Who are your garden helpers?

Man, Patricia - I know I only met you once, but I can't believe you're 71! You look much younger than that to me. I guess it's all that gardening!!

Thanks katie, that's nice to hear. I did work out with weights during my 50 and 60s for about ten years. That really helped. And golfing keeps one limber. I don't do either any more since I have to be here with my mom. Can't believe she's been here 2 years already. I love having her here. I made her move in here when she fell and hurt her shoulder at 89. She's says she was doing fine until then. Living by herself and still driving. I tease her about not running away when I'm not looking.

It's so great that you can be with your mom. I wish I could do the same with my folks.

I tried to get my mom & dad to come and live with me but they don't want to leave their home near Lake Tahoe. They are almost 93 and 87. I do worry about them a lot but so far they are ok.

Gourd I hope you find that clawfoot tub. They're the best! You could even put jets in it!

The thing about being that age is that it only takes one bad illness to change everything. For me, it's kind of an illusion that things can carry on for a long time. My folks really resisted even more down-sizing and I agreed with them. But it took one bad cold to put them both in the hospital (and they ended up with MRSA). At that point, they went from completely self-sufficient to needing assisted living - frankly we were pretty luck they both survived.

So we had to do a whirlwind selection of a facility and moving in of them. It would have been better if we'd been able to make all those plans first. But then, you don't want to do it before you have to. It's definitely a tossup.

Now, fortunately, they're in a nice enough place, with all their most important possessions packed in around them in a one-bedroom apartment. My two oldest brothers were great for getting stuff done, but without me I think they were likely to have thrown away heirlooms. They just wanted to be done with emptying the house. It's quite an experience having to juggle all that in such a very short time!!

It was very hard for mom to get rid of her stuff. She worked hard to collect it all. Thankfully I have a large attic space.

I love garden quotes, and for all us who are getting older, I figured I would share this one:

"There are many tired gardeners but I've seldom met old gardeners. I know many elderly gardeners
but the majority are young at heart. Gardening simply does not allow one to be mentally old, because
too many hopes and dreams are yet to be realized. The one absolute of gardeners is faith. Regardless
of how bad past gardens have been, every gardener believes that next year's will be better. It is easy to
age when there is nothing to believe in, nothing to hope for; gardeners, however, simply refuse
to grow up. Thomas Jefferson said once, "Though an old man, I am but a young gardener"."
- Allan Armitage

I have had human mortality slap me in the face recently for honestly the first time in my forty some years. Because of this, living for all you are worth every day that you are able to has been strongly reinforced in my heart. We get tired more easily and we stay sore longer, but we still keep doing what we love. You are only as old as your heart is, and I know that although I lost my Dad at 67, he was still 25 at heart. May we all live to be as young as he was!

I love that line, "Maybe we all live to be as young as he was." I like that quote from Allan Armitage, too. We are all children when we're in the garden. It's true!!

These are my driveway pets. I've had an estimate of 100+ before.

I like your deck.....(and your driveway pets)

Ginger

sorry, I didn't say what they were., quail, Lakeview is overrun with them because everyone feeds them all winter. All of the cats are happy too. I live in a 1973 mobile home; so it's in need of repair. Problem is, hubby is 69, has both shoulders replaced, and has no time for things like repairing houses.

The local feed store/nursery had some baby quails for sale along with chicks and ducks. Gosh they were so cute! I will have to wait until I have more land! Until then I will enjoy the neighborhood Mallards.

We used to have friends in Pleasant Hill/ Springfield who decided to raise quail for eggs to pickle and sell to bars. They were pretty good but way too much work.

Small world, I live near Pleasant Hill. We have lots of quail coming through usually, haven't seen too many lately. They are fun to watch.

Nice pictures.

Did you know Dean and Fran Forrest? Best friends we had.

Sorry, no we didn't know them. Most of the people we know are in the shops or the vet. ^_^

Hubby worked in the saw mill there back in the day. Fran and Dean had a farm. Seems like it was near a railroad.

I hear the trains hoot on that railroad almost everynight. Off in the distance, sounds so soothing.

We used to have lots of quail in Tombstone. It was so cool to sit and listen to them calling to each other. I miss the mule dear too but not the Havalinas. Mean and nasty little buggers.

My brother gets pheasant chicks, raises them indoors for awhile and then releases them on their farm. They do have some that survive that are around all year.

Hi all, I'm new to this thread but was reading about Llamas and Mtn Lions, well Steve don't rule out Mules vs Mtn Lion's. I got this email last yr from a friend and thought I would pass it on here, I hope it works.

Susan105

Well, that didn't work but here's the story in a nut shell with the pics to follow. There was a couple in Montana on a trail ride with their dogs, come to find out the dogs were being stalked by a Mtn Lion and this is what happen next. The genttleman had his rifle and his wife had her camera, he didn't get off any shots but she did with her camera. There's a caption under each pic. The mule grabbed the cat by the tail and every time he would swing the cat in the air when it came down it would hit it's head.

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This message was edited Apr 14, 2009 1:11 PM

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And last. After the cat was dead the mule walked back to the guy and was ready to continue the ride as if nothing ever happened.

I'll have to tell my friend about this. She has a bazillion silver belt buckles she's won with her mule. A camera is nice but it won't save your life.

That mule must have had an encounter with a mtn lion before to do such a thing.

my friend was out by the barn one day and heard a ruckus. Here came her dog chasing the cat and the mule chasing the dog. I just think they are very smart animals and it is instinct. and maybe smell!

I think you're right!

I heard about this mule last year. Amazing creatures.

I had fun reading this thread. Don't know how I missed it before now. ☺

Here're my "helpers". Isis, who follows me through everything.

kwanjin, what a coooooool cat!^_^

...And has the calluses to prove it.

And Monty, who surveys my handy-work.

These guys are my helpers. With me constantly.

Look at those cute fur-faces!

Pretty cats, is the white one Persian? We had a cat that was here when we came.. His owner had died and he was determined to stay here. We finally tamed him down and then after a couple of years we let him stay in the chapel when we were there. Only one person ever said they were allergic. The cat was a great comfort to a lot of folks at that time. We aren't sure, but we think he was about 15 when we had to put him down last year. we named him 'Hobo' because he bummed off of us.

Thanks kwanjin!

Here's what snopes has to say . . .

http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/mulelion.asp

Monty is a Maine Coone.

Thanks Kathy! I stand corrected.^_^

Kwajin, very pretty kitties! Love the pic in the snow..mine hide and you would never know I had cats when the white stuff is around! Love the yawn pic as well.

Gardner105, Your helpers look like they were playing the part of a solar panel! Love to soak up that sunbeam! Cuties!