Breaking in a new camera

Dublin Bay Large Flowering Climber

Ok, so we can't live with just one camera. We had to get another. This is a test to see how it does. So far, I like it.

Julia Childs Floribunda Rose

Red Hot Returns daylily

Tootsie

As of Wednesday, Tootsie will be with us for 8 weeks. She and Shalimar are getting along much better and will spend time playing now. Lots of ambushing going on in this house, but they do appear to like each other somewhat. Tootsie is still learning the ropes of this household and she's somewhat nervous, but not as much as she had been.

Garden Pictures

Some Daylilies

Pink Hollyhock. I have no idea where this plant came from. I certainly didn't plant it.

Yellow Hollyhock. Another hollyhock tat was never planted.

Daylilies...
Joan Senior

Little Girl

Lori Goldston

Wineberry Candy

Another pink Hollyhock.

Big Purple

Cotillian

Crimson Pirate

Drawf Double Pink

Indian Giver

These are really just a few of them. The others either weren't open yet of the flowers were spent. There are also two mix breed varieties that have begun to grow. I call these Julie's specials 1 and 2.

I had a rather difficult time getting the picture of the Big Purple because I kept being attacked by a smallish bird. Then I saw why...

A baby Orchard Oriole.

I think there's still one in the nest, but it's hard to tell. The nest is very similiar to every other oriole, but it's in a dense tree and hard to see. This little one fledged early this morning and now seems to have pretty good control of his wings. This is a good thing because in a couple of weeks, he must make a very long trip to Brazil with his parents and other siblings. I'll be sorry to see them go. They are such pretty birds and decorated my backyard nicely. I can only hope that they will return next year.

Emergency Room Experience

Wednesday night I spent a good bit of the night in the emergency room with kidney stones. If you've ever had an attack, you know the kind of pain involved. This was my first attack and I had no idea what was going on.

I called Husband about 1:30 at night. He came home from work immediately and called an ambulance. They took me to a hospital of his choice and when we finally got there (it took forever with the pain and dry heaves), they told us emergency was full and I'd have to wait in triage. The ambulance attendants weren't happy about that and argued with the receptionists, but the emergency room would have none of it. They put me in a wheelchair and left me at the admitting desk. I liked the First Responders. They were folks from my hometown and were very empathic and caring. I can't thank them enough for what they did for me.

When Husband found me, he asked why I was there instead of in ER with a nurse? He was disappointed because he'd been at this hospital before and was always impressed with it. I told him that I wanted to go to the Regency because even though they didn't have all the nicest ER rooms, they were less busy and you got better attention. The General Hospital was well known for pushing patients aside, sending them elsewhere, or closing their doors to patients. I was feeling very pushed aside even though I also have very good insurance. (Husband told me later that the receptionists overheard the conversation about the Regency and was on the phone as soon as she heard it).

Almost as soon as I said that, a nurse was by my side asking where the pain was and how I was feeling. I was sitting in a wheelchair with a vomit bag in my lap for the dry heaves. I wasn't feeling good at all. She took me to an ER room and stayed with me, asking questions which Husband answered for me. When she left, I had all the monitors on as well as drugs for vomiting and morphine for pain. Shortly another attendant came in and took me for a CAT scan. By this time the morphine was kicking in and the pain was easing.

All tests were pointing to kidney stones and the CAT scan revealed the little thing. No, I don't drink Turkey-Hill Iced Tea, any tea, coffee or soda. But my mother has had problems with kidney stones for many years. With the morphine working, I was able to get some rest while waiting for the test results. The nurse even told me how much better I looked after the morphine started working.

The doctor came in later with the test results and told me what was going on and that he was putting me on a pain therapy until the stone passed. Then I should go to my family doctor (of course) for a follow up.

I was please with the service and attention once they started giving it. The ER room was nice, complete with a TV for entertainment, though I wasn't interested in it. I told Husband to watch some so he could be entertained. I was mostly just tired after the pain left. I didn't like the IV all that much and am now sporting a nice bruise from it. I thought it was somewhat painful and I kept knocking it whenever I tried to move my arm. I liked my nurse and doctor.

Today, I mostly slept. I was totally worn out from all the pain and everything that it was nice just to sleep. Also, it seems that taking the painkillers the doctor prescribed will knock me for a loop and I will sleep for about 4 hours. They do work, but I think a bit strong. I found that Advil helps just as much without the grogginess.

We got home about 6:30AM, I called my boss to tell him I wouldn't be in and went right to bed, sleeping most of the day. Husband fed me soup for dinner around 3PM and that was it for food. I am definitely feeling better now, but still have some pressure in my flank, telling me the stone is still there. I hope this doesn't become a common occurrence. This was quite enough pain for one year.

Silent Victims

On the evening news a story was done about the silent victims of home foreclosures. Naturally, they are the pets. I've heard stories of them being abandoned in empty houses, left lose outside with the thought that they could get along OK (especially cats), only to be ostrasized by feral cats or taken to local shelters simply because they had no where else to go.

It's a sad situation and these animals are left confused and suffering from separation anxiety. Many of them are considered unadoptable because of their age. To add another nail, pet adoptions are down because people are so uncomfortable with the economy right now.

This is my little "owner surrender". It's been almost a month now since I first brought Tootsie home. She is learning, but yes, she had some issues she had to overcome before she could begin to function in this household. She still isn't as comfortable as you would think she'd be, but she's getting there.

Tootsie and Shalimar, my older cat, still have trust issues to get over, but most of the serious fighting has stopped now. Still, there are a couple of major spots to watch out for. One of those is the master bedroom. Shalimar will do fine with Tootsie in the room except that Tootsie, being a young cat, wants to play and unnerves Shalimar. Then you have the fights.

After talking to a pet hotline from a local no-kill adoption center, I decided to give Tootsie a full chance at becoming a family member. They told me that it could take as much as a year, maybe more for the cats to become friends but should reach a tenative stalemate by the end of 3 months. I was also told that from my discriptions, this could be a good match.

In this one month, this sweet little cat has made friends with the dog; is getting more comfortable with being in the house; fusses with Shalimar less and less. Still, she cries when you leave her alone for any short amount of time. She is always nearby, seeming to feel most comfortable when she can be with someone. She loves the windows, Shalimar's food, visits the community water bowl (the dog's water dish) regularily and finds Shalimar's self-cleaning litter box to be the "cat's meow"!

On the nights I let her out and about all night (mostly on weekends now in case the cats want to keep me up all night), I'll often find the bed toy ridden. Tootsie has her favorites and they are always on or in the bed. I keep a basket toy box of cat toys and I spend a good part of my early mornings locating and picking up the toys that are scattered about.

She's a sweet little cat and though it's taking much longer for the two of them to come to terms, I think this will work out for the best. I think she is a good match here. She still has some issues that we are working on, but she'll be fine. This little "owner-surrender" found a home.

Oil Companies and Their Greed

OK, I've now had totally enough of this spineless president. He should be out of office NOW! I'm not even sure I can wait until November.

He knows he's on his way out, but still doesn't have the backbone to stand up to these thieving oil companies that he gives them the right to kill polar bears in search of oil instead of alternative fuel sources. He is the world's biggest joke.

The oil companies think they have so much power that they can abuse and rob people and now kill the things we love. Are we going to stand for this? Are we going to allow them into our homes and destroy what they wish?

They are no different than that Homeland Security piece of shit that thinks he has the power to destroy whatever he wants and force us into something worse than what we despise just because he thinks he has the power to do that. He hasn't figured out yet that shouldn't or can't be done.

Lining these despots up in front of a stone wall and shot would be to easy. We need to bring back some of the old ways for these folks. Stockades or stoning come to mind.

Well, they'd better enjoy their sadism now, because when we finally break out of this (and we will), their worlds will be completely destroyed without a speck of dust left. I hope it's soon because I'm getting extremely tired of this.

The way people are beginning not to travel or visit the gas pumps less and less, the oil people should very soon have such a stock pile of oil that they will choke on it. Personally, I'm considering going to solar for my home. This looks like a good self-sufficient path right now.

Recent Days

Last weekend was prom night. Since all my children are past that, I don't pay much attention to it any more. However, last weekend, a neighbor whom we aren't necessarily close to, stopped in to ask if he could use our front garden as a backdrop for pictures of his daughter and her prom date. We said sure, but first he might want to look at the back yard before deciding where he wanted to pose his daughter. They did choose the back yard and have promised to soon be by to show us the pictures. I'd like to see them.

Then, this weekend, I invited my mother and step-father for dinner. Because of the heat, I made a spaghetti dinner which was totally enjoyed. During the meal, the conversation came up about the higher wages that certain folks make. Things always turn political with my step-father. He hasn't learned that there are two things you don't discuss -- politics and religion. Anyway, he asked a question worthy of some thought...

"What would you do with a yearly $900,000 salary?"

Would I move? No. I like this property. It's my dream. The house is small enough to easily take care of, the property is pretty because I made it that way. It's also easily affordable but would be paid off with that kind of money.

What I would do is take some of it salary annually and buy up property being sold by individuals or by developers who are going under with the extreme falling of the property values. I would take these vacant lands and turn them into nature preserves. I don't feel we need more housing. The baby boomers are beginning to die off and the next generations have an influx of housing to choose from. We don't need more housing. We've already stressed out the environment enough. What we need is to allow the environment to return itself.

Personally, seeing a lot of empty houses isn't all that nice. I want the birds and the bees and the wildlife. How does the song go? "You paved paradise and put up a parking lot." I'd like to change some of that and even though the amount I could do wouldn't see all that significant, it would be a drop in the bucket that wasn't there before. This would be my way of giving to future generations something they might otherwise miss; a nice stroll in the woods and see wildlife and plants they might otherwise miss.

The Newest Member of the Family

This is Tootsie, the newest family member. Just look at that face! This is how I was looked at every time I visited the animal shelter. I've never been fond of the diluted calico or torties because I thought they looked muddy. But as you can see, she is more vibrant than most with her shimmering white. But it was her personality that won me over. She's been with us since Thursday and is now beginning to relax. She is such a lover and wants attention and to be petted...a lap cat to be sure. Now to get Shalimar used to her. So far, Shalimar has done her hissing but hasn't been aggressive. I will put Tootsie in Bratley's carry crate and allow Shalimar into the room to meet her. Tootsie is being kept in the family room until she sees a vet on Monday. Once I've been told she has a clean bill of health, I'll be gin switching the cats for an hour at a time to get Shalimar used to her smell and give Tootsie a chance to explore the house. The only problem with switching the cats is that Tootsie won't be satisfied with just in the family room any more and will want out all the time. Today, she tried to follow me out. She's starting to feel much more relaxed and is beginning to be anxious to be a part of the family. But the animals need a little more time. Bratley already met her, but she's not sure about him yet. He's fine with her though. Shalimar is more difficult. It's only been two days. For some cats it may take two months. I certainly hope not.

Because Tootsie is such a lap cat, I find myself drawn into the family room to watch TV and stroke her while she purrs. Chloe was like that and I wasn't aware of how much I missed that. Shalimar isn't cuddly but shows her love in a different way. I hope they get along soon. I'm anxious to get Tootsie acclimated into the family. Shalimar is definitely interested.

Today

Today I took a couple of hours off work to go to the Memorial Service of a friend who passed away over the weekend. He was a good friend and will be missed.

pictures of blooms, etc.

An Unnamed Variety of Viburnam

Wild Spice - Hybrid Rugosa, 1999 - Sport of Blanc Double de Coubert - 1892

The fragrance of this rose is aluring. It has a nice repeat anda beautiful orange hip. This is a rose that require little to no care.


Peach Flombae Huchera
Rachel - Miniflora 2005
Species Hosta
Japanese Painted fern - Usurla

Caramel - Huchera
Fimbriata - Hybrid Rugosa - 1891
June Hosta
Little Sunspot Hosta
Peach Melba Huchera

Let this be a lesson...

I'm not sure how this happened, but my computer seemed to have dropped one of the images from Longwood. I was able to retreive it, but this isn't what this story is about.

About three years ago, at a local nursery, I found this scrawny, little weeping hemlock, looking so sad in the dump area. I inquired about it and it was sold to me for 75% off. I knew nothing about the weeping hemlock and was told that they don't get more than 10 feet tall and were very slow growing. Well, that was simply perfect! I wanted to plant it near my well and needed something that wasn't overbearing.

While we were at Longwood Gardens we saw a mature weeping hemlock. I stood there and stared at this thing. The nursery had been right. About 10 feet tall; this one was maybe 12 feet. Close enough. Slow growing too. According to the information on the plaque this one was nearly 100 years old. OK, no problem there. But what the nursery failed to mention was that the tree gets 50 feet wide!!!!!! Oh, my Lord, I've got to move my weeping hemlock!
The moral of this story is that you can't always believe what you're told in a nursery either. They either didn't know that it had such a spread or they failed to mention it. Now I have to find another place for this little tree. There's no rush to move it since it is so tiny right now and grows ¼ inch tops a year.

I've had mine for three years now and other than looking a little fuller, it's not much larger than it was when I found it. I figure I need to find another home for it in the next 5 to 10 years (hopefully sooner) before it gets large enough to become a danger to my well.

I like this little tree and really want to keep it. I will find a home for it. I will. I will.

Fountains and Other Stuff at Longwood Gardens

These are just some of the other fountains, paths and structures that we encountered throughout our day at Longwood Gardens.

These are the main fountain displays for the estate. They run at intervals throughout the day in a fountain display that is gorgeous. There are wonderful views of it from the main conservatory area.This is our other favorite spot. Taking photographs of the hidden gazebo. While we were here, we met the most wonderful couple who were there, like us, to take pictures of this beautiful spot. We do have a tendency to linger here.
The annual walk and fountain. This is a path that leads you to view a variety of mass annual and bulb plantings. Always a huge punch of color and textures.
The fountain in the woods. This spot almost looks like a runway with a fountain at the end. A single straight up shot of water. We like it here to sit and rest on one of the many benches they have along this strip. It is very inviting.

Both of these pictures are along side of grass and gravel paths through the woods.

Above is a water fall that feeds the Italian garden fountains below. Although I find the Italian Water Fountains a little to formal for my taste, it is nonetheless most impressive. The water fall that feeds this exhibit does draw my attention.

This is a treehouse that we stumbled upon. This is a new exhibit this season. I liked this treehouse and if it were finished inside, other than for a treehouse/play area, I could actually live in this!!!! Except for those steps.

I hope you enjoy this tour of Longwood Gardens. We spent the day there and took almost 300 pictures so this is just a small spattering of the images we have this time.

The Orchid Room at Longwood Gardens

This post needs no further information other than your nose leads you to this most unique inner room.