Damn It's Hot!

Y'all are probably real tired of this heat song and dance... We were cooler today than yesterday however, 103 as opposed to 107 yesterday. All temps you read here are Fahrenheit because I was a generation late to learn Celsius as well as Fahrenheit and too damn lazy to remember the conversion ratio. All I know is the heat is wiping out our garden.

We are on water rationing and can only water every other day except on Wednesday and Thursday then no one is to water on those days. We can run the sprinklers on our day until 9 a.m. and after 6 p.m. We can hand water on any day if you can stand to stay out and water long enough to do some good. I got up yesterday at 7 a.m. to let the girls out and stayed up and watered and even did some weed eating around the fence and the trailer. I just am about to get on my own last nerve with being cooped up between the heat and the feeling lousy so I just said to heck with it and way overdid yesterday. I am paying for it today but the good news is that I think they finally got the injection in the right spot in my hip as I've been able to get up without the quick hitch of pain and trying to get straightened up to walk without looking like Grandpa McCoy... It is so nice to move without pain grabbing me.

So this is my basic report for today. It is also nice to WANT to sit down and drop you all a note so that is a good sign. Of what I'm not sure other than it is nice to want to do something.

Oh yes, I wanted to tell you that the cucumber that had hidden from me long enough to take on the reddish hue, for those of you that wanted to know, it had taken on a bit of a bitter, strong taste so it didn't make it into a salad.

You all try to stay cool... or stay warm for you all that are down under. Catch you next post!

Good News, Bad News...

Today was the day I went to see the orthopedist for the results of my MRI. The good news is that there is NOT a tear in the cartilage like the nurse told me. I have a cyst. I was surprised by that and didn't think to ask how big the cyst was and was it in the cartilage. I have to assume that it was not at all big because he didn't say we need to get it out of there. He said we could try another injection or he could order an abdominal/pelvic cat scan to try to get a different look at the area to see if there was something else he wasn't seeing. I told him that they had done that test when they were first trying to figure out what caused the liver readings to go up. Since it was done at Norman Regional Hospital he said he could get those and go over them.

I told him that my GI had ordered a liver biopsy because, while two of the enzymes or whatever they are called had headed back down, the one the GI was concerned the most about had gone up some more. I told him that the GI had said this particular enzyme could be elevated by a problem in either the liver or bone and he said the name right off the bat. And naturally since I didn't write it down I can't remember what he called it but he is going to look at the lab results also. What we decided to do was inject me again because they obviously missed the hot spot the first time and I'm to call him after I get the liver biopsy results to remind him to pull those up and see if they might give him a clue as to whether or not it might be bone/hip related.

I told him that we needed to figure out something because I had to go buy me some granny panties because where my bikinis like I prefer to wear rode in the area of the hot spot and would often make the pain worse and I was too young to be having to wear granny panties. He and his PA that was in the room getting the shot drawn up both cracked up and she allowed as how she hadn't heard that term in a long time. You know me, when I'm fretting about something I have to pop a funny.

So not having a tear is good news but the bad news is I don't have a tear and don't know yet what is causing the pain so it is more hurry up and wait for the liver test results. So that is what we are gonna do. I told Carol that I've about had it with all this crap. I've been very cautious about how I walk, not carrying heavier stuff, not digging in the garden and I'm about to say screw it. If I'm hurting I might as well carry on with my life and do some of the things I haven't been doing but have been wanting to do. If I hurt, I hurt. If I hurt too bad I'll take pain drugs but I hate feeling useless and not making my keep around here.

So I'm putting all this on the back burner of my mind and all I'm going to worry about now is whether or not I'm gonna get my social security check next month. In fact I think, just for the hell of it, I'll blame all this crap on the politicians. After all they are the ones stressing me out now...

I'll keep you posted on it all.

Dag Nab It All...

These are cucumbers that I picked a couple of days ago. The one on the left that is reddish looking had been hiding real good. I'm curious to see if it tastes 'woody' like okra that is too big. I'll let you know.

What I was dag nabbin' it all about was my GI. I called yesterday to make an appointment to find out the results of the biopsy and she made the appointment on Aug. 11th... I asked why so long because at the hospital they said the doctor would get the results in two to three days. The girl said 'oh they have to do several different stains for the tests the doctor ordered'. Well, bull pucky. I figure he's gone on his vacation and they didn't want to say that the doctor would be out of the office when they know they have a worried old crotchety woman on the other end of the phone. So no results until that time. My sister Sue, who is a pediatric nurse practitioner, said he must not be thinking it's the big C word or they would have expedited all of the tests so maybe no news is good news. That is how I've got to look at it to stay somewhat sane and not become a total blithering idiot.

Monday I go see my orthopede to find out options for the torn ligament in my hip so at least I can get something settled in my head about that and barring any other idiocies that my body decides to pull on me it will then be hurry up and wait for biopsy results.

It's hotter than the dickens here in Oklahoma... I know it's a good excuse to stay in but I'm getting cabin fever. I think today is the 29th day of +100 F. heat here in Oklahoma. Unfortunately the heat cap over Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, etc. is moving slowly, and I mean slowly to the east. Am I the only person that thinks our weather has gotten really wacky in the last 20 years? Used to be you'd pretty much know when spring, summer, fall and winter was going to come around. Now it seems like it's a crap shoot like this year we seemed to go from winter to summer with the early heat.

I'll try to come up with something other than medical ails and how hot it is on my next post. I swear I do have other things to talk about that are way more interesting. Thank you for hanging in there with me...

Done!!!

My liver biopsy is done, done, done and it turned out to be much less of a deal than what I had imagined in my imaginative mind. I got to the hospital early for my 9 a.m. appointment. They got me registered, identity bracelet and paperwork done then sent me to the lab because there were lab tests they needed done before the procedure could be done. Okay, I didn't expect that but blood draws had never particularly bothered me... until today.

I don't know if I drew a newbie phlebotomist, a young man, but it seemed my veins decided to duck and cover. He first tried on my right arm. No blood. So he tried moving the needle around in my arm, not a pleasant thing. He gave up finally on that attempt and I told him it wouldn't bother me if he wanted to try the veins in my hands. I'm one of those folks who have veiny hands and feet, so he tried on my hand. Nope, no dice. So a lady that I assumed was his supervisor came in and she tried my left arm. By this time I think every vein in my body was practicing the stop, droop and roll method generally used if your clothing catches on fire. No luck. She finally switched to the smaller needle called a butterfly that has a tiny plastic hose from the needle to the port where the put the tubes in to collect what they need. She went back to the back of my right hand and hit pay dirt or blood as it were...

I walked out of the lab to the waiting room with my right arm looking like a cotton freak had decorated it. It was kind of interesting seeing the looks of other patients waiting to be called in for their draws. Then the lady who would be my nurse for the procedure called me back to do her paperwork. We did all the questions, signings and all that stuff and she went on the computer to get the results of the blood work. It wasn't there. The last entry was back in March so she got on the phone and then ended up having to go to the lab to track my blood down. I just groaned. No way did I want to go through that again today. She found the blood and the results that she needed to continue the process. So away we went.

We went down to the lower level of the hospital, the nuclear medicine area, where they have the cat scans and MRI equipment, got me all set up for the cat scan including getting the medicine port in my arm on the first try, thank you Lord, and they got the cat scan photos they needed for the doctor to see where he wanted to go and get his samples. Then it was wait on the doctor while laying on that narrow table... about 15 minutes. Went right along with the rest of my morning. He was kinda cute though when he did get there... I asked him if he had a good lunch and he said actually he hadn't eaten yet but that oddly enough he usually has had his lunch by 11 a.m. because his day starts early but he had a couple of procedures before mine that took longer than expected. I forgave him... like I said he was kinda cute and not pretentious at all.

So I got my little shot of kickapoo joy juice, the doctor deadened an area on my side where he was going in for the samples, I drifted a bit and it was all done. I was carted to recovery where I finally got something to drink and then about an hour later they brought me lunch, a burger and fries and apple pie. I don't know if it was as good as I thought it was but after no food or drinks from midnight the night before, it tasted pretty dang good. They kept me in recovery longer than with most procedures, checking my blood pressure and other vitals every 15 minutes and checking the bandage that was on the area where the doctor went in for the biopsy to make sure there was no excessive bleeding. Finally they cut me loose about 3:30 p.m. It was a long day. I came home with instructions to do no lifting or straining for the next 24 hours which is obviously no problem for me. I'm to call my GI in the morning to make an appointment to get the results of the biopsy which should be to him by Friday at the latest so we have more waiting but at least I'm through the procedure.

Don't 'cha just love blow by blow medical procedure descriptions? I can guarantee it was more fun for you all than it was for me, until the blood draws were finished anyway. The rest was kind of interesting. Thank you for your good wishes, prayers and sending me the light. It went a lot easier than I thought it was going to go. As soon as I get the results I will share those as well.

Farm Report, Obit And Happy Flowers...

Things are looking bleak for my 'good day' cucumbers. We are on our 27th day of + 100 F. heat and most days there has been at least a 5 to 10 m.p.h. wind to further dry things out. I tried to make sure that I was getting both the 'good day and bad day' plants the same amount of water but the way the 'good day' plants have faded I must have miscalculated. I'm still gonna pour the water to the 'good day' to see if I can bring it back because the first cuke that Carol found was very good flavor, not at all bitter and Carol is the connoisseur of cucumbers in this house. I enjoy them in salads but I don't have the discernment of flavors like Carol.
This poor brown twig is my wigelia. It couldn't withstand the heat. It is a first year plant, it even flowered for me but it was one the tail end of where our sprinkler range was and it got even less water than the good day cucumber, and this was the result of me being down or having doctor's appointments and not checking every day. Needless to say I repaired the cut hose and now can get water to the far end of the back yard but I'm afraid I'm too late for this youngster.





Now here are the 'bad day' plants. There are two of them that came up as opposed to three 'good day' plants and these are going nuts. They got more water due to the hose being okay where they were but I'm amazed at how many blooms and babies cukes are loaded on these two plants. So, Tipper, while my experiment with planting by the signs was flawed this year due to my health problems but hopefully if you do another experiment next year you will keep me in mind... after all, you got me back to blogging and I can't thank you enough for that.


The flowers on one of the bad day plants. The leaves are mostly looking good. There are a few burned up leaves but for the most part it is holding up good.

Be sure to drop by Tipper's blog, Blind Pig And The Acorn, to explore how other intrepid gardeners have done with their experiment. There's always good stories, good music and recipes.







The white cone flowers are loving the heat.













As are the pink cone flowers...
















The plumbago and the yellow and white lantana are enjoying the heat.


















I love the blue with the yellow and white...














And, of course, the sunflowers are loving the sun and the heat.

You know I'm not loving the heat. I have trouble dealing with it so I stay in most of the day. I go out and move the sprinkler around and go back in the house. Then later in the evening I do hand watering if it's needed. Carol gets up way earlier than I do and she goes out and waters early in the morning so that is probably why we've managed to keep the things alive that we've kept alive so we are a pretty good tag team when it comes to gardening. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed this Sunday stroll. Come back and visit anytime.

Update And Update...

The first cucumber... and I didn't find it. Carol was out in the yard and she checked out the vines and found this fat little guy. Being the size queen that I am you know I have to put something in the photo for you to be able to get an idea of the size hence the cellphone. Carol is cutting it up for salad so I will be able to give you a report on it's tastiness. This came off the 'bad day' vine which is probably triple the size of the good day vines now. I tried to make sure they were both getting the same amount of water but the only thing I can figure is I misfigured on that facet of their growing. We had 21 consecutive days of 100 F. heat or higher, only getting broken yesterday when we, thank God, got about 2 inches of rain. It has been hard getting water to everything on a daily basis. I have felt so punk that Carol has had to do the major portion of the yard with the exception of the garden and I have managed to go out and set the sprinkler and move it periodically. I've done some of the weeding and grass pulling but Carol has done a whole lot more and from her wheelchair... makes me feel pretty useless some days.

My liver biopsy has been scheduled. I'll go in on the 19th for the biopsy. I don't know how long it will be before I get results but I don't imagine more than a day or two. It's amazing what the medical people are capable of doing nowadays and I So know my GI is as anxious as I am to get this resolved. I don't think it's because I asked him where my kiss was before my colonoscopy... He told his nurse that was her job. You should have seen the look on her face before I cracked up. I just told him when I was there for my blood test results that I was ready to find out what was going on and he said, "So am I", so I know he's concerned and wants to get to the bottom of this liver business.

So you all know as much as I know now and it's all just a matter of hurry up and wait... but that's okay because I know you all are supporting me and standing with me. I can't tell you how much that means to me, nor can I thank you enough.

Lullaby

I have been known over they years to write a bawdy ballad or change the words to a song to make a dirty ditty... The other night after finding out about the new baby and being unable to sleep I had words running through my head and finally got up, turned on the computer to put them down so I could share with you all my craziness. And a sign my head is getting better because I haven't done any creative, if crude, writing in quite a long time. So hopefully you'll get a giggle out of this little bawdy ballad... I was singing it in my head to the "Beverly Hillbillies" but you can just read it if you want. I don't want to push my insanity on anyone else. Hear now for your amusement, I hope, is the results of my 5 a.m. no sleep mind wanderings.



Jenny was out grazing and watching over the herd
When a stray little Jack came wandering up the road.
We don't know where he came from or where he had called home
So Merri put him in the pasture to get him off the road.

Jack is what we call him, he was as gentle as could be
but when he met sweet Jenny that was all his eyes could see.
We could see that she was eying him while munching on some grass
He ambled over to her and said you have a mighty fine ...

Home, that is, lots of grass, hay in the winter and cows to guard, too

Jack says you need some help a-guarding I think I'll stay a while
Jenny raised her head and I swear I saw her smile
They grazed together over here and then over there
Jack decided to show Jenny just how much he cared.

He'd rub up against her and she would walk away...
if nothing else he was persistent in in his own sweet jackass way.
He got her cornered, he thought, down beside the crick
He made his move, she wasn't ready and she kicked him in the...

Belly that is... didn't want to hurt him bad, just show that she was boss.

Nature finally won out and Jack, he had his way,
Had himself a grand old time out standing in the hay.
Up by the fence, over by the corral the two of them got wild
And 12 months later she welcomed her new child...

A jenny, that is, and special like her mom and a great addition to the cattle farm.

Good News For A Change...

Back about a year ago I wrote a blog about bad hair day featuring a sweet little jenny and an ornery little jack that loved the jenny...

Although he was smaller than she anytime he had a chance to woo her he would give it the old college try and there was a lot of speculation whether or not it was going to be a successful mating or not since he didn't have a ladder and didn't have the best fit, if you know what I mean...


Got a call today from Bro and he said how about some good news for a change...

Welcome to the world this little jenny. She has her daddy's coloring and her momma's fixtures. I can't wait to drive out to my cousin's and get to meet her and take more pictures.

Yea for new life!!!

Blogging Friends Are The Best...

I started on my reading tour this evening and the first blog I went to was overgoodground.blogspot.com . She always has a quote either under her header or just to the right side and today she got to me right off the bat with this quote...

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts."~Rachel Carson

I had said something in my post yesterday about the crap I'm slogging through but that I see things like the sunflowers in various stages and it lifts my spirits. After I had written yesterday's post I got a call from my orthopedist's office. They had me get an MRI on my hip Wednesday because the last injection I got for the bursitis didn't do much of anything so they wanted to make sure there wasn't something they weren't seeing. There was... I have a torn cartilage in my hip. My doctor is out of the country right now but I have an appointment July 25th to talk with him about my options. From what Carol's brother (who is an orthopedic surgeon) said it is probably something that can be repaired laproscopically (sp.?) and my brother, a family practice/e.r. doc, agreed. So it is another hurry up and wait but at least I know what not to do to keep the pain in the hip to levels that I can deal with... and one of them is to not mow the yard which is what I was doing when I flared up the hip this last time. I also have to be careful about lifting anything very heavy because the weight puts more pressure on the hip.

So that is why Farmlady's quote got to me right off. I think I'll have to steal it for my sidebar for a daily reminder and that is all the physical stuff I am dealing with right now. I don't want to dwell on all that so I will be looking for things to photograph and share to with you because it lifts my spirits. I also wanted to say to my blogging friends... you never know what you might write or the photo you post that may touch someone in ways that you might never know and to tell you how thankful I am for our blogging world.

Just Messing Around...

I spotted sunflowers coming on out the back door and had to get my camera. I wanted to share the stages that I saw with you all. You know I'm stupid about growing things and that each stage is fascinating to me. You also know I haven't been inspired to do much of anything lately so I took this urge as a good sign...


Aleta, I know they are hard to see so I managed to get a close up on one of those shy little cucumbers so maybe if you see what you are looking for it will make it easier to find...

The little ones spring from the base of the flower and as they get bigger the flower part gets smaller and falls off, kinda like a baby's umbilical cord except no blood or labor pains for the flower, at least as far as we know.

I'm practicing with my focusing thanks to a friend in England that is encouraging me.



This is a sunflower bud... I was so excited, Caroline, to get those tiny hairs on the leaves covering the bud and peeling back to begin the reveal.














This bud is further along and you can start to see the swirls that are unfolding. Again, I was so happy to get the little hairs and the veins in the parts that are peeling back to free the sunflower inside. I don't think they are called leaves but I don't know what to call them so leaves it is until someone enlightens me.


And speaking of enlightenment...













This sunflower is seeking the light! Kind of like some of us trying to turn our face to the sun. I caught this flower coming out of it's shell in a manner of speaking.















This is a little more of a 'face on' photo. It is fascinating to me how the petals are peeling back a little at a time, kind of like peeking out at the world to check and make sure that it wants to come on out and share it's beauty with us mere mortals...

Caroline thank you for encouraging me over my focusing frustrations. Dar, thank you for posting your beautiful flower photos and making me want to share also.

God I love being alive to see these wonders... even with all the problems and fears I'm slogging through now I would not have wanted to miss this little series, tiny little moments of beauty that remind me to cherish life.

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

No... Not the movie. My day.

Do you ever feel that you just can't catch a break (in a manner of speaking)?
I got up at 9 a.m. this morning after not getting to sleep until about 6 a.m. and got around to go to my doctor for my blood test results. Got in my truck and saw this split running across about a third of the windshield with decorative flares up and down. I got a rock chip in my windshield about a year ago and thought I'd get it glued one of these days. I keep my truck locked with the windows up and it got so hot that the windshield split from the expansion caused by the heat.

Great way to start my day. I went by the glass shop after the doctor appointment and it will be $165.00 to replace the windshield. Groan..... this will wait until next month. This is the ugly.

Now for the bad... The blood work was not wonderful. A couple of the liver enzymes had settled back down but the one the doctor is particularly concerned with is higher. So they are going to schedule a liver biopsy. I had hoped they would call this afternoon and tell me when they had the procedure scheduled but no word as of 5 p.m. I told them the first available appointment was fine with me, the sooner the better and less time to stress. It will be done by scope but they have to knock me out to do it and they only do it early in the day so Carol will have to get up and go with me so she can drive my medicated self back home. I will let you all know when they let me know because it has been so much less stress knowing you all are supporting me and lifting me up.

The good? How about some baby cucumber pictures?



Right there, just to the left and below the yellow flower. Lonicera, I'm going to have to practice the technique you told me about halfway holding down the shutter button but I think that will cure my focus problem. It was so hot outside when I took these just a bit ago that I had sweat dripping inside of 5 minutes.








Here's another baby... Both the good and bad day vines are loaded up with babies so it looks like we are going to have plenty of cucumbers to have in salad or put with onions in vinegar for a cool, crisp side dish if we don't want to make up salad.

If you get a chance drop over to Blind Pig And The Acorn and check out Tipper's blog. She's gotten me back to posting by getting me involved again this year in the good day, bad day planting experiment.

And thank you all again for helping me to realize that scary things shared become much less scary. I love and appreciate each of you for supporting me.

Farm Report... And Thank You...

Tipper at The Blind Pig And The Acorn picked cucumbers for our planting by the signs for 2011'

My first baby cucumber! It's only about an inch and a half and still has it's bloom navel on it. If you haven't found the baby yet it is laying on the leaf under the big leaf on the left, just below the yellow flower that is peeking out.

I know if you can't see it you can hardly claim it's there but I will get a better photo in a couple of days when the baby grows a bit and I read about how to focus in closer on something behind or next to something bigger.


I love these little tendrils that these plants put out to be able to climb towards the sun. They start out in these little spring like coils and then start unfurling and going in search of support to help them in their climb.

They look so very delicate, these little gossamer strands, but they are very strong. If they get attached to something you'd rather they not climb on they are a force to reckon with all on their own.

This is the 'good' day plant that is the largest. The other two 'good' day plants are putting on blossoms.



Like this...

These little plants love our sandy, loamy soil here. That and I've been pouring the water to them. With the 100 F. and higher daily temperatures we've been having if we hadn't watered I'd have no farm reports or flower tours or anything to share with you all... other than my aches and pains.

These three are the 'good' day plants. They are putting on blossoms like crazy and growing by leaps and bounds.

This photo is of the two 'bad' day plants. I'm going to have to quit calling them 'good' and 'bad' day plants because these two 'bad' day cucumbers have almost caught up with the 'good' day plants.

Once again, I need to read the book on how to focus in on what I'm trying to particularly show off. As you can see the leaf that is pointed at us is very clearly in focus... the blossoms are, shall we say, in soft focus... like I would like if some one takes a picture of me to soften the laugh lines and crepe y, turkey neck...


This is one of four okra plants that we bought, the only one of four that survived... It's probably a foot and a half tall and I've been watching for the okra blossoms because they are beautiful and I like to share the pictures with those who can't grow okra where they live or haven't ever seen it grow. This plant was sneaky though... because I found THIS:
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The blossoms only last for a day once they are opened and so the mother of this okra must have done her thing on one of the two rainy days we had that I didn't go out and check the plant.

This pod has got to be a good 6 inches long... It was growing up next to the stalk under the wide leaves on the top and flat snuck by my inspections.

I love surprises like this.

And I love the support you all have given me after my last post. I won't say that I was surprised because I feel like I know each of you and if it weren't for the distances between us I would be comfortable sitting down and having a glass of iced tea and visiting the afternoon away at your home or mine... I will say that I don't have the words to say how much you touched my heart. I hesitate to put my worries out there because we all have problems to deal with and I hate to think I put out my problems to add to your problems. But I must say that I do feel lighter for having written the post. I have always been willing to share my friends problems because I feel I can be unbiased, but I've always had a hard time sharing my problems because of my own insecurities. You know, people won't care about what's going with me... I'm just a listener, not a talker.

Just please, please, accept my most profound thank you for your support. You all will get me through Tuesday and the unknown and I can only say thank you, thank you, thank you. Your support will help me hold my head high and be prepared for the good, bad, or the ugly and report to you on Tuesday evening. Prayers for good results please.... And Thank you all for being you. My Friends. I cherish each and every one of you even if you made me cry... Thank You for being there for me. I feel I don't have to go through these things by myself now and it takes so much of the stress off me. For that... one final THANK YOU to each and every one of you. I hope that I can be the kind of friends to each of you that you have been to me.

You can reach me at Llachi3@aol.com. P.S. I did the link wrong somehow. I'll fix it tomorrow. I've already taken my night meds and am correcting almost as much as I'm writing. Night All.