Thank You

I just wanted to let you all know that we told Mom about your comments here and at my blog, and she did receive and read your cards. (Have you all seen Jen's cards at http://www.muddybootdreams.com/ - wow!!!)

While Mom would not allow for services to be held for her, I don't believe she would mind at all that her blog become a memorial of sorts to her wit, wisdom, and mad skills.

Here's one of Mom's favorite artists. I can't listen without crying (so I hope the quality is alright), but perhaps you can.

Mom did not want to do another Ohio winter this year. Mother Nature, knowing better than to cross my mother, waited until we were leaving the hospice parking lot early this morning to start snowing.

Favorite Daughters

Favorite Daughter #2 here, hijacking my mother's blog for a moment to direct you give you all over here for an update on Mom.

And, because it's required in every Flydragon post, have a pretty picture.

HOSPICE

I know this doesn’t sound like it would be a title of one of my posts. I’m usually posting something a bit more witty, well I try to anyway, with a slightly? morbid sense of humor, (fortunately my family has the same sense of humor), up beat, making each other laugh, and generally having a good time, trying to out do each other. Well, this post doesn’t seem to be working that way this time.

That’s because this is not really a post about me . It is actually a comment ( a very long one) to one of Rudees from “A Knitting Nurse” that she posted last Saturday on Nov. 7th. I know it took me a while but I was so angry at the time, that I figured I’d better take time to think about it till I cooled off a bit and could at least try to sound a little bit rational. I’m not sure it worked, but at least I’m not taking all her comment page space up, and decided to take up my own space up instead.

I’ve never met Rudee, except through her blog, but I’ve gotten the idea that she is a nurse that is one of the ones that comes in at the later stages of the patients illness. I could be wrong of course, correct me if I am) and so far I have only met the nurses, social workers, and the doctor that are the ones that come in at the beginning. Since the middle of September of have met the most caring, friendly, courteous, wonderful, people that go out of their way to explain your illness to you, explain all your options to you, try to relieve all your and your familys anxieties, manage your pain levels until they find the right combinations, (which they definitely do) visit you sometimes daily to do this, and when they are not here, they are constantly calling you to see how you are, if you need anything. Aside from my own family, Hospice workers are second to none!!! I can’t say enough good things about each and every one of them.

From what I have read about patients in the care of Hospice, sometimes the different combinations of medications can alter the mental outlook and cause some mean, and obnoxious behaviorism through no fault of their own. But all Hospice nurses know that and I’m sure are quick to forgive this kind of behavior. But…when it’s a family member who treats the nurses this way, it is totally unacceptable!!!! Treating a nurse that way, swearing and abusing them, the one who is there for the sole purpose of taking care of your loved one, making sure they get the best of care in their final days, is deplorable.

While that is fresh in my mind, I will now write letters of apologizes to all my family members in case I start to act like that, ( I know they’ll forgive me, cause we’ve talked about this, and I know they will not treat any nurses in this abusive way either because I’ve already threatened to slap them up side the head if they do) and I’m sure the nurses will also do the same. Well maybe they won’t slap them, but they have my permission if they want to.

All that being said, my hats, ( which are plentiful at this time thanks to all family members) are raised to each and everyone of you who choose to pick this type of career, taking care of others in their time of need, and hopefully are always treated in the best possible way. You certainly deserve it!!

SICK OF THESE YET?

I hear you nodding your head yes, but since I haven’t been out and about much lately you’re once again stuck with my own flowers.

First, the Illumination Begonias. The ones that I planted in the hanging baskets are pretty much done, and hanging limply in their containers. But not these. Planted in a large planter in the front, these are looking good as new. Better than new!!


And how about this Verbena. Not a spot of powdery mildew this year, and still looking terrific.



And when all other petunias have turned straggly and brown, how about this gorgeous Supertunia.




Oh, and by the way, I’m still blooming over here too. Maybe not as full and lush as I once was, maybe not actually blooming either, but hey, what do you expect at the end of September of 2009. But I’m still a little bit cute. Right?

Still Hanging In There

A few surprises hanging in here in the middle of August.

The first is this Verbena. Usually by this time of year all my Verbenas are in the trash heap. Loaded with powdery mildew and totally wilted. But... looking good

How about this Lantana. Still full and healthy...

How about these window boxes. Still going like gangbusters..

And last... how about the view from my favorite sitting place....

Oh, and one more thing

Yes, I'm still hanging in there too.:))

Thirsty?

How about a little Cola.
Better yet, how about a huge, oversized, colossal cola?


Last year this lily was 54” tall. This year it’s 6’ tall. Next year I plan on climbing it to grab the goose that lays the golden eggs and maybe the magic harp while I'm up there too.

Not thirsty…how about hungry?

Lollipop Lily. I love this little cutie.

Not hungry? How about just some eye candy then.
This delicate flower is on one heck of a strong climber. Mme. Julia Correvon Clematis.


This larger flower is on a weaker climber that requires a lot of tying, but worth it. And I don’t know the name of it because it was mis-labeled. It was supposed to be a double blue but I’m happy with the result (although I really did want a double blue).


This one I’m not so happy with. Bought last year, it didn’t bloom but instead spread out. Okay, I was a bit disappointed, but waited for this year to see it. Well, there are a ton of blooms this year, and I would be ecstatic except for one thing.

It was supposed to be CHERRY RED. %&&$$# What’s with these people and their labels??

I guess if you want to be sure you get the colors you want, you buy them already blooming. Thanks to Betty Boop and SisterNan, I have instant color in my back yard with this Supertunia "Bordeaux"

And this multi-colored Verbena


And last but certainly not least, this one is for Rose of Prairie Rose’s Garden. She mentioned in one of her posts that she couldn’t find an Illumination Begonia this year. Hey Rose, you’re certainly welcome to share one of mine.

Peanuts!! Camera!! Action!!

All it takes is a platform feeder and a handful of peanuts….

First to arrive every morning and the last to call it a day at night is this tired looking fella.

Maybe because of these two fluffed up offspring waiting patiently on the trellis.

Well, maybe not too patiently because they’re squawking up a storm, until one decides she’s waited long enough and helps herself. Smart girl.

Yes mom does feed them too, but not as much as he does because after all, she did the hard part at the beginning, right?
Next to show up…

Stuffing his mouth to take to this little tailless fellow hunkering down in a corner by the little birdbath. Hey, you need water with those peanuts.


Last I saw of this little guy he was jumping through the back fence to hide in all the shrubs back there. Probably a good idea till his flying improves.

Soon to arrive is this handsome fella announcing his arrival by a rat-a-tat-tat on the gutter first.

His little one (not really that little now) is hugging the large oak tree in the back waiting for his share.

And this little downy is usually next.

Her little offspring is following so close behind her that he actually thumped into the window a few times before he finally learned to land on the trellis instead. No he wasn’t hurt.

How about this plump mama.

Since there’s no babies in sight, I don’t let her stay. An eating machine if I ever saw one. And when she’s done eating she’ll still park her fat self on here and sit forever!!!! So off she goes.

This is one that I never allow.

Wicked grackle. Killer of babies. Off with you!!!

And of course there’s Mr. Nose. He can smell a peanut a mile away. So far he hasn’t been able to figure out that all he has to do is jump up 2 feet and he’d be in peanut heaven. But I’m sure he’ll catch on pretty quick.


Unlike his larger rodent cousin, this guy had no problem scrambling up the side of the house and helping himself.



I guess that means I’ll have to be moving that feeder to a different place. Pain in the butt rodents, spoil all the fun..sigh..

Hey, She Likes It !!

She first showed up last Tuesday and has been here every day since, which is unheard of in my backyard in June. If that's not a woohoo I don't know what is.

So...WOOHOO !!!!!!!

Weeds

Did I ever mention that I hate to pull weeds? No? Well I will now then. I hate it, hate it, hate it. I’d rather be poking myself in the eye with a sharp stick instead of weeding. But eventually I do get around to it. Forcing myself to work a 4 foot section of flower bed at a time on a daily basis until it is finally done.

Well I kinda got behind this time. Waaaaay behind.


You wouldn’t think I’d have the nerve to call this a “flower” bed now would you? Poor little impatiens don’t stand a chance in that mess. Being crowded out before they even have a chance to grow.

Well, relax.


And how did I manage that? Well, "I" didn’t. The only person I know who says she actually likes to weed did that. The one who has flowers, and ONLY flowers, in her beds (yes I checked). The one who has been known to sit all afternoon in her lawn and patiently pull out every bit of clover because it really doesn’t belong there. The one who stopped by my house a few days previously and was accidentally shown the front bed which caused an immediate

And the statement “I’m coming back on Tuesday!!
And who might that be? Why that would be Bonkers Betty Boop of course.


Not only did she show up with all her garden tools, (hey I have tools too, and mine are sparkling clean and look like new for some reason) but she also brought a crispy, brown, tasty chicken for my lunch!!!

So guess what I was doing while she was slaving away out in front.
Well, you’re wrong!!! I was NOT in the house scarfing up the chicken. I was outside the whole time keeping her company AND doing a little fertilizing and watering (I like doing that) AND I even pulled a few weeds (guilt).

After she finally had enough fun for one day, and went on her way, I did indeed make short work of the chicken for dinner though.

Hmmmm, I wonder what she’s doing next week as I'm sure with a little watering and fertilizing I can get those weeds back in no time.

A Little Icing On The Cake

While out and about with FD2 the other day, she said “Hey, let’s stop at Lowes because there’s a humming bird feeder there that you’re gonna love and have to have!!” Thinking, “I doubt it” but not wanting to put a damper on her enthusiasm, I agreed to go.

I also didn’t mention the box sitting in my closet, full of various old feeders. Feeders that I’ve used over the years trying to attract those little buggers to my back yard. Some feeders that were extremely hard to clean. Some that dripped constantly informing those nasty yellow jackets exactly where their food source was, (which can turn into a hairy situation when you decide to stand out there and try flicking them off with your fingernail) Feeders with ports so large that whenever it rained it would fill up and dilute the sugar water and you’d have to throw it out and start anew (hey 57cents worth of sugar is 57cents worth of sugar) Feeders with ports so small there’s no way you can stick a cotton swab in there to clean them out. And a few feeders that were just downright ugly. Yep, I’ve tried them all.


Hey, I hear you sighing out there about my saved stuff/junk/crap. This time it’s okay though, because I’m sighing a bit myself over this box.

But………..she was right of course. I loved it. Had to have it. It is now hanging from a hook, strategically placed by my back window so that I can see it from just about any chair in the downstairs. (One upside of a small condo, with a large back window. Come to think of it, the only upside)



Heavy, multi-colored glass, and my favorite…..A Hot Air Balloon!!!!

Have I seen a hummer since putting it up? Nope. Do I expect to see them zooming towards it in droves fighting each other as each one claims it as it’s own. Yeah, in my dreams. Do I enjoy looking at it even if they don’t show up? You betcha. And when one finally does shows up, and they will eventually, I’ll take it as just a little more icing on the cake.

Spidey's In My Bed!

No, not this one

And not this plump momma chasing down her soon-to-be devoured mate. Hey, a girls’ gotta do, what a girls’ gotta do. Right?

I’m talking about these spiders

Spiderwort Tradescantia

A couple of years ago I was looking around the garden centers trying to find a nice little something to fill an empty space in my front flower bed. Not really that knowledgeable about plant life, even though I might accidently give the opposite impression sometimes, I finally gave up and just grabbed the last little 5” pot of something called Spiderwort. The picture on the tag looked promising but I certainly know how that can turn out sometimes, and I figured I could always move it to the back fence if it didn’t work out in front. That back fence sure has a lot of mis-matched, unknown, misc, plants/weeds springing up everywhere.

But it did work out. Once those long blooming little blue/lavender/purple flowers showed up, I was hooked, and I immediately went out to buy some more. Of course I couldn’t find any so I was doubly happy that I at least had this one. And this spring that lone plant was big enough to be divided into three and soon I will have masses and masses of free spideys in my bed!!


But for those of you who might find a different kind of spider waiting for you in your bed, I suggest you put the webbster on speed dial posthaste!!

Back To Normal

As you can see, my floppy, fickle fingers are working just fine now. Leg weakness all gone too. Things are so good in fact, that I’m taking that pot of simmering stew I’ve been posting about and heaving it over the back fence. Waiting till dark of course. Don’t want the neighbors to see how I really dispose of my garbage.

I did want to put this little post up now though, because I think that Connie from Farside has some thunderstorms lurking around up there and I didn’t want her to get zapped before she had a chance to read it.

So it's back to normal (whatever that may be) in dragon land and posting will be back to it's usual nonsense, simple, misc. crap. But I wanted to tell you that all my plants are growing great, and did I mention that I now have a fridge full of people food instead of just bird food?
Whoo Hoo

Touchdown

While making my twice weekly jaunt down to the corner building that passes itself off as a grocery/junk/crap discount store, I ran smack into their plants. This time of year they have 3 or 4 long racks sitting outside full of annuals and a few perennials. Now this store is not noted for the tender loving care that they give their plants. They can kill off every single plant out there faster than you can say “dead as a doornail” unless you get them the same day that they come off the truck. Well today I must have hit it just as the truck was pulling out of the drive because all those plants were looking pretty good to me. Forget the food, the TP, and yes, even the candy. This was much more important!

Fuchsia

Lantana
They always have Fuchsias but this is the first time they have had the Lantanas. I usually try to buy at least one Lantana every year because I love them and so do the hummingbirds but sometimes I’ll have to hit 3 or 4 stores before I can find one. I never could figure out why they were so hard to find, so of course I had to buy one since it practically fell into my lap. Literally, because as I was tugging the best looking one off the top shelf (of course) I lost my grip, but luckily managed to do a diving save, grabbing it with both hands and hugging it to my body as I gracefully plopped on the ground. (Talk about a pretty picture. At least the other customers were polite enough to avert their eyes) So there I went, happily trudging home with a hanging basket of color in each hand.
And speaking of hummingbirds…..NO, I haven’t seen any yet!!!

Q's & A's and Show & Tell

First, we start with the Q's and A’s.
As per usual, I get to ask the questions and you get to answer them. Isn’t this fun??
Question #1….
This popped up in my flower bed and since I have never planted anything out there that even remotely looks like this 5” tall whatsits…..
.What the heck is it?


Question #2

No, I know what those are. What I don’t know is why, when I buy and plant primrose they start out with flowers the size of the silver dollar but the next year they’re the size of the nickel.

Any takers here? (not the coins….just the question)

Well that concludes the Q & A part. Aren’t you surprised that there’s only two this time? I know, I actually amazed myself. Now on to the show and tell.

Remember this? (I know that’s a question but it doesn’t require an answer)

Well, if you’ve been paying attention and actually reading this drivel that I post you’d remember that this was a little Illumination Begonia bud that I showed you a little while back.

Moving on


Ta Da


I think I’m going to like this plant.