Plum Cottage Happenings

 

Good Friday morning Folks ~ Well it’s Friday morning here EST.

Thank you all for your kind comments on my last post, they mean a lot and help me more than words can express.

A week ago last Wednesday morning I bent over to lift a heavy flower pot, and uh oh, I felt something pull in my lower back again. I went about my day and wasn’t too bad. Later in the afternoon, one of my widow friends brought over her neighbor who does house painting, to look at my little ‘Plum Cottage’ to give me an estimate, which is a good price and she told me he does very good work, so when it cools down again this is the plan to get Plum Cottage freshened up with paint. This was a project DH and I were going to do, but alas, weren’t able to. I will be helping, by painting the grooves, after he sands and caulks, and he will roll the rest.

Anyway, the next morning, I could hardly get out of bed for the pain, bending was excruciating. I used a clay pack after it had been in the freezer, took some acetaminophen which didn’t seem to do much at all, took some herbs for muscle spasms and that were anti-inflammatory, massage essential oils into the area and just tried to relax. I couldn’t work, so missed out on three days last week and didn’t go to church on Sunday morning.  By Sunday afternoon though I could feel a lessening in tightness and pain, yippee. Monday I felt better, Tues. I did a couple of errands, Wed. I raked and bagged one bag’s worth to be picked up today.  I am feeling so much better and that is GREAT. It’s no fun crying, being frustrated, hobbling around very slowly and missing my dear husband. But, here I am able to get around again so I went out to take some photos of flowers.

Alamanda ~  I love the star in the center.  It was a pleasant surprise.

Angelonia and begonias

Bougainvilla

Brugmansias ~ 3 different kinds of pinks grown from cuttings from a fellow FL gardener who lives in the middle of the state.  I just paid the postage.

This first photo is the day I got them, 14 May.

Here they are this morning.  I repotted them yesterday and they each had a healthy root system. Yippee!

Moonflowers, grown from seed.

Thryallis.  I want to take cuttings from this to root. It is in a pot right now. It has a lovely scent too.

In the ‘secret garden’

Front patio as seen from inside where I sit to blog, write emails, or craft.

This is taken outside looking southeast. The Lady is hidden by the salvia.

Miniature roses as seen from inside too. (My windows need washing.)

Here are close ups.  I just love the colors and it has a slight, sweet scent.

This is ‘Granada’ on the wane, still pretty though.

Unknown

Another unknown

Kathleen.

I got a surprise in the mail last week from a dear relative. A check telling me it was a little something and to do with it what I saw fit. So, yesterday I ordered my new bread machine. It will come to my local Walmart and will be available for pick up next Monday. I am so excited. I will think of this dear one every time I use it.  I’ll post pictures after I get it and use it and hope it lasts me 14 years like this last one did.

Rain keeps being predicted here, but so far we’ve received ‘zilcho’. I keep hand watering and using the sprinkler on flower beds to keep things alive.

That’s it for now. Thanks again for all of your encouraging words. May you all be blessed.

FlowerLady