The rest of the yard trimming hasn't gotten done yet. Tuesday I never really did wake up, even took a nap after lunch, something I rarely do, and had a pain in my neck and a pain in my butt (no, not Marc though he does qualify on occasion). Clearly those days outdoors did me in. Wednesday morning I went to see a chiropractor because for the last 4 or 5 weeks I've had a pain, or ache really, in my right butt cheek down around my tailbone. Some days it doesn't hurt at all, some days just a little ache but some days a big ache that travels down my right leg. Anyway, she did her magic, said my hips were out of line (which is sort of a chronic thing with me) so she straightened them up and did other stuff up and down my spine. The problem was that when I was there it was a day with just a little ache and I had a hard time pinpointing it. And Thursday, after four hours on my feet at SHARE, it was pretty achy. I don't expect instant relief because I know that the body forms habits and I imagine it will take at least one more adjustment to convince it to let go so I go back next Wednesday for a follow up. If all that wasn't enough, I don't think I slept at all last night. I was restless, tossing and turning couldn't get comfortable laying there with my eyes closed trying to convince myself to sleep. I had slept for about two hours when I woke around midnight. I don't remember sleeping after that, no dreaming, but I must have slept at least lightly because when I finally was giving up and reached for my phone for a couple rounds of solitaire, it was 6 AM. Laid there another half hour and then read a few news items before finally getting up at 7:30. So that's been my week so far. Today I have zero energy. And it is back to being hot and humid again with a high of 90˚ expected today.
Today I'm going to vacuum the house (we'll see, so far, no) and come up with something for dinner. My brother is coming in today for his every other year visit. He always stays with our sister because we no longer have a guest room.
The conclusion of the ant wars...You might remember that September 9th I caulked around one of the pocket doors in the kitchen where they were streaming out and into the trash can and that seemed to have done the trick until a couple of weeks later when once again there were about two dozen ants on the kitchen counter. I traced those back to the faceplate of another plug. This time instead of coming out of the third ground hole they were coming out from the bottom of the faceplate. I caulked all the way around that and that was the last time I have had ants in the house. Of course the rain finally came and the temps cooled down some and they are now busy making little mounds all over the big backyard so I'm not sure if I won the war or they just abandoned their attempts.
Yard stuff...The mustard greens seeds all sprouted virtually overnight and I have some major thinning to do
and the next day so did the lettuces, carrots are still a no show. Ms Moon asked about green beans in the fall garden and they will do fine until the first freeze and depending on when that is we'll either get some or we won't. I have 19 peas coming up out of a total of 90 planted. Another week and I'll put them in the ground.
The night blooming cereus put on it's first round of blooms for this year. It had 22 buds that opened over three nights (flowers only last one night). I managed to remember and go look around midnight on the second night. I didn't have a flashlight with me so I just pointed the black screen of my camera where I thought the flower was using the flash. I got a few fairly good pictures.
Pecans have been falling and I've been picking them up. Right now they are on a bread tray I borrowed from SHARE while they dry out and harden (the nut inside, not the shell). They're still pretty soft here at the beginning of the harvest.
The turk's cap is blooming
as is the pink trumpet flower vine/bush.
These white rain lilies took their time but they finally responded to the rain,
here's the white phillipine lily shrub,
And another picture of the chinese fringe flower (loropetalum) tree because it was looking like a giant pink torch just now.
Wonderful flowers, amazing after the scorching summer you had. I hope your bones get back in place and stop hurting.
ReplyDeleteThe pictures probably don't do justice to your yard! I miss my apple trees and peach trees. They always bloomed at the same time and the perfume from the blossoms was so lovely. Sounds like scatic pain in your butt and leg. I have it from time to time in my left leg after I had shingles. It is difficult to describe and pinpoint. It is a deep ache that will not subside no matter how you change positions!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same as Kathy- that you might be having sciatic pain. It can really mess you up. Glen had it one time so bad he could not sleep. Finally went to an acupuncturist who treated him and also told him to quit carrying his wallet in his back pocket which he did and the pain subsided within a day or two. Whether it was the wallet or the needles, we will never know.
ReplyDeleteYour mustards! Oh my goodness. Yes. Mine are up and have raced ahead of the arugula which came up about 36 hours after I planted it. Seriously. We've had some decent rain so things look happy in the garden right now. We haven't gotten up to 90 in over a week, I think. And next week we're going to get some pretty low temps.
As always, your flowers are gorgeous. We used to have Turk's Cap bushes in Roseland. I think they will grow here, too.
Incredible pictures of your night-blooming cereus. I used to use the same method of taking pictures of my chickens on the roost. Remember when I'd post pictures of one of my roosters with a hen or two under his wings? Oh, I miss those crazy birds.
Thanks for answering my question about the green beans. I'm thinking I should be planting peas now. I always wait until February but...why?
I do hope you get relief from the butt/leg pains. No fun that. Loved seeing your flowers, and these were great photos of them. Standing so long is sometimes difficult. I'm a wimp and couldn't manage it, especially if standing on concrete.
ReplyDeleteI hope you find some relief from that back pain. It could be sciatica as other commenters here have mentioned. Back pain is such a bummer. Fall looks so beautiful there. It's lovely to see the blooming flowers and all those yummy pecans.
ReplyDeleteOuch! I hope you feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteSciatica is my guess too, and I've never known anyone who had it except mom, and hers was awful! Your night blooming cereus is perfect, and I love your tiny dog standing perfectly by the Chinese fringe flower tree.
ReplyDeleteAnts are an implacable adversary, Ellen, but I hope you are justified in performing a victory dance. Sciatica does seem like what you are experiencing, although I have no medical knowledge to make such a claim. Whatever the cause of your misery, I hope it will be short-lived.
ReplyDeleteBeActivePlus.com just $29.95 for sciatica pain ... That ad was on the TV as I was reading your post ... I agree with everyone who says your pain sounds like sciatica ... been there, done that horrible pain once too many times! When my right hip hints at that pain, I do the exercises to avoid it ... I have zero tolerance for that kind of pain, so I cry 😠a lot if it sets in!
ReplyDeleteI have the same right hip pain that sometimes shoots down my leg. Worse in the morning when I wake up, but better once I get moving and have 2 Tylenol. Seems like new aches are appearing now that I have turned 73 and it pisses me off. What next?!?
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry about the pain. I know how annoying that is! And the sleep issues. I read an article once that talked about how people back in the day (like, EARLY peoples) would just sleep when they were tired and then do stuff until they were tired again - they didn't do the 8 hours in a row that we try (and fail) to get. I don't know if that's true - how could they do stuff when it's dark? But it comforts me to think I'm becoming a Neanderthal when I can't sleep. Ha!
ReplyDeleteI hope your back/hip pain will ease with time. Heat and movement usually does the trick for me - over a couple of days, no magic potions. Also: age. Which is known to affect sleep. I have the odd night like you describe yours and I've now reached a point of resignation about it. Especially since the night following is usually a good one, something to look forward to.
ReplyDeleteWonderful bloom in your garden!
What a beautiful tree! And those cereus are breathtaking. I wonder if you have sciatica? I sometimes have those sleepless (or seemingly sleepless) nights with no rhyme nor reason that I can detect.
ReplyDeleteSleeplessness can be as much of a pain as the pain in your rear and legs. I mostly don't have either problem, but occasionally I'll wake up at 3 a.m. -- and it's always 3! -- and it can take a little while to get back to sleep. Usually, it's a matter of convincing myself that I can't do all the things that need doing until the next day, so I might as well sleep. I'm really impressed by that fringe tree. I don't remember ever seeing one: surely I would remember something that magnificent. I do wonder if it's related to a shrub that's planted around here, that has purple-pink fringy flowers. I should explore that.
ReplyDeleteThe night bloomer is magnificent as ever. I don't know if they live in Tucson, or not. I'd like to see one in person.
ReplyDeleteThe night bloomer is magnificent as ever. I don't know if they live in Tucson, or not. I'd like to see one in person.
ReplyDelete