In the garden, and RAIN!!!!
POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Thursday, December 25, 2025 04:27
VIEWED: 1005090
PAGE 121 of 1154
Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Wow, this has been a hard, hard year for gardening. Last rainy season started out early and promising; October 2013 we got a couple of good rainstorms and then .... nothing. Nothing. More nothing. Which dragged on to the historic drought.
Usually my water usage goes down during winter, but not last winter. I had to water the garden areas every week, and the lawns twice a week (one of the reasons I'm xeriscaping) just to keep them alive. I took special pains with the two avocados and the camellias because they're the grandparents of the backyard, planted by the previous owners sixty years ago. I soaked them deeply at least once a month. But despite my best efforts, the plants still suffered - not from lack of water, but possibly from high salt buildup or basic soil ... the older avocado and camellia leaves took on a pale bronzy color, and needles on my canary island pines were just beginning to turn yellow.
In addition, the tomatoes were crippled and the eggplant killed by a horrible infestation of spider mites. Last year, I gave away almost thirty pounds of homegrown tomatoes and had all of the eggplant I wanted. This year, I was lucky to have enough fresh tomatoes for a weekly salad, and just a few eggplant before they gave up the ghost. The spider mites went on to attack a few more plants (which fortunately I didn't care so much for). My Italian flat beans- which I've never grown before - and my sunflowers (which I HAVE grown before) were spindly and unproductive. Same seed source. I wonder if the seed was good. At least the corn came up OK.
Two of my recently-planted sundrops died, I only have one left. This is a good representation of what the survivor looks like in my garden
and one of my verbena lilacena died, I only have two left ... another good representation
For no reason that I can see except they really, really didn't appreciate such hard wellwater. And then, the summer was hot and humid - tropical, even - and some native plants which are adapted to cool wet winters and hot DRY summers responded with a fantastic case of mildew. I broke down and got some Neem oil so that next year I'll be prepared for the onslaught.
I have NEVER failed with so many plants all in one season! This was a gardening year I was happy to close the book on, and I now have a much MUCH greater appreciation for the commercial farmer, who lives or dies by whether plants produce or not.
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But in order to be a gardener or a farmer, one must be an optimist, I guess. I've been buying my xeriscape plants mostly in onesies and twosies because I really don't know how they'll grow, or what they'll look like ... or what I want ... and the reality is that I'll still have a surprising amount of bare space, even when the plants mature.
So I took out several of my CA native/ xeriscape gardening books, and just looked at the pictures and figured out what I respond to, and what I hate, and the principles behind both. And I just ordered a crap-ton of plants: Spanish lavender (because it looks most like the Great Basin sagebrush that I like, which won't grow here because the winters are too warm),
penstemon BOP which looks like a micro boxwood when not in bloom
white monkeyflower
blue-eyed grass
and Indian rice grass
to go with the germander sage, Dusty Miller, red autumn sage, and the creeping Oregon grapNOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Hey SIX, I'm thinking about why you're in pain when the weather turns cold. Have you talked to your doctor about it? While pursuing other options try doubling your canola oil. Plus, if you're not taking vitamins you should take vitamin C and D3 ... people in cold climates without exposure to sunshine can definitely become vitamin D deficient, and it DOES cause pain. Also, unless you're eating good sources of vita C (fresh citrus, raw peppers etc) you'll need a supplement.
Just a couple of questions to help pin this down:
Is the pain in your joints or in your muscles, or does it radiate down a limb or down/across your back? Pains in your joints could indicate tendonitis or arthritis, radiating pain could indicate (a) pinched nerve(s). (I have arthritis everywhere, even in my spine, and sometimes spinal swelling pinches s nerve or two and sends pain down my right arm and around my right ribcage, so it's possible to have more than one pinched nerve at the same time, so don't discount multiple pinched nerves.) Not sure what muscle pain might indicate other than overuse or carbon MONoxide (not carbon dioxide) poisoning, but I'll think about it.
If the pain is in your joints, which ones(s)? Shoulders, fingers, hips, knees? If the pain is greatest in the joints that take the most strain- knees, hips- it could be "wear and tear" arthritis. But if you also have pain in your lesser-used joints (like your thumbs) it could be a more generalized problem. (In my example, I have pains everywhere from arthritis. It got really really bad ... to the point where it hurt to just lift a book ... when I was on an antibiotic called Levaquin, which - as it turns out- interferes with collagen production and causes tendon weakness. So not only do I have some sort of arthritis in most of my joints, apparently my tendons were being stretched and weakened when on the antibiotic.)
If the pain is in your joints, do any of the (smaller visible) joints- like your knuckles or fingers- look swollen, or red, or feel warm? (That would indicate arthritis.)
What makes it worse, what makes it better? Do you feel better in the morning/ after resting? Does activity make it worse or better? Have you tried aspirin, ibuprofen, heating pads/ balm, or glucosamine/chondroiten?
Not that I expect to diagnose you over the internet, but knowing the answers to these questions might help a medical practitioner dx you.
Strongly recommend vita D3 (try 2000 IU/day for a month), vita C (no more than 1000 mg/day) if you aren't taking vitamins already, and double canola oil for a month and see how things go. It can't hurt and might help. Also, if you take an anti-inflammatory like aspirin or ibuprofen (ibuprofen in my experience is more effective) and the pain subsides, it indicates an inflammatory process of some sort.
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) OTOH, is a pain killer: Unlike anti-inflammatories like aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxyn which work at the site of inflammation, Tylenol works IN THE BRAIN. A combination of ibuprofen and acetaminophen works exceptionally well, but there are limits on both: Acetaminophen is processed in the liver and does bad things combined with alcohol or when overdosed, whereas ibuprofen affects the kidneys and tends to cause water and sodium retention. Also, there is an approximately 1 kg lifetime dose of ibuprofen because after that kidney failure risk increases.
All of this info on symptoms might be useful to a doctor if you want them to look into it.
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
"The messy American environment, where most people don't agree, is perfect for people like me. I CAN DO AS I PLEASE." - SECOND
America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876 .
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Unfortunately KIKI- and SIX- long-term models indicate a semi-stationary blocking ridge on the west coast for at least four weeks after this rain event.
That means warm dry weather for us ... as if we need it ... and shitty cold weather for the midwest and east. Sorry folks: the weather gods hate us.
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
"The messy American environment, where most people don't agree, is perfect for people like me. I CAN DO AS I PLEASE." - SECOND
America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876 .
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Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
I'm sorry Brenda. :(
I can't believe that there's nothing you can do to get out of that situation given your circumstances. Everybody said that my brother would never be able to get SSDI. Even the woman who worked closely and oversaw his physical therapy between the ages of 6 and 10 told me that there was nothing that she could do and as long as he could stand in front of an conveyor belt 8 hours a day he'd never get it. She said that something should have been done decades ago and it was too late now given his progress. I had tracked her down and she was the head of some medical department at one of the colleges in Chicago.
It took my Dad almost 3 years to make it happen.
I wish you had somebody like my Dad on your side.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
That's part of my problem because I still function so well inspite of everything. There's a limit to what I can do on my own. And without someone to advocate for me or help me advocate for myself. There's no much I can do.
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Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Hey SIX, I'm thinking about why you're in pain when the weather turns cold. Have you talked to your doctor about it? While pursuing other options try doubling your canola oil. Plus, if you're not taking vitamins you should take vitamin C and D3 ... people in cold climates without exposure to sunshine can definitely become vitamin D deficient, and it DOES cause pain. Also, unless you're eating good sources of vita C (fresh citrus, raw peppers etc) you'll need a supplement.
I don't actually measure the Canola oil. I just kind of pour a little in. (Just call me Gordon Ramsey lol).
I take a multivitiman nearly every day. I do forget sometimes. I don't eat any good sources of C, TBH. I love orange juice, but they priced me out of that market a long time ago. It wouldn't surprise me if years of being vitamin D deficient aided in my bone loss problem in my jaw.
Quote:
Just a couple of questions to help pin this down:
Is the pain in your joints or in your muscles, or does it radiate down a limb or down/across your back? Pains in your joints could indicate tendonitis or arthritis, radiating pain could indicate (a) pinched nerve(s). (I have arthritis everywhere, even in my spine, and sometimes spinal swelling pinches s nerve or two and sends pain down my right arm and around my right ribcage, so it's possible to have more than one pinched nerve at the same time, so don't discount multiple pinched nerves.) Not sure what muscle pain might indicate other than overuse or carbon MONoxide (not carbon dioxide) poisoning, but I'll think about it.
It's definitely not muscle pain, at least with many years of working out under my belt, it's not the feel-the-burn good pain, anyhow. My back is surprisingly not a problem 99% or more of the time, considering how I nearly broke my back falling down the stairs while drunk a few years ago.
I would call it a radiating pain. It's mostly in the feet this year. Last year around this time it was much worse, and it was all the way up my shins to my knees. I'm working much longer hours this winter and doing them 6 days at a time. There is no way I could work 6 9+ hour shifts if the pain were as bad as last year. I'd say my diet and the fact that I'm relatively in good shape now have put me in a much better position, although it is still pretty bad right now by the end of the shifts.
Quote:
If the pain is in your joints, which ones(s)? Shoulders, fingers, hips, knees? If the pain is greatest in the joints that take the most strain- knees, hips- it could be "wear and tear" arthritis. But if you also have pain in your lesser-used joints (like your thumbs) it could be a more generalized problem. (In my example, I have pains everywhere from arthritis. It got really really bad ... to the point where it hurt to just lift a book ... when I was on an antibiotic called Levaquin, which - as it turns out- interferes with collagen production and causes tendon weakness. So not only do I have some sort of arthritis in most of my joints, apparently my tendons were being stretched and weakened when on the antibiotic.)
It's probably still in my hands too, but I'm not doing anything at work that would really test it out. Just lifting a lot of heavy packs of water and soda for the most part. It doesn't really require a super firm grip because of my muscle strength all over, and even the grip necessary is not prolonged. To answer this for you I'd have to try playing guitar again for any meaningful amount of time, or do something like the sanding prep-work for painting walls again. That was brutal a few years ago.
Quote:
If the pain is in your joints, do any of the (smaller visible) joints- like your knuckles or fingers- look swollen, or red, or feel warm? (That would indicate arthritis.)
Not on my hands, but they don't really bother me all that much right now. Just checked my throbbing feet and they
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Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
I'm sorry Brenda. :(
I can't believe that there's nothing you can do to get out of that situation given your circumstances. Everybody said that my brother would never be able to get SSDI. Even the woman who worked closely and oversaw his physical therapy between the ages of 6 and 10 told me that there was nothing that she could do and as long as he could stand in front of an conveyor belt 8 hours a day he'd never get it. She said that something should have been done decades ago and it was too late now given his progress. I had tracked her down and she was the head of some medical department at one of the colleges in Chicago.
It took my Dad almost 3 years to make it happen.
I wish you had somebody like my Dad on your side.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
That's part of my problem because I still function so well inspite of everything. There's a limit to what I can do on my own. And without someone to advocate for me or help me advocate for myself. There's no much I can do.
I've got to believe that getting you into adequate housing is not only possible, but given your situation it's a right. I don't know much about Canadian government or law, and I don't mean to be rude here, but from everything I hear from the "left" in the USA, Canada and especially their healthcare and public welfare is supposed to put us to shame. This makes it all the more perplexing that you can't get anywhere with this.
This isn't your fault at all. It's also not the people you've spoken with's fault either. It is their job to keep you off of the system as much as possible. It's nothing personal to you, but it is the number one safeguard against people who don't need help leaching off the system.
I believe it can be done. It's going to take a lot of perseverance though. Everybody said my brother couldn't get it. It took Dad nearly 3 years, but now he's got SSDI as well as affordable public housing in a nicer apartment than some of the ones I paid pretty decent money for over the years.
Again, I don't mean to be rude, but have you tried going at it with a "psychiatric" angle? Even with all of my brother's physical maladies and limitations from the incident many years ago, they weren't going to help him. My brother finally had to come to terms with the fact that he needed help and that he has some behavioral disorders, and swallow his pride and let my Dad go from there. He is, essentially, unemployable. Sure, he could stand or sit at a conveyor belt for 8 hours a day, but how long before he snaps on somebody or goes back to drinking again?
I'm not insinuating that you have any problems that severe, but I know you deal with depression and haven't you said you have anxiety issues as well?
Just spitballing here. I wish I could do more for you.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
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Hey BRENDA, I agree with SIX. It seems to me that the Canadian system- which is touted to be so superior to the USA's - should have something to offer you.
I know someone (in Ontario, so not at all near you) who works as a neuropsychiatrist, and HER job is to screen out the fakers ... yanno, people who claim to have a problem when they don't. (Usually work-related disability claims.) But with your history of tumor and surgery it seems to me that you should at least be eligible for evaluation- that kind of history is definitely not fake!
Let me follow a clue that you've left here: You don't drive. Why is that? I can think of at least two reasons:
1) Your anticonvulsants aren't 100% effective, and so you can't get a license,
2) You get lost easily.
BOTH can be true, but the difficulty finding one's way around is the hardest to elucidate. It results from problems on the right-hand side of the brain (where our dd had her catastrophic bleed) and problems there are often called "silent" because they leave speech/language intact but leave deficits that - altho can be quite profound - are hard to quantify without careful and insightful evaluation.
I bring this up because of dd's hx of brain bleed ... she SOUNDS sort of OK, but I can't trust her to find her way around our block by herself. We're still working on right versus left. She has SUCH a hard time processing images that it's almost as if she's blind, except (unlike a blind person who can create a mental map/image from touch) she can't even do that. People constantly overestimate how smart she is, and then get frustrated because they think she's being stubborn when in reality she can't translate verbal instructions (Stack this in the upper right-hand corner) into a "picture" of what the result is supposed to "look like". She has zero imagination (imagination= to make a mental image.) so if you ask what she wants for her future, she just gives you a blank look. What she has is called a "non-verbal learning disability" (because the disability doesn't involve words) and it's still kind of unknown territory and terribly under-diagnosed.
Anyway, you may have some subtle but serious deficit; a particular skill that's compromised in some way that makes life and work very difficult. With a brain tumor, that's not hard to imagine. (And if you tell me where in the brain it was, I can take a guess at what kind of impact it might have had, and you can check it against how you feel. You can get in touch with me privately.) So give it some thought, and if you think that's the case perhaps you can find someone who will advocate for you.
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
"The messy American environment, where most people don't agree, is perfect for people like me. I CAN DO AS I PLEASE." - SECOND
America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876 .
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SIX, I know we went thru this before; it sounds like plantar fasciitis. Or possibly your work boots have no cushioning at all, and between that and the concrete floor your feet might be taking a real pounding. Or maybe you wear double socks in winter and your feet are just getting squished. I'd take a close look at my footwear, if I were you, especially if I do something different in the winter. Seems like the first thing to try before looking into other things,
I think I recommended a shoe insert which helps orient your feet and also provides cushioning. I know that I had plantar fasciitis a few years ago, it was incredibly painful and I tried all of the crap that doctors recommend: stretching, heel cups, ibuprofen, etc etc and nothing worked until I got those inserts: The newer version is Dr. Scholl’s Pain Relief Orthotics for Heel for Men, 1 Pair, Size 8-12 about $12 on Amazon (prolly less in your neighborhood pharmacy bc no shipping.)
Because the worst pain is in one area, it's doesn't sound to me as if you have a general problem, but a very specific one. I hope this helps.
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
"The messy American environment, where most people don't agree, is perfect for people like me. I CAN DO AS I PLEASE." - SECOND
America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876 .
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Oh hey BRENDA, I know someone else in Ontario and he knows government people in BC ... maybe there's some help there for you!
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
"The messy American environment, where most people don't agree, is perfect for people like me. I CAN DO AS I PLEASE." - SECOND
America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876 .
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Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
I'm sorry Brenda. :(
I can't believe that there's nothing you can do to get out of that situation given your circumstances. Everybody said that my brother would never be able to get SSDI. Even the woman who worked closely and oversaw his physical therapy between the ages of 6 and 10 told me that there was nothing that she could do and as long as he could stand in front of an conveyor belt 8 hours a day he'd never get it. She said that something should have been done decades ago and it was too late now given his progress. I had tracked her down and she was the head of some medical department at one of the colleges in Chicago.
It took my Dad almost 3 years to make it happen.
I wish you had somebody like my Dad on your side.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
That's part of my problem because I still function so well inspite of everything. There's a limit to what I can do on my own. And without someone to advocate for me or help me advocate for myself. There's no much I can do.
I've got to believe that getting you into adequate housing is not only possible, but given your situation it's a right. I don't know much about Canadian government or law, and I don't mean to be rude here, but from everything I hear from the "left" in the USA, Canada and especially their healthcare and public welfare is supposed to put us to shame. This makes it all the more perplexing that you can't get anywhere with this.
This isn't your fault at all. It's also not the people you've spoken with's fault either. It is their job to keep you off of the system as much as possible. It's nothing personal to you, but it is the number one safeguard against people who don't need help leaching off the system.
I believe it can be done. It's going to take a lot of perseverance though. Everybody said my brother couldn't get it. It took Dad nearly 3 years, but now he's got SSDI as well as affordable public housing in a nicer apartment than some of the ones I paid pretty decent money for over the years.
Again, I don't mean to be rude, but have you tried going at it with a "psychiatric" angle? Even with all of my brother's physical maladies and limitations from the incident many years ago, they weren't going to help him. My brother finally had to come to terms with the fact that he needed help and that he has some behavioral disorders, and swallow his pride and let my Dad go from there. He is, essentially, unemployable. Sure, he could stand or sit at a conveyor belt for 8 hours a day, but how long before he snaps on somebody or goes back to drinking again?
I'm not insinuating that you have any problems that severe, but I know you deal with depression and haven't you said you have anxiety issues as well?
Just spitballing here. I wish I could do more for you.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
It is better up here. No one is denied medical care and welfare takes care of a lot of people and a lot of things are covered under it.
I get a bus pass for the year and don't have to pay for it. My hearing aids were completely covered and the batteries when I need a new box of them.
My medical needs are covered except for dental. But I can live with that.
Oh, I know it's not my fault and I know the rules and regs are there for a reason. I'm just getting grouchy in my old age is all.
When my doctor filled out the form for BC Housing she listed my depression and the fact that when I get truly depressed my thinking isn't so good. But that still hasn't made any difference.
I do suffer a little bit from anxiety from dealing with my landlady. And BC Housing knows that too.
I just have to work on being patient which isn't one of my strongest suits.
There are a couple of people trying to help me now but
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