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.