread to her, so chat as if she were going to answer and I'll relay messages back and forth.
Carrie - you just go ahead and say all those things that are on your heart, I promise they'll get to her.
See you in Dmail..
Swoznick
Diane,
Oh, just things like I know your kids don't have to like you and I know they don't have to have friends. Emma's too young to have a car to take away, thank goodness. In fact they recently raised the driving age and put more restrictions on when and who can drive.
Dorothie,
You say "Consequences should not interfere with the parent's mental health. In other words, don't ground her for a month. Take yourself into account." Thank God somebody finally understands that. Ray will say "you're not going anywhere until this room is clean! OK, I'm going to work now. Bye!" and then feel really betrayed if Nancy's room isn't clean when he gets back. But when he grounds them, it feels more like a punishment for me than for them.
A very busy day today - out with the young reprobate much of the day because she's in a local drama-camp production of "Chicago" and needed "jazz shoes", whatever those are, they cost $33!
I guess I don't want to waste daytime inside, so my chatting time is more limited now.
xxxxxx, Carrie
Thanks so much for keeping us up-to-date. I slept most of yesterday and today.. Must have some bug. I'll be back tomorrow.
At least Diane is on the other side of this surgery although I'm sure that she will have a painful time in her recovery. Let's hope that it's as painless as possible.
And Carrie, you're right. Consequences that parents can't carry out embolden worse behavior and everyone suffers. A small consequence that can be seen through is always more effective.
I hope that her performance is good at least. Is this the one going to Grandmother's? She seems to need a set of new friends.
This message was edited Jul 10, 2006 6:43 PM
Yes, she's the one going to Grandma's, but I'm so dubious about that. It's ok with me if she has NO friends. I mean, friends aren't a requirement, at least not in high school. Passing grades are!
Don't you hate it when a phone call interrupts your train of thought in a post?
Diane,
Here are your little friends. They seem to have found a shady spot for their game! They are right at home.
Well, sadly, friends are sort of a requirement for socially adjusted teens. But grades are too..
I do hate it when things interrupt me so sometimes I just don't answer the phone. But usually DH answers it instead and then I'm stuck. DH works at home so we are here together most of the time - always have been.
Out in the garden today accessing how much shade things are getting. Some daylilies are getting just too much shade and aren't blooming so I need to move them. Luckily I took out those shrubs so I have room for them. Today two of my favorites are blooming - both spiders and that makes life so fun. The flowers are so transitory so I have to make it out in the garden several times a day to enjoy them before they are gone. It makes the garden really good for me.
Your gnomes are quite charming playing cards underneath your spider plant. I hate to admit that I only have silk indoor plants as I'm terrible about keeping up the watering. That's a mighty healthy plant there!
Dorothie
Grrrrr I hate that when I've typed a lot and then it somehow disappears! Typing is pretty slow for me and it's hard work. To see that all vanish.... I remember everything I meant to say, it's just the labor I lost.
Look more closely, lady, that ain't no spider plant! That's ribbon grass that someone sent me, I forget who, aren't I awful? Diane sent me the gnomes along with her box of growing goodies.
Are friends really necessary? I feel like if I give up on her now... I'm not a quitter. I'm stubborn and tenacious. Friends are necessary for me, but I've spent years with no friends, too.
Well, here's one of my favorite color combinations.
xxxxx, Carrie
Oh, that's one of my favorite color combinations too!
Well, guess I was wrong on the spider plant. But it's lovely. Diane is so very generous, isn't she?
Yes, teens do better with friends, but with the right friends. Sometimes even good students blow it too but she's not thriving at school as far as I understand. She's just going to have to start making better choices for herself. And my daughter didn't really start that until she was about 23. My other daughter was just fine and cruised through high school. Kids are very different, that's all there is to it. If I had it to do over again, the thing that I would do is to worry less. That's not quitting. That's acceptance. She doesn't want you to think that she's broken, even if it looks that way to you. She needs you to have faith in her. It's all there somewhere.
I hate it when it disappears too. I'm starting to write emails in text edit and then cut and past them into mail or posts and save occasionally. When my hands shook, I very often hit the delete button instead of the return. Bummer!!! They are better now, but I do remember how frustrating not being able to type or write was. I hated it! Know that you do too.
Dorothie
Dorothie~
Is that your yard? With your orange tree? Wow.
The Red Sox will be there Aug. 28, 29, 30. Sadly, Emma's birthday is the 25th and she may complain. Lucky for her, it's her 16th birthday and Ray has led her to believe that your 16th birthday is different from your 15th or your 17th somehow. Too bad she has no friends in Milton. How exciting that she wants to give herself a party with her 60 closest non-friends. How unfortunate for her that it's not going to happen that way.
I'm taking this whole episode way too personally. I'm having a hard time separating how angry I am from what the best thing is for her.
There's a social worker at her pediatrician's office now. I talked to him a little yesterday, and we just happen to have an appointment with the girls' doctor this morning. So the S.W. said we can come and talk to him while we're there.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't you get tired of having it be beautiful every day? I went to college for 2 years to Pomona, which is in Claremont, CA. I forget what else it's near, well, Ontario airport. I got bored with no seasons. Of course, you probably do have some seasons, just not as dramatic as ours. And back when I was a freshman in college, shortly after the invention of fire, I didn't know anything about flowers.
Back to bed for me!
xxxxx, Carrie
I grew up not too far from Claremont, just closer to the ocean. Pomona is an outstanding college. Seasons here are just subtle. It's the way the shadows change and the length of the light. This photo is of a street just a few blocks from us in the fall. I think that once you are a gardener, different things tell you the time of year. I have lots of perennials, the orange tree blooms, the iris bloom, the daylilies bloom, the dahlias bloom.................. and the winter is quiet and the leaves fall. I have lots of seasons. Many more than four. LOL Believe me, if you were gardening here you would never get bored! You might wish for a break though.
Isn't that a whole lot of the struggle of parenting a teen? Dealing with our sense of betrayal and yet doing the right thing? Handling our concern and worry while understandig they will to make mistakes. Not wanting them to make mistakes?
I'm glad that you will have the SW to talk to. I hope that she/he is a good one.
And it is my garden. And I love every moment of it.
