FF, Cottage Garden Party..Pre-Op Story...(long)

I am linking up with Tootsie and Tracie for weekend garden parties. I know it's been some time since I have joined these parties.  I have been focusing on my crafts more while waiting on my hip issues to be diagnosed, bending and squatting have been no no's.  How does one garden without being able to perform these positions? (Some of you have asked how do I sit on the floor.  I extend my right leg out, and I shift positions about every ten minutes or so) So the garden has been left on it's own, therefore making true, things left on their own go from order to disorder. I know, there is never true order in any garden. (no wide photos)

container area with ornamental potato vine rambling everywhere

Surgery date has been moved up from the 20th to the 4th, yep, this Tuesday!  Spent part of Wednesday at the dentist getting my grill all polished for the occasion.  Spent nearly ALL day yesterday doing pre op.

Orchid Lily love how these bloom on and off 

this is what I learned at pre op

Surgery: Hip Arthroscopy

Leg put in traction so the hip joint can be pulled open for the instruments to move freely.

2 to 4 holes put in the outside of the hip. One for the camera the other 1 to 3 for the surgical tools.

Physicians Assistant:  Now when you come out of surgery and for several days your hip is going to be about this big, (insert hands being held open like he was holding a basketball).  Your hip will feel like the skin is about to pop open.

Me:  Oh my, because of surgery?

Physicians Assistant:  Oh no mam, from the 10 to 15 liters of fluid we will be putting in your hip.

Me:  Excuse me?  What?  In my hip?  That's a lot!

Physicians Assistant:  Yes mam, that's why it will feel like it's going to pop.  Don't worry in a few days your body will absorb the fluid and you will be getting rid of it when you use the bathroom.

Me:  Oh, yeah, uh sure, okay, I mean I guess......sigh

This is a no name distressed rack saved Daylily and appears to be a dwarf or miniature, as it's not very tall, is there such a thing? -- and apparently a rebloomer!

Physicians Assistant:  You will be on crutches for 6 weeks.

Me:  6 weeks?  What if I do everything ya'll tell me to do and I am very careful, could it be shorter?

Physicians Assistant:  No mam.  It takes 6 solid weeks for a hip to heal from this type of surgery.  If you do not follow our instructions to the t you run the risk of causing more damage. 

Me:  Okay then, I have never operated crutches before.

Physicians Assistant:  For the first three weeks you can only put 10% weight on your leg.  10% means like balancing against the counter when you are brushing your teeth.  The next three weeks you may put 50% weight on your leg, that means weight using your toes.

asteraceae senecio radicans - String of Bananas

When you sit you may only have your hips in a 90 degree angle or lower.  It is best to keep your knees below your hips.  Oh yeah, and no driving.  We will see you on the 17th for your post op for evaluation.

Over to the hospital I go for more pre op paper work and labs.

Three tries to draw blood from my right arm.

Me:  Don't you have one or two nurses who are the 'go to' when you are having difficulty locating or sticking the veins?

R.N.:  I am one of those nurses.

Me:  Face turning several shades of red.  

Me:  Why don't we just use my hand?

R.N.:  You said it hurts when they use your hand.

Me:  Not nearly as bad as being poked three times  in the same area.

R.N.  Okay.

Me:  WOW!  You really are one of "those" nurses, that didn't hurt at all.

R.N.:  Take these two soaps and after you bathe with your regular soap, scrub your right hip with this Monday night, let it sit on there for 5 minutes and then rinse off.  Repeat again Tuesday morning before coming to the hospital.

Me:  Do I need to take the clear polish off of my nails or just take the acrylic nails off?

R.N.:  Oh no. The machines have come so far, they can now read through red nail polish.

Me:  That's great, didn't want to take them off, but I would have.

(something only some of you know about me, I LOVE long pretty finger nails, and yes gardeners can have them too)

R.N.:  If there aren't anymore questions please call this number between 6:00 and 7:30 Friday evening for your surgery time.  Wait just a minute.  Here, she just printed off the surgery schedule and it looks like you are scheduled for 9:00 a.m on the 4th.  You need to be here at 7:00 a.m.

Me:  Okay.

R.N.:  Call the number to confirm though.

Me:  Thank you.

R.N.:  Bye

Black oil Sunflower Seed Flower from bird feeder.  The Sunflowers I plant on purpose rarely mature due to the squirrels.  Maybe I will start planting them under the bird feeders, that way the squirrels might ignore them,.

Have a Blessed Day!

Bloomin' Tuesday

We were spared the wrath of Isaac.  Overcast with rain on and off is all we have experienced so far.  Prayerfully we won't have any flash floods this afternoon. Along with all the rain we have received this summer have come the pesky, blood sucking, West Nile infected mosquitoes.  I spent less than 10 minutes outside this morning and was bitten on both my feet  The photos are blurry and slightly foggy from the humidity. Here is my contribution to Bloomin' Tuesday.

Cardinal Vine or Cypress Vine - I have recently learned there is a slight difference in the two.  The foliage is a little more feathery and the seeds a bit more slender on one, other than that no differences.  Either way the hummers enjoy both of them the same.   Invasive here, it will smother any plant close by.  You should keep an eye out when growing this "in" the garden.

Knockout Rose - Yellow....

Cordyline in the back left, this is it's third year here.  Cordyline  and blue Fescue grass in the container.  I love  Fescue.
The potato vine in winding it's way through all the plantings and containers in this garden. 

Grocery store rose.

Heirloom Coneflowers, forefront.  Turk's Cap has become more shrub like.  I will be taking cuttings to propagate over the winter as this plant is not only a  Texas Superstar , in my book it's a Florida Superstar.

When I planted this Juniper in the fall 2010 it was barely visible in the container.  It has grown faster in the container than the ones I planted in the ground.

 Firespike is looking good.  I have about 6 or so propagated  in this flower garden, there is also a couple of purple ones yet to bloom.  A gift from a fellow southern gardener. 

Still making jewelry..

Have a Blessed Day!

WOYWW

Well, how about What's On Your Work (floor) Wednesday?  Still working on getting the apartment downstairs decorated as my work shoppe.  So, we have moved my supplies into the room I blog in as to free the kitchen of all the clutter.  Sitting on the floor is no more painful than sitting in a chair, so what the hay?  Linking up with Ms. Dunnit to have a look see at work spaces from around the world.

For a medical update on my hip and to see a few of my blooming flowers as of yesterday please see older post.

Have a Blessed Day!

Bloomin' Tuesday and Medical Update

Linking up with Jean finally!  Beautiful Bloomin' Tuesday Gardens to be found over at her place.

Pink Mexican Petunia

Gerbera

Gerbera

What is this pod on the Brugmansia aka Angel Trumpet Tree?  I have never seen a seedpod on one before.

Nasturtiam - Lipstick

Turk's Cap

Grandpa Ott's Morning Glory

I am not good at remembering the names of grasses.  This is in a large container with Autumn Joy Sedum.

You can just see the Sedum to the left of the potato vine below..This area is out of control, well is most of my gardens right now.

Torenia or Wishbone.  This had been in my gardens for over 6 years.  I thought I had pulled the most of it up, so glad I didn't.

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Okay ya'll.  My posts have been few and far between about the gardens.  AND I so miss it.  I have been posting from time to time about my crafts and Etsy Store.  I do hope you will hang in there with me as this will always be primarily a gardening blog.  

You have read here before about my hip/back/knee issues.  I finally have a diagnosis.  I have a torn labrum (cartalige) in my hip and a bony growth on the femur head.  Femur head is the round ball thingy that fits into the hip socket. The socket is lined with soft tissue and cartalige.  Bony growth is like a bone spur. The bony growth has been rubbing the labrum when my my hip rotates causing a tear, severe pain and a huge decrease in my physical activity.

The plan is to have hip arthroscopy on Sept. 20.  Full recovery is 6 months to 1 year.  3 to 6 weeks on crutches and then a little weight can be put on the hip slowly over time.

If you know of this surgery and have positive information to share I would love to know about it.  If you have negative information I am asking that you please keep it to yourself.

I am now dreaming and rescaping my gardens in my mind as I know I WILL be back out there!

Blackberry Lily and WOYWW

I'm so excited and I just can't hide it, I'm about to lose control and I think I like it!!

(yes, over a bloom)

Two years ago Ms.Patsy sent me some Blackberry Lily seeds.  I germinated them in the greenhouse and last year I finally planted them in the garden.  The other day when I got out of my car I noticed something orange out of the corner of my eye and took a quick gasp.  Could it be?  No, not yet.  Really, I think maybe it is.  Yes, Yes it is a Blackberry Lily bloom.  I ran in the house, slung the package and my handbag on the counter and snatched up the camera...well, if you are a blogging gardener you know the rest.

Thank you Ms. Patsy!

It has been raining a lot lately.  The other day we received right at 5 inches in 24 hours.

Then I noticed one of my Clematis vines are blooming again.  Lovely!

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It's time to link up with Julia for the midweek peek at those inspiring work spaces.

I have been very busy, I have a craft fair at a local Church the first week of September.

Just ask if you want to know anything about the mess on the kitchen table.  In my last post you can see the apartment being transformed into a work/display shop.

The white and the yellow are the backs of earrings and pendants in the drying stage.

Have a Blessed week!!

Transforming the Apartment into my Work Space...

Coming up the stairs from the apartment patio I see Jane Cowell (hibiscus) poking through the rails.

Once up on the upper deck I see Painted Lady (hibiscus).. so nice after looking at 

THIS!

This is the bedroom of my work space. This is where most of the painting crafts will be done as there is a bathroom in this room and a walk in closet.

To take this photo looking into the bedroom.  I am standing in the living room, to the right is the kitchen.  To the left is a door that goes outside onto the patio which is under the upper deck. Standing on the patio, eye level is another deck where the above ground pool is housed.

That's our youngest.

My back is to the outside door that goes out to the patio I mentioned above.  In the very left of this photo is an outside door that goes to the driveway.  Turn your head to the left when outside, and up the hill is my big full sun garden. This is the living room.

This is our 17 year old

 The kitchen is to the left of the the outer down in the photo above. When I took the photo looking into the bedroom I was standing on the left side of the kitchen bar, about where the deer is standing.

  Below are some projects worked on this past Saturday.

Jewelry Chest

This t.v. stand

 Our youngest tackled this dresser.  This is her first piece from start to finish, she now has the painting bug!

I keep supplies in the drawers.

We rummaged around to find some things to place on the finished piece to see how it will look.

Let me clarify something here.  Our youngest did the dresser and the drawers.  The two shelves sitting on top  does not even go with the dresser.  Our 16 year old painted it and I decided to place it on the dressser.

 We are using some old wallpaper adhered with the spray on adhesive on top of all the furniture pieces, I love how the berber gives it a older quaint feel.

The walls in the bedroom (behind this dresser) are being finished up as I type. Hope to show you more changes in a day or two.