Love you all.

Sherry

My yard took a beating too, this summer, as spent a lot of time caring for DH (cancer), and we're like you, count as a blessing each day we have together. Now that it's cooler and relatively calm around here, maybe will get some time out there.

Yesterday I went to the Celebration of Roses in Farmers Branch, TX and it's the first time in months I've been out, other than the grocery store and doctor. What a treat!

Take care, and I wish for nothing but the best for you and DH.
ogrose

Susan, you hit the nail on the head. Thanks for your kindness. :)

Sherry

Rosefolly

I am glad your husband is better. Gardens are wonderful, but life is a series of cycles, and gardens aren't always the top player in every cycle. Between hot weather and over-commitment, our garden's pretty bad. But there are still things blooming to lighten the heart.

Jeri

Ingrid

Randy

You have created and documented a beautiful and inspiring garden.

Don't try to do too much too fast. Take time to get your emotional strength back, and then enjoy the gardening renewal. Best wishes for you, your DH, and your garden. Lou

I know your weed. Good thing is it pulls up easily, bad thing is it comes back easily too.

All things considered, the garden looks great and picking just a small area to clean up at a time might be a nice break from the medical and feel good to see the accomplishment once done.

How special your newest blog was. Your garden surely welcomed you back with some lovely blooms. My reblooming hydrangeas seldom ever rebloom---maybe because I love the color of the aging old blooms and do not dead head them.

I have a lovely weed that is a type of Wandering Jew with brilliant blue flowers called "Day Flower" that looks very much like your weed or "wild flower." Yours is probably related. Mine came with daylilies from a local daylily breeder. I usually yank out handfuls when it threatens to take over but do leave enough to enjoy the lovely blue flowers.

I just thought about someone else who hasn't been here in awhile......I cannot think of his name, but he had a really interesting website. He'd had a stroke and found a way to garden and propogate in spite of it. He was very knowledgeable and I miss his posts. Hate that I am having a senior moment and cant recall his name. Do any of you remember him? I would enjoy going to his website again, but don't know any way to find it.....
Judith

Welcome back, and we're doubly glad that it's combined with news of your husband's continued health given his circumstances. Now take a deep breath and enjoy the garden one section at a time. Clean up and prune one tiny corner then sit in a chair facing only that corner and sigh and the wonderful beauty.

Judith, I think you're thinking about Karl, Rosenut. His user name (and license plate) was Rosenut, and I think that was some part of his blog name. I hope all is well with him as well!

Cynthia

I mainly see Crabgrass, Balsam Pear, Beggar Ticks, Bermuda Grass, Brazilian Clover, Chinese - Violets, Dichondra, Dollar-Weed, Leaf Mustard, Long Stalked Phyllanthus, Oxalis, Purple Pigweed,and Wild Violets. Those are the weeds I can think of off the top of my head!!! You have to love Florida weeds. At least I do not have kudzu.
Regards,
Andrew

Rosefolly, thanks so much. If I play my cards right, maybe one of the kids will stay with DH for part of a day. I'm wondering which day would be best.

Jeri, I really am surprised that the garden didn't just keel over. It's a lot more resilient than I expected. A couple of the Home Health nurses/therapists have admired it in terms that are pretty unwarranted from my view, but they say the weeds don't matter. They can SEE the English garden and love it --- but then I've noticed how encouraging they are to the caregiver so... but I appreciated their excited praise nonetheless.

Subk3, I don't think that's it. Mine has purple flowers and the leaves are farther apart. Thanks for the suggestion though. I didn't know Wandering Jew was a weed or highly allergenic.

Seil, thank you for the good wishes and the compliments. The garden is what it is. I'm not upset by the condition, and thankfully I don't feel stressed by it. I would like to go out and get that weed out before it eats the house but whatever. :))

Ingrid, I know you've been thinking about me. Your email was sweet and very appreciated. I wish I could have answered, but you said you understood if I didn't. That was a very stressful period so it was wonderful to hear from you even though I barely had the time or brain capacity to read it. Your caring wasn't wasted. Thank you so much for it.

Molly, I'm so glad that you're glad. Things are beginning to SOUND more normal all around.

Randy!!! How wonderful that you're back on the forum. I have missed you tremendously. I got the Shooting Star hydrangea at the grocery store, believe it or not. I really love it. I've been acquiring more reblooming varieties that tolerate sun, so I'm thinking some of the roses that have passed on will be replaced by them. The only thing I don't like about the hydrangeas is their deciduousness but it's only for a few months in the dead of winter so I guess it won't be so bad. I'll have to get clever with their placement, I guess. So happy you're back!!!! Thanks for liking our old photos. You're very sweet.

Melissa, you nailed it. We survived, are going forward, and life can be hard. I led a very sheltered life before this. No real sadness had ever touched me. This made any previous bad times look like childish melodrama. Now I see other people's tragedy so differently, much more compassionately. Thank you for saying it so well.

Thank you, Jeannie. Your kindness is so appreciated as well. What a wonderful place this forum is, filled with kindred spirits.

Monarda, I like your optimism. I guess it will get whipped back into shape, but I think I also want to do some tweaking. We'll see, won't we? Can't just leave the furniture in the same place year after year, right? I know one thing for sure. Maggie is saying byebye...I think.

Lou, what you said really touched me. I'm thinking the most I'll get to spend in the garden - someday - is an hour here and there. I've already learned that there are risks to being out of the room. He slid off the sofa the other night reaching for something while I was on the PC in the laundry room (doing the blog, in fact). Had to call the paramedics to get him up. Fun, fun, fun - he wasn't hurt at all. Two big hook and ladders came, no sirens thankfully. Firemen are very nice people.

Kippy, MY weed used to pop up one at a time, and they were easy to pull and control. It used to be the least of my weed worries. On the positive side I have a feeling a lot can be accomplished in just a few minutes with that one. Let's hope so. Seems like several of us have it. :))

Sunny, you win the cigar! My weed is definitely Commelina coelestis, aka, Day Flower, Widow's Tears, Blue Spiderwort. If I had a bigger garden, I might keep a spot of it, but I don't think I'll tempt nature. Thank you so much for your prayers!

Campanula, as usual I loved what you had to say and as usual I had to resort to the google dictionary - to find out what droll means. That was a lovely thing to say about me. I think you've got me pegged. I didn't know there was one word that would sum me up. It doesn't sound like a good word (d-r-o-l-l...comical has a nicer ring) but I think it nails me. Ha, I could definitely be a buffoon if I weren't so shy. The "generous nature" part is very kind. Such excellent words..."take it easy and just let life roll on by, carrying you along, floating, flying." Will do! And thank you!!

Judith, curiously, today I noticed that my house is pretty clean and tidy. Suddenly, I'm my mother, always flitting around, picking up stuff, folding, wiping, no dishes in the sink overnight, I thought to myself, that's because I'm not out in the garden all day and because the CNA comes every other morning to give DH his sink-side bath. So glad you like the photos!

Titian1, thank you. It does look like the green form of Wandering Jew except for the white flowers.

Cynthia, thanks for the good advice. I, too, hope Karl is well.

Andrew, thanks for the information on the spiderwort. For a minute I was thinking it's only in the beds, but then I remembered all the places it has spilled over and rooted in the gravel. Yes, thankfully no kudzu!!

Hoovb, that's so sweet. You always amaze me with how much you can get said in so few words. That's definitely not my strength. :))

Sherry

Sherry