Shes's about too...42

Well, this is what I am working on for my angel trumpet garden. I will probably put some ground cover in as well, but this is what we have so far.
I spent all day yesterday cutting all the old fence boards. Everything is in place, now it just needs to be assembled! The fence boards will go in the back, and the timbers will be the front and the sides. So after cutting all those boards yesterday, today is a day of rest. Muscles are too sore to do anything else! It is 32' X 7'. I think that will hold a few of the brugs.
So far I have 24 new cuttings ready to be placed, as well as the plants I have from last year, about 10 I think!
Please pray they all make the move!
LK

Sorry, forgot the picture.

Does anyone here have experience with growing Esperanza Gold Star from seed? That is the only thing that HAS NOT germinated in my 'oven greenhouse' :) I SO want that plant---it's too expensive to buy a plant here...

Thanks for any help/suggestions...Jan

Just wanted to show you an update on the black pussywillows. They have been inside over a week and you can see the ones in the back are turning real black. The ones in the front picked up the flash in the camera and do not show any black. It is amazing how the burgandy fades into black after a few days in the warm house.

Tatters, you really have a BIG project going on. Can't wait to see it. And yes, that Judy Garland is in bloom now. I have a Peace & Love rose bush that has one big bud on it. DH cut all rose bushes out in front way down and I was beginning to worry about them, but they are growing up just fine now with all the rain we had. Got to go out again and pull more weeds so everyone can see the bushes.

More rain heading our way, this weekend?? Weatherman tells us that but most of the time, but I just wait and see.

Love those pussy willows, JBerger. You can almost see them turning color.

Jeanne,here is the other ones.

3

4

Thanks Bonnie.

I just love to see new sprouts poke their little heads up out of the soil. Every time I see a "new life" I'm reminded of the short poem, "Who plants a sead beneath the sod and waits to see believes in God".

Yep.

Everything is big in Texas. Haven't you heard that saying? It's true. Come down Bonnie for the East Texas RU. I have a very cheerful hummingbird themed guest room just waiting. It won't be a nursery anymore by then. :) I would love to meet my brug mentor.

I agree with Bonnie, Debra, give Pauline whatever she wants. Why should she be denied things that really give her pleasure at this stage of her life. Drs sometimes just don't have a clue. I'm thankful for mine. But in the end, it's I who makes the decisions, not him. I know what you are going through is hard. My father died slowly from enphysema. We were at his bedside when he died. My hubby's mom died from breast cancer. We were there her last week. We just let them have whatever made them comfortable and happy.

Ok........Cody, the babies look good. Mine are thriving. I hope to have a couple big enough for the RU.

LK, the bed will be just right for your brugs. Gives them protection from the high Texas winds. I envy you your fencing. My brugs will have to adjust to life next to bushes and low rock walls. You do know that muscles hurt worse on day two. So, take tomorrwo off too. :)

I have always like pussy willow. We actually had a tree in our backyard in Amarillo. Daddy would cut a branch off to spank me with when I messed up. Despite that I still like them. I never knew there were black ones. It's a beauty.

Jan, why is it the one you really want to germinate, doesn't. I have one like that too. Hang in there. It's probably waiting to be motivated. Kinda like Bonnie's "push, push" . We can say, "sprout, sprout darn you!".

Thanks Jeanne.Now i can't wait for them to grow and bloom.

Well, that may be awhile yet. One thing for sure is, the brugs do teach us paitence.

Yes,they do.

Lots of patiences for sure, but well worth waiting for, because when they bloom, we all do the big grin Happy dance!!!
LK

Hello my lovely friends! A very long day here and I am tired...It doesn't take much to tire me these days, as I begin each day tired, but I thank God almighty I am still here and happy. What I have on my plate is very little compared to those worse off, or sweet Pauline. How wonderful Debra that you and she have each other. I know she has given to you, and you her. It is indeed some days that only God carries us through, and I know your days are hard now emotionally. We all hold you close to us, and pray for you both daily.

Okay.........my doctor's visit..................My Googling research, AND my friend Linda's led us to believe that the heavy vomiting and length of illness CAUSED the low blood sodium. My doctor sat with me for almost an hour (with patients waiting) discussing my case carefully. What I thought was true sometimes is...vomiting leading to low sodium. However, it can sometimes work in reverse. My Dr. feels like I have had extreme drops in sodium which in turn LED to the heavy vomiting and nausea. He carefully examined all of my medications (remember girls, I am a young 46 but a sickly one, and I take 11 needed prescription medications per day.) Dr. is puzzled by the extreme drop in sodium, but it is really detective work now to try and pinpoint the cause, but the Dr. feels in his gut that given a little time this situation was stablize on it's own and we may never know exactly why it occured. My sodium is still very low, but not as bad as it was last week, so I am hopeful it will slowly improve. Chest xrays today, simply to rule out any chance of pneumonia or signs of tuberculosis. Already have done abdominal xrays to rule out the gallstones.

I go back Monday for more blood...sigh....However one sweet nurse is much more tender and careful than the others, and now she asks to do me and I am grateful. You know how it is, they run you through like cattle in the labs, and there are like 7 lab techs...So I am grateful and somewhat relieved that she can just pick me and do it on site. It is traumatic enough for me being "hard to hit" because I have no veins, and being swollen and blue already. Her gentleness is like a balm.

What I have can be very dangerous and life threatening if it bottoms out...But my Dr. would hospitalize me before that happens. It is just staying low enough to keep me miserable. He is watching it very carefully, and I am not that dangerously, life threateningly low. Just bad enough to keep me puking and nauseated.

He says I cannot have more Phenargan suppositories because he doesn't want me to have another medicine I am dependant on. My friend Linda is sending me Slippery Elm tea and extract which she swears by for nausea, more natural.

I know I have told many of you much more than you would ever want to know about my little worry, but you ask how I am and to let you know, so by cracky, now you know more than my real family! Hmmmm...I must feel close to ya'll, you think? LOL

It gives me great comfort to know that you all are here each day and care about me. Thank you all for your continued prayers. This is by far not a serious illness like cancer or such, but it still feels scary to be ill all the time. I love you all....

And hey, it's gettin' warmer, my veggies look great, I have good friends and my faith in God is just getting me right on through this, so I am fine in spite of all. I can't be sick, there is just too darned much stuff I need to be doing in the yard! Thanks again, and I'll check in soon. Love you bunches, Karen

Hey Karen, so glad you posted, and explained everyting. SOunds like the Dr. is trying all he can.
We will continue to send prayers for you, and a fast recovery!
If i was closer, I would bring you some chicken soup, or something!

Get some sleep.
((((((((((((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

LK

Karen, saying prayers for you. So much going on in your young life, and you need to be 100% well so you can tend to your plants and veggies.

{{karen}}

Karen, here is a big hug for you. Stay strong and keep the faith. Love ya.

(((((Karen)))))

o.k. gang, I have a question.

When you plant your brug seeds, do they take misting daily and a dome on the container until they sprout or is it best too just let them get dry before you water them. I usually mist my seeds and keep them damp, but I have never done brug seeds before and I do not want to harm them. I am very careful not to get them too damp. Thanks, JB

I have soaked my seeds in water over night, then kind of scrape a little place off them, so they can sprout easier. Then place them in the soil, with just a little bit of soil over them. I keep them moist, until they do sprout, and get a few leaves on them, then they will be stable enough for you to transplant to a larger pot.
Hope this help you.
This is my method.

LK

Thanks LindaKay, that helps alot. Approximately how long do they take to sprout?

That all depends on the seeds. Some will pop up in a few days, maybe a few weeks, and some have taken a month or more, so don't give up on them, if they don't sprout right away! What brugs are you trying to grow?

Some that AuntB gave to me. I had no luck with cuttings and so I want to be very careful about how I do this. Thanks.

Well, I wish you bunches of luck. I have had great luck from cuttings, and from seeds.
I place my cuttings in the dirt, right after I cut them, and so far, I have had 24 of 30 take root! Not bad. Some I lay on the side, and others I place straight up and down. If you lay them on the side, you get more sprouts from it. Just keep the cuttings moist, until they root.
LK

I was told to put them in water and ignore them, that is from the woman who gave me that
big one I have. I did that and they rotted. So much for that. LOL It was an Angel's Trumpet (I want to call it a nerd, but that is not the word.) I am such a mess when it comes to names. I caught heck from the Brug list for not knowing that was not the name of the darn plant. I was lucky to remember that much. I need to write them all down in my book and study them or they are gone with the wind. What do you call an Angel's Trumpet that is not really an Angel's Trumpet? I will write it down this time. Thanks for the help.

I think you are talking about a NOID, which means it has no name. No ID. Some of us do place them in water for a while, so they can get roots, and some of us have good results, but last summer, I lost a lot of them because they rotted. So one of the girls told me to try rooting them in soil. I have had more luck that way. I guess everyone is different. There are many ways, and we just need to find what works easier for us. So if you have several seeds, and several cutitngs, try them both ways, and see what works for you.
Good luck!
LK

Girls I'm still weak, so I copied and will paste here a letter I just sent to my family....I am so happy!

Hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!!

Dr. Beard took my case home last night and spent hours reasearching my medications....

You know I am Bi-Polar (Manic Depression). Once when I was hospitalized at the Mental Hospital in Tyler, a Dr. added Trileptal, which is in theory an anti-seizure medication, although it is commonly used to treat Bi-Polar. to my regular anti-depressants because the anti-depressant alone was not enough to help me at the time.

I have been on this medication for about 6 years now. Most of you know that for about 6 years, I have had spells of nausea and vomiting for no good reason, much more than any average person should be having.

The Trileptal is the culprit! Dr. Beards research found that Trileptal can cause massive drops in sodium. I have probably had low sodium for years and didn't know it, nor would the Dr. know to look for it in a blood test. It took a horrible plunge and 4 weeks of vomiting to get me where it was researched like this and discovered. I had faith in Dr. Beard to figure this out....

It only finally got bad enough to just about kill me before they knew to test for it. SO, Dr. Beard said to quit taking it immediately and I should be all better. Thank God the puzzle has been solved.

I am very happy today but still weak until I get that level up. Thank you all for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers....Hey, anybody wanna go dancing? LOL!

I'll go dancing with ya!!
Thank GOD, they have discoverd the cuplrit. I swear, the meds today, can do more harm, than good!
Take care, and throw those pills away!

LK

Karen, I am so happy to hear the problem has been solved, God bles your doctor for doing so much research, and of course your friend Linda who started the ball rolling. Hope to hear you are ready for spring time planting. It is beautiful out today and I want to spend more time outside, but inside needs work too.

I discovered I just can't do any multitasking, mind does not go in two directions at same time. Was going to patched up some holes in dry wall before I did any painting, then discovered my bag of MG waiting to be used so planted up a couple plants in an oval container, got them at Lowe's for $1 each. Then thought I should take a picture. Well, never did get to the patching. Lucky I can keep my mind on one thing at a time.

Only 1 out of several plumeria seeds sprouted, called Pink Ruffles, and this is my slow growing Buddah Belly. Maybe a little music will help

Another picture

What can I plant in a cast iron sink, it is a long one that we brought home from my sister-in-laws? She had it in her yard for several years and since she doesn't like yard work she offered it to me. Now I have had flowers in it, but the depth of the soil is only as deep as your index finger is long so need some with small roots. She suggested some cactus. This picture was taken in "08 but haven't had much luck with flowers since then.

{{karen!!!}}
so glad they finally found out what was wrong! Hoping and praying that you start to feel ALOT better SOON! You've got to have your strength back for our upcoming spring! lol!

waving hi to all!

Anjl

Hello Anjl. Any word form your test results yet?

Good Night everyone.

LK

{{{{{Karen}}}}}} lindakay I will go dancing with you guys too.. Pegi great pictures.. oh I would have a ball with the cast iron, i would put bulbs and lillies, candy tuft and violets, snapdragons and cosmos, beards toungue and cardinalis in the center and maybe even a showy evening primrose with the two other tall spikey flowers.. blooms all year with a ring of mini yellow mearigolds around it and the candy tuft sprinkled with some babys breath and the snaps and cosmos with some anchusa.. well there ya go..

Debra, do you think I can get all of those flowers in my sink? Sounds great, last year I did have some nice flowers, but for some reason they didn't stay. Love the picture of all your flowers, so much color.

Pegi Yes I think so.. can I send you a packet all made up and then you just sow according to height? I am telling you that is what I would do.. here is a container I have put together in December, just added c reeping thyme, violas, ground glory seeds, marigolds, trailing vinca. trailing lobelia.. you can see some are up already..

I plant all season blooming flowers to come up after each one dies down for the summer and then into fall I still have flowers! this barrell looked like this in the spring...