Spring Flowers

Just went out a little bit ago and took some photos of my flowers.  You can see some frost damage on some as we had a couple of nights where it got down cold enough to frost.  Am not posting any tulips as some are already bloomed and gone and others have not opened up yet.

These Pansys I planted last year and they came up early and are blooming so pretty by my front door.  Wonder if they will live over another winter?

The next two photos are of Candytuft which is a low growing flower that lops over my sidewalk every year.  Last year a lot of it died off but this year the snow drifts must have protected it more.

Some of my Jonquils/Doffodils are still blooming and some that grow right next to the south side of our brick house are done for this year already.  They are so pretty waving in the wind.

This last flower I could do without!  I have several large dandylion weeds growing and blooming in my flower bed.  Need to get them removed before they put out seed heads.  I think I would have solid dandylions everywhere if we did not spray for them each year.  I know the seed drifts in from the road ditches and fields so we will never be rid of them. They are bright spots of color when you drive past the yard but they have to be gone real soon.

 Have not gotten any sewing done for several days due to Dr. apts.  Saw my sinus Dr. on Monday and now am on several more things to control the bacterial infection and prevent more sinus infections.  Feel like a walking pharmacy.  Did find out from the culture of the bacteria and test on the different antibiotics that this strain is resistant to many oral antibiotics but did find one that would work (I hope)  With all the meds I have been on the last few years I have become resistant to some of them.  They assure me it is just this particular bacteria but it still worry's me as my only other choice is the IV kind.  I have wondered if that might be the problem but you follow orders and take what they prescribe.

My second Dr. apt. this week was with an orthopedic Dr.  I have been trying to ignore the pain in my right shoulder for months and the last month it has gotten worse.  When I had to start sleeping with a pillow wedged under my arm and against my chest when I slept I decided I had better see a Dr. about it.

The conclusion of the Dr. is I have a tear in one of the muscles in my rotator cuff on my right shoulder.  He gave me a cortisone shot and ordered a month of physical therapy.  I sure hope this works as I don't want to have shoulder surgery again if I don't have to.  I had surgery on my left shoulder in 2003 and it took me months to recover.  Granted it was more serious than originally thought.  With that one he removed the flexible joint near the shoulder at the end of the collar bone because it had much arthritis that were like points that were shredding the muscle/tendon, repaired the tendon, cleaned more arthritis out the the ball joint, then cut a groove in the ball and screwed in the tendon.  I know that is probably way more information than you really wanted to know - sorry.

Because of the screw the Dr. didn't want me starting physical therapy for 6 weeks and by the time I started my elbow and shoulder joints were stiff and I could not raise my arm above my waist.  It took 30 appointments with PT plus doing the exercises 4 times a day at home before I was done.  It was hard work but glad I did it as I have around 97% of my movement back.  Didn't think I would ever get that much back but now don't have much of anything I can't reach or do but don't have the strength back in that arm.  I suppose I could lift weights for that but just haven't.

Needless to say my right shoulder and arm have been a little sore since the Dr. apt. and more sore before the apt. and I have not gotten much stitching done on my quilt.  I did cut some more plastic today for luggage tags though.  A friend emailed that she had 30 more cut out and needed more plastic.  I think I am nearing the end if all who took plastic last month at our guild meeting make the tags.

I am counting down the days until I go to Paducah next week.  Will leave home on Tuesday and meet one of my sisters in Nebraska City.  We will drive to Kansas City to pick up our friend then head to near Columbia, Missouri to our other sisters where we will stay overnight.  Our niece will join us and we will head to Paducah on Wed.  We should make pretty good time I would think as we drove from Kansas City last year and got there around 4 pm.

We are all taking food to eat and snack on and have my bag getting full of goodies.  I will make encheladas tomorrow and freeze them plus will take some of my own frozen corn along for one meal besides all the snack stuff I have purchased.  I did buy a couple of local wines to take along too because we always have "happy hour" on our hostesses screened in porch when we return from the show each day.  Hope the weather cooperates for us to do that this year too.

My shopping list is getting longer and longer each day so we had better leave soon or I will spend way too much money.  John teased me yesterday after my apt. with the orthopedic Dr. that he guessed that I probably couldn't shop at all since I am to watch it a little on carrying heavy things.  He wasn't serious though thank goodness.  He is happy I can go and enjoy something so much and get a chance to spend time with my sisters and niece.

Happy Spring,
Lynn