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ElizabethB
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Better late than never.

Because of health issues my vegetable garden, herb garden, compost bins and patio plants have been neglected since last fall.

I lost patio plants from both neglect and our crazy winter. Actually fewer than I should have. I got them all taken care of and replanted. I cleaned up and planted the herb garden. The compost bins were empty so they have been filled with mulched leaves, grass clippings and kitchen scraps. Unfortunately my compost is not even close to being cooked.

The big challenge was the vegetable garden. It was nothing but a mass of weeds and tree seedlings. G got out there with me this weekend and did the "heavy lifting" - he cleaned out the biggest part of the mess. I did the final clean up. Since I have no lovely compost :cry: I had to add commercial soil. Worked that in and got most of my plants in before it started raining.

I usually follow SFG spacing and really plant a lot in my boxes. Since I am so late getting started I am only planting the basics. Fallow ground :eek: I will get over it. Another thing is that I did not start any of my plants so I had to go with store bought starts. In south Louisiana the variety selection is limited at this time of year. Again I just have to live with it.

I still have a few plants to put in and some seeds. When the much needed rain stops I will get it done and take some pictures of my baby garden. Hopefully I can get them posted.

The entire time I worked in the garden I could see my neighbors garden with young fruit already on the plants. -wall- I just have to put blinders on and not look at her garden.

When G was taking out the "big stuff" he found 2 golf balls and at least a dozen pecans buried in the garden. The closest driving range is at least 2 miles away - no golf course anywhere near. There are no pecan trees in a 2 block radius. Squirrels. Such industrious little beast.

Just got out of the shower so I am not dirty and stinky but I am tired and sore - pleasantly so. I have really missed my "dirt therapy".

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feldon30
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I'm sorry to hear that health issues kept you away from the garden. I went 4 years without a garden due to moving a couple of times, and I have really had withdrawals, so I am glad to be back in it. I am sure you are too!

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rainbowgardener
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glad you are back gardening! :) And in your climate, you have a long growing season, with lots of time to still plant things. Not as late for you to be getting started as if it were me.

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Ozark Lady
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Sounds good Elizabeth.
After a few year hiatus, this will be my first year back in the garden.
I see remnants of many years of neglect, weeds etc. At least, hubby cleared the beds and main paths. Kind of overwhelming!

lexusnexus
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Glad to hear you are back, Elizabeth. Good luck with the garden.

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ElizabethB
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Thanks all. It started raining yesterday after noon. We have had 4" - 5" of rain since then. It is still raining and more storms are on the way. Hope my babies don't drown :eek:

The power went out for an hour last night. We figured a transformer had blown or had been hit by lightening. On this morning's news they said a snake had gotten into a transformer and put 2000 home out of power. Fried snake anyone? :>

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applestar
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I've been there .... So hard to see the garden neglected, so frustrating not to be able to do everything the way you want to be -- should be -- able to.

Glad to see you are back -- both of you. :D

Ozark Lady, don't let it get to you. One small area at a time. ElizabethB has the right idea. Congratulate yourself for every accomplishment, and relax and enjoy your garden as it comes back to life. It will be flourishing before you know it.
:flower:

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Ozark Lady
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Thanks, Apple, that is what I keep telling myself too.

Elizabeth, is the health issue resolved or are you learning to deal with it and just make the best of things?

The soil definitely got a rest! A few old faithfuls are still growing and waiting for me!

At least, I can't see my neighbor! It is the trips to town when I see how large the plants are in other gardens... and my bare soil.

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ElizabethB
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Ozark - the arthritis in my hip won't go away without a replacement. :eek: Amazing how my tolerance level increases with the thought of surgery as an alternative. :roll: Not going to happen soon.

The depression is under control with medication. Getting my "dirt therapy" does more than any medication can. :lol:

What about you? Have health issues kept you out of the garden? Resolved or tolerated?

Take care and thanks for asking.

P.S. Vow to self - "Don't sweat the small stuff. If it gets done - enjoy the fruit of my labor. If it does not get done - Oh well!"

Susan W
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Glad you're getting back in the garden.

We all have down times due to any number of issues including weather, health, moving, work, new baby, accidents etc. It's hard to look at the mess, and one may get more depressed. Try to see the upside. Work on the savables (is that a word?!). Perhaps a good time to re-think the plan and have a fresh approach.

Lab_Man
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Elizabeth,

Glad to hear that you are back gardening.

I had a shoulder surgery this past December. I was off work for 14 weeks. The therapy was the worst pain that I have ever experienced but without therapy, my recovery would have not went as well. Five months out and my shoulder has no pain and I have 100% range of motion.

You think that this winter was long? All I could do was look out the window as yet more snow was falling and 20 below temps for weeks at a time.

I am glad that I did it now.

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Ozark Lady
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Elizabeth, I have a friend with arthritis in his knees. He had shots in them, wow it really made a difference in his quality of life.

My issues were family and health... some things you just learn to survive. Yeah, depression and I fight a lot of battles. The health issues won't go away, it is the "new norm" so just have to get used to it. I fought back in other ways, but the garden wasn't one of them. I needed people to fight the depression side of the battle. No meds! Just good friends!

I find that I honestly don't care for getting old at all!

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ElizabethB
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Ozark -DITTO the getting old part :twisted: At 61 I am physically older than I should be. A near fatal accident 10 years ago that left me with 2 plates in my right arm, a plate in my neck and one in my left ankle. Until very recently my 82 year old Mom was in better shape than I am. Years of heavy lifting with a landscaping business did not help. It is not always age but what we do to ourselves. My 41 year old SIL competes in Iron Man triathlons. She has been having problems with her hips. Her Doctor told her to plan on hip replacement within the next 10 years. All of that high impact pounding from her runs.

G had knee replacement a year ago. The therapy was brutal. Watch a grown man cry. The up side is that he is pain free and is actually willing to have the other knee replaced when the time comes.

The marvels of modern medicine.

I have no choice but to take it slow and easy when it comes to the yard. I feel good about what gets done and don't sweat what does not get done.

It FINALLY stopped raining. I may be able to get in the garden to finish planting this afternoon if the soil is dry enough - if not - there is always tomorrow. How's that for a philosophical attitude?

Take care

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Ozark Lady
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I am sorry about your car wreck. At least, you survived and you do get to do a bit of things that you enjoy.

I am determined to get the garden going this year, at least a few items going. I have plants inside that really need to get out to the garden as soon as I harden them off... hard to do when it rains daily.

To keep me interested I located my bee hives in the garden, that way I see it often, to encourage me to work on it.

I have never had a green thumb, I only garden by determination, and well, when it flags so does my garden!

Animals are a different story, I love my bees, my dairy goats, and my chickens, they get cared for no matter what! Speaking of bees, it is clear this afternoon, so they will get attention, not the plants.

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ElizabethB
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You have been getting those same rain storms that plagued us for 3 days.

Other than my 2 very spoiled, indoor kitties I really can not keep animals. I have always been fascinated by bee keeping. maybe one day. I saw the video you posted on collecting a hive. Amazing.

For years I have been telling G that I want to retire to the country. I want goats, chickens, ducks, maybe even a cow. The other day we were watching a Bizarre Foods re-run where Andrew visited with John Besh in NOLA. After Katrina Besh helped establish a farm with ducks and pigs and a processing plant to supply his and other farm to table restaurants. G pops up "I sure wouldn't mind having a few acres where we could grow free range ducks and chickens and organic vegetables to service the local restaurants." Me :shock: "Exactly what I have been talking about" G "I miss playing on a tractor." Me "What about goats and a cow to make cheese from the milk?" G - "Do you know how to milk a cow?" That ended the conversation.

Oh well. I have to laugh at myself at times. G makes me laugh lots - why I love him so.

With all of it's ups and downs life just is. In my maturity I am trying to just bump along with whatever comes my way.
Did I just wax philosophical? :> :hehe:

Good that you have your animals to keep you busy. The garden will still be there when and if you get to it.

Wednesday - during a break in the storms - I got out to run a few errands. Stopped at the nursery. Found 2 long green eggplant that I wanted, 2 pablano peppers and 2 anaheims. G likes those. Oh and 2 lemon scented geraniums for the patio. I also had to get some fungicide for the front lawn. G is losing his mind because his grass looks like - oh well - you know.

The garden is still too wet to plant the rest of my plants so that is on the table for tomorrow. I did hang some new twine for my tomatoes to grow on and put some chicken wire on the back side of the box where my cucumbers will be planted. It was not quiet wide enough to span the entire box so I used twine to tie it to the adjacent re-bar poles. After I got started I realized that I could have just made a growing net of twine.

Sitting on the patio - listening to the birds, swatting mosquitoes - need to replace the canister in the Therma Cell.

The patio REALLY needs pressure washing. After I plant in the morning I may get G to crank up the pressure washer for me - or maybe not.

I sure can ramble on. :oops: Sorry.

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Ozark Lady
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Give me 10 minutes and I will have you milking like a pro! :lol:

Give me a week and you will be great at butter and cheese making!

But the garden... I enjoy being out there... I love the perennials... I even like to listen to the plants grow!

I didn't get the bees done, it rained off and on all afternoon. Bees get a bad attitude if I open their hive and raindrops fall in!
But, I got stuff ready to do the bees tomorrow... then comes the plant exodus from the house!!!

Don't feel that you are rambling, it felt more like we were invited to go with you.

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ElizabethB
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Looking at the weather map you should be through with the storms. No rain today but the soil is super saturated. After a day of sunshine it will be ready to plant tomorrow.

Bet you could teach me how to milk and make cheese and butter. I remember my maternal grandmother making butter with an old fashioned wood churn. When I was VERY young 3 or 4, Dad had a few cows. I have a snapshot memory of following him to the barn in a red gingham dress with a white Peter Pan collar that Mother made. The tie had come undone and was dragging in the muck. I stood in line with half a dozen barn cats and waited for my turn to have milk squirted into my mouth direct from the cow's teat. Dad had a good aim!

I have researched cheese making and it really appears to be rather simple. Much more so than some of the sauces I make. Just need the raw material.

The older I get the more I yearn for the simplicity of living off of the land. Oh - I know - LOTS of work but the feeling of achievement makes up for the effort. Not to mention the amazing food.

The entire idea of country living is contrary to my current life style. Pedicures, manicures, hair appointments. Social functions, dinner parties and business trips with G. I would ditch it all in a minute.

Don't get the wrong impression. We are not wealthy. G does business development for a pipe line company. Entertaining is part of his job. It can be fun but it can also be a royal pain. I get SOOO tired of being nice to idiots who have never read a book or attended an opera or actually listened to classical music.. Get their hands dirty in the garden? NEVER!

OMG - way off tract.

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Ozark Lady
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My earliest memories are also of a cow dairy... with machines and rooms full of wonderful smelling feed for the babies. (It smelled like licorice.) And being handed chunks of sugar cane, that they grew and ground into their feed. I don't recall any hand milking, but we always had raw cows milk in the fridge. And I remember fall butchering and all night long my folks packaged stuff for the freezer.

Uh oh I am in trouble... I do read a lot! :lol: Do dinner theatres count? ha ha
I have spent two nights in Paris, France... does that help? ha ha I have heard of opera and classical music.. :eek:

Wow, very different worlds, I would be lost in yours, but I bet you could make the transition to my world really fast... maybe an adaptation of it anyhow. I think that lifestyle would appeal when younger, not sure that I would even want it now. My once a year trip to the beauty shop definitely wouldn't get it!

Vive le Difference! Is that how they say it? Folks are different and still great friends! :-()

Susan W
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Butting into your conversation here....but....I guess I missed the memo that living in town means having hair & nails done, dress nice, entertain etc. All of that comes with your own wants, profession, partners job etc. I happen to live smack in the middle of an urban area, this neighborhood mostly single family, small front and back yards. I'm on a corner lot with too much for me to take care of. Hair? get cut when way overdue about 4 x year. Nails? Oh let me check, usually dirt under there. Dress code? Jeans, t-shirt and crocs as footwear. Neighbors? couple with toddler and one in the oven across the street have chickens, and house next to them bee hives.
Point being, location doesn't always dictate life style. Profession and paycheck trumps that. You create your life from within given perameters which could be job, family, health, income, life's experiences, and the list goes on.

Getting back to veggies, get back out there and check the bean starts and basils!

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ElizabethB
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Susan - ouch! Just having a conversation. The requirements of my relationship with G are not necessarily my choice. Most of the time you would find me in cut off jeans, tee shirt and flip flops. Once every week or 2 I have to "clean up" for some function for G. The last one was a crawfish boil so that did not require much in the way of dressing. I do enjoy eating out. When we travel my job is to research restaurants. I enjoy the theater - I have season tickets for the Broadway Series. I am an avid reader - I devoir books. I love to cook especially with fresh herbs and vegetables from the garden. Cooking shows are my favorite. When I clean house :twisted: I have to have music - either Oldies (50's, 60's 70's), Big Band or Classical. Gets the MoJo going. Even with a manicure I live with dirt under my nails. I would be perfectly happy living on a small farm - feeding chickens and ducks, collecting eggs, milking goats and a cow. My dream retirement. I grew up in "the country". I yearn to return to that environment. I won't give up my theater tickets, dinners out or the occasional opportunity to "dress up". Sorry - even at 61 I still like to feel pretty every now and then.

Susan W
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Sorry, didn't mean to sound snarky. Not my point. More to the point, moving to the 'country' doesn't make life more simple.

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Ozark Lady
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It isn't the geography for sure! I have neighbors who are right at home at the opera or listening to classical music...

Did you say oldies... oh yeah, I can do that.

My husband and I clean up and go dancing every Saturday night of the world! We are quickly approaching 40 years together, so we celebrate every single week! They play oldies, and for the first few seconds of the song we are young again... then we realize... oh my, things don't work as well as they used to! But we hang in there! Even at this family dance club there are folks of all walks of life and interests... and ages, there is no alcohol, or tobacco; so it is not unusual to dance next to 5-6 year old kids! That is one of my stress busters, and anti-depression therapies! We go whether we feel like it or not, and soon we are smiling!

Actually, I was isolating, and the garden and the farm were good excuses to not go anywhere or do anything... and that got me into trouble. So, I have to be careful in getting back into gardening and not be pulled back into isolation. It is a balancing act for me... I don't want to give up gardening, but I can't let it mess me up either...

I need a gardening pal... then I won't be isolating! It isn't the garden's fault that I was isolating... and sad.

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ElizabethB
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Apologies to all -the conversation did get WAY off track. I will continue my conversation with Ozark elsewhere.

Back to the original subject - between rain storms I managed to plant the rest of my starts and get the cucumber seeds planted and a few bush bean seeds. I love a newly planted garden - so neat and clean. That is until the weeds start popping up.

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ElizabethB
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"Don't feel that you are rambling, it felt more like we were invited to go with you."

Thank you. One of the nicest things I have ever heard.

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jal_ut
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Oh dear, sorry to hear about the health problems you all have. I guess it goes with the territory? Gettin old ain't for pansies. That aside........

My garden is ongoing on also. Haven't got it all planted yet. Frankly I don't know if a garden is ever all planted. Seems there is always something else that can be planted. Perhaps cucumbers, beans or bush type squash now the weather is warm?
Can you grow corn there? Corn is a good warm weather crop. Whatever you decide, enjoy your garden!

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ElizabethB
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It stopped raining long enough for G to mow the grass. I tossed my uncooked leaves and kitchen scraps into one bin then he helped me layer grass clippings and leaves in the other. I will let that bin sit layered for a week or 2 - depends on how much sun we get - then start turning it into the other bin.

Still aggravated :evil: that I had no cooked compost for the garden.

I am so silly :oops: I check my seeds daily - as if they would be sprouting in a day or 2. I do have to keep an eye on them because the birds love to pull the seed from the top of the baby plant and uproot the plant in the process. Especially the bush beans. I have 9 seeds per square foot and usually have to re-plant 3 or 4 in each square. I try to get to them before the birds and gently remove the remains of the seed from the top of the plant.

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Ozark Lady
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I woke up to a downpour again, this morning... we had a 10% chance of rain when I went to bed last night... they upgraded it to 30% during the night... well, we got all 30%!

I am going to the garden anyhow! One advantage of "churty soil" it is rocky and not deep mud!
It was broke up and ready to plant before the monsoon season hit (no idea why it is monsoon here, not normal at all). Anyhow, plants are going out anyhow... just gonna dig a hole and stick them in!

Oh I have raised beds, so I won't be standing on the softer soil... just the paths!

Yes, Elizabeth and I found that we are soulmates, like sisters, so we moved our conversation to the back room... messages, ha ha. Sorry folks if we seemed to exclude anyone, but y'all could have joined in at anytime. And you still can via messages! No exclusion here! :lol:

You are right Jal... getting old is not for the faint hearted for sure!

But, in all honesty, I see folks much younger with much worse issues... so I guess it is just the 'change' that is so hard to take. It feels like my body (that I always could depend on) is letting me down more and more often, if anyone can relate to that... It just don't do what it used to or not without complaining!

All warm season crops grow here, only cool season ones are tricky to grow.. like peas, lettuce etc.
Problems are... bugs grow really well here also!

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rainbowgardener
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It does seem like there's always more that could/should be planted or I want to plant. It also seems like spring garden chores last a lot longer than spring does! It is hard to get enough time in the garden what with work and all my other commitments. When I do, it is hard to actually get to work with plants. Spent all my yard work time for a couple days running brush through the chipper shredder -- and there's still plenty more of that to do and I have already used up all the mulch I made. We also painted the whole deck, including all the vertical and horizontal railings.

And I'm also not as young as I used to be. :) I'm blessed with pretty good health and no major issues, but I do notice that where I used to just go do heavy work in the yard all day, now after a couple hours I have to stop and take a break. Then I can come back to it, but even with breaks, to do six hours of yard work is a big day and often it ends up being less. So the work goes slower.

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ElizabethB
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RBG - Painting you deck sounds like a big job. 3 years ago we had to remove the wood decking - it was 20 years old and had too much rot to repair. We had a concrete patio poured instead - it was not a raised deck.

Most of the patio can be pressure washed spring and fall. There are a couple of areas that have to be cleaned much more frequently. G hired a friend of a friend of a friend to do the work. He did not grade the concrete properly and left a low spot right at the drip lie of the patio cover. :evil: We realized the problem a couple of week after the work was done. Of course the friend of a friend of a friend was no where to be found. :twisted:

Ozark - DITTO on looking around and seeing those worse off than us. I just look at my 24 year old niece and wish I could change places with her and let her at least have some mobility. She was born with Cerebral Palsy. Her physical involvement is profound. She is confined to a wheel chair. She can not bathe herself, dress herself, feed herself anything other than finger food. She can not get out of her chair without being picked up. Fortunately she is very articulate. I know many people with CP who are less involved physically but can not speak. In spite of her limitations she is a vary beautiful, funny, intelligent young woman. She is also a gifted artist. Her work is abstract. Most of her work is done on canvas boards with acrylics. She does not have the motor skill to use a brush. Her brushes are wadded up plastic bags, sponges, leaves and flowers from my sisters yard, bark from the trees. She has even done some work using stones to apply her paint. She does require an assistant. Her painting tool has to be placed in her hand. The paint has to be poured onto her palette. Her canvas has to positioned at the correct angle and held in place.

She sells her work at one of the Saturday markets. It is a combination farmer's, artist and craft market. Last fall she had a very successful show/sale sponsored by some of her Mother's friends. As a result of her show and selling at the market she has lots of commission work. She recently finished a 3' x 5' commission work.

She also finds pleasure in gardening. I helped my Sister build 2 4'x4'boxes on saw horses. K enjoys tending her garden and REALLY enjoys eating her produce.

So when I get on my pity pot all I have to do is look at her to feel grateful.



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