Friday, October 1, 2010

Fertilizer Friday, October 1

 
October, already??  Where did the time go?  I'm certainly doing my best to hang on to summer here, but I can see it's not going to work.  We are supposed to have one more nice day on Friday and then look out for the weekend--it's going to freeze.  I took as many pictures as I could tonight because who knows how many flowers will be left even if I get around to covering absolutely everything, which right now, ain't looking too good.  I'm also trying to learn how to use this mosaic/picture collage thingie, so far, well....ok, I promise to work on my technique.


I took some pictures on Thursday night as some cloud cover was rolling in and was amazed to see the difference in how the plants looked, especially the ornamental grasses, in varying light conditions.  The camera angles aren't exact--wish I had thought of that, but here goes.  First the cloudy sky:

And then 24 hours later, in bright sunshine:

Above, the Miscanthus purpurascens looks interesting on a cloudy day.

The same plant, in the sunshine, it just comes alive, doesn't it?
I still have volunteer rudbeckias strutting their stuff here and there, though there's less and less blooming now and a whole lot of powdery mildew.

Quick update on what's going on with my health............ ok, I'd tell you what's going on with it, but I don't really know.  I'm sitting up late again tonight because my heart is beating like I just ran a marathon, I sure hope we find out something soon.   I had the appointment with the new endocrinologist this past Tuesday and it went fairly well, but at this point, there's more questions than answers.  He is a very brisk, efficient, 'let's not waste time on chit chat doctor', which is ok, he seems very proficient.  And can he ask questions, wow, he's got that down.

Do you remember the old TV show, 'Dragnet', where Sgt. Joe Friday and his partner would ask suspects questions at a rapid fire pace?  I felt like a suspect.  The doctor sat down at a table in the exam room and rattled off a list of symptoms I was supposed to say Yes or No to. 

"Do you have any chest pain? Nausea? Dizziness?  Vertigo? Heart racing? Skipping any beats? Swollen ankles? Headaches? Tremors? Rashes? Hair thinning? Personality changes? Weight gain/loss? Gums bleed?  Double/blurred vision? Shortness of breath?  Pet Elephants? Fishnet stockings?"

What?  No, he didn't ask the last two questions, I was just checking to see if you were following along.
 
Aw, let's look at another picture:

Quarry pond, waterlilies and late afternoon sunshine.
So, after all the questions and a physical exam, I was sent to the lab to donate another five vials of blood and to pick up my '24 Hour Urine Collection Bottle'--yes, this doctor did order the test, thank goodness.  I had to stifle a guffaw though, when the lab technician told me to wait right here, "I'm going to go and get you a hat for the collection process."  A hat, hmmmm....maybe a boot would be better?  Less chance of leakage?  Then when she brought the white plastic 'hat' out, I said, "Gee, it's not very becoming."  She dutifully smiled, but I could tell she's heard all those lame jokes before.

At least the doctor hasn't told me I need to take Castor Oil for what ails me:

This is 'Carmencita' castor bean, which has a beautiful, young maroon leaf and spiky red seed pods.  Caution: No eating of the seeds, very poisonous.

On Wednesday night we received a call from a young lady who is to be married today and wants to come here for photography since she saw pictures of the wedding photos done here last week.  She did a walk-through of the gardens on Thursday afternoon and was pleased, so they will be coming at 4PM tomorrow afternoon.   The bridesmaids will be wearing pink and the bride's favorite color is pink, so I set up the dome in the formal garden with my Supertunia Bubblegum Pink flower pots instead of the red impatiens from last week's wedding. If she likes the flowers, they can stay or go, it's her decision.  I aim to please.


We walked over to the Pachyberm and both thought it might be a possibility for pictures there, too, with all the pink petunias.

Not sure of the variety of this aster, but it is very pretty, despite flopping:


Now I'm heading over to Tootsie's Fertilizer Friday.  Hope you do too!

Karen


12 comments:

Diana LaMarre said...

Your garden is still looking wonderful. I can't imagine covering it all! I think I would just let nature take its course, and enjoy all the pictures you took when you get the urge to see flowers again.

That said, I hope it lasts long enough for us to see those wedding pictures!

Also hoping you get some health answers soon. It must be very frustrating not to know.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Karen, your sedume looks great. Mine has just laid down on the ground. I think I am going to take it out and put somewhere else. I need to look for some Autumn Fire, doesn't flop.

Eileen

Gardening in a Sandbox said...

It will be a shame to lose all that beautiful colour with the coming of frost. Your grasses will be fine though.

Darla said...

Gorgeous grass in any light! Everything looks so cheerful to be getting ready for a freeze....do take photos of the wedding party, love to see them. Another tidbit...heart racing...have your potassium level checked.

Granny Lyn's Garden said...

Everything looks beautiful,Karen. You work so hard to keep looking great,then that first hard frost can completely change the picture.I must say I am sometimes ready for that change. I have an reason then,not to be working in the garden,not just looking for an excuse!
Have a Blessed Day! Lynda

Cat/The Whimsical Gardener said...

What a lucky bride - her pictures will be lovely! Your garden is beautiful and I enjoyed my first visit to your blog. I just joined Blotanical so have just found you. So glad I did!

Kaye Swain - SandwichINK Real Estate Info said...

A delightful visit and WHAT GORGEOUS ASTERS! Love the colors. Thanks for a fun visit. :)

Sandy said...

You may just have a booming business every week with all the weddings! you go grl!
Elephants and Fishnet stockings.. that made me laugh!
Thanks for your visit today and your kind words.. I don't normally speak of my health on my blog but I was feeling sorry for myself the other night and thought it might help if I spilled the beans.. know what? It did... I got some very wonderful comments from blogger friends like you..
My chest was burning during the healing and had me up all night in tears...5 days now and I'm drug free today!
Thank you so much for your concern...
Sandy

deb said...

Yur grasses are beautiful! Love, love, love the Dome!! Such a nice place for photos, but anywhere in your gorgeous gardens would be fine.

It's so frustrating waiting to find answers. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Hang in there and hope they give you answers soon. At least he didn't ask if you were 'seeing' pink elephants! LOL Trying to give you a chuckle ;)
♥♥♥♥
*hugs*deb

Karen said...

Hi Zoey, yes, I think you have the right idea, I may just let it freeze. We had the wedding come today and it RAINED...wait til you see my next post!

Eileen, I am going to search for 'Autumn Fire' sedum, I want a flop-proof one!

Gardening In a Sandbox, yes, at least I'll still have the grasses, they are wonderful plants, aren't they?

Darla, good idea about potassium, I will check into that. We'll see if it freezes or not Saturday night, I hope not.

Lynda, I'm with you! I sometimes do look forward to first frost as it puts an end to all the work once and for all AND the first snowfall that buries the work and makes it look 'interesting'. I don't know how people garden all year round, I truly don't, I would be so worn out!

Cat, welcome and thank you! I enjoyed my visit to your blog, too!

Kaye, thank you, I'm thinking more asters are needed around here, the more the merrier.

Sandy, I hope you are having a better day today and are healing nicely. I would have been in tears, too, heck, I cry over a racing heart and hot flashes! You are such an amazing lady; all of your gardening and projects, I could never keep up with you. I am so proud to call you my friend.

Deb, the scary part is, I think I MAY have seen a pink elephant wearing fishnet stockings! I've been so loopy lately, it wouldn't be a stretch, but it would have been fun to have him ask me that and give him an affirmative answer, wouldn't it? But then I'd be admitted to an entirely different type of hospital ward. LOL Thank you!

P.S. to everyone: You Make Writing A Blog FUN!

Corner Gardener Sue said...

I enjoyed seeing the areas in different light like that. How cool!

I'm sorry you are having health problems. I hope it gets figured out. I have been having pain in my jaw. Unlike yours, the specialist I saw was chatty like me, and when I left, I wondered if we had gotten everything covered. I'll be going in Wednesday to get fitted for a night guard to prevent damage from grinding my teeth.

Oh, I've been married to my high school boyfriend for 38 years, and we live in the house he grew up in. It's a small corner lot, but my flower beds and vegetable garden keep me busy. Plus, I garden across the street.

Beth said...

Your asters are beautiful and I love your two mosaics! You and Carl have done a fabulous job creating your own little paradise!
Hugs, Beth