Thanks, everybody! Cameron, no pics yet, but that will come when I finish putting things away in...two or three years. HAH! Seriously, I got so far behind that I did not even get the garden cleaned up this year. I shudder to think of what my roses might look like. I think I shall become the pruning queen in a month or so. I will be getting photos up and starting my first project this spring. We are going to start a little garden under the kitchen window, and I'm going to start layering cardboard and such now by my fence, in order to have it ready for roses and perrenials next spring. It's really nice to be "back"...I had no time for ages to even think about gardening, and then I just lurked from time to time. Now I feel like I can dream again, and actually have the energy to do something!

With all your mom's prior problems medically, she is going to have a rough recovery at best. My mom broke her femur few years back when she was about 84 & in good health except high BP which she controlled. She went into rehab which put everyone in diapers if they couldn't get up & walk into the bathroom.(If she could do that she wouldn't need to be there). That brought on number of infections & catheter & finally after 27 days I took her out of there.She was starting to go downhill, dad was healthy & I lived near them, she got well fast at home off the meds. Your mom will require rehab place not just nursing home. At rehab they work with getting them walking again & that is your mom's best hope of living alone again. If she didn't walk well before this happened it will be tough but if she is stubborn she may surprise you. Anyway your job now is to find out what shape she is actually in right now & then go to see her once a month if possible or oftener. The apt has to be on hold until you see if she is even going to be getting up out of bed. Assisted living means they can get some help from time to time but mostly it is so they get meals down in dining hall & there is someone available to call for help. If she can't get around then she will have to go into nursing home after rehab. Out here the hospital usually tells you what is going to happen next, you don't have much say. If surgery was 2 weeks ago she should be sitting up in bed, alert, able to eat on her own, & sitting in chair out of the bed part time, but because it is both legs that will be so much more difficult as they usually have you stand on the "good leg(that wasn't broke)-she doesn't have a good leg. Find out if they were total breaks or fractures, if hairline much better outcome as a little weight can go on it. I doubt that she will be walking in any fashion for some time 1-3 mos. If her casts are plaster or soft, or no casts all makes a difference. You need to get a good outline of what to expect for next few months from her dr. & hospital. Signing was a big mistake & probably need a lawyer to get her out of that & her stuff put in storage or sold. Did they pressure you? How did you sign without being there? Best to handle it now as it will just get worse if you wait. Might be able to get out of it as you were under duress ! Good Luck!

bug-b-gone Odd place to post this but it is a recipe, : ) My neighborhood is a natural forest. We won't win any 'tidy town' awards but we like it a bit natural and raw. All the neighbors like it that way. But it is full of pest no-no's. Ticks don't jump, but crawl up on shrubs and hop a ride on our pets. I spray the forest edge and groundcovers, composting leaf piles and firewood, under the deck, etc. with this... Cup of hot pepper flakes, garlic, a 1/2 cup cheap cooking oil. Few cups of water and let it steep. I made the last batch around thanksgiving. I add a tbsp of dr bronner's just before spraying and a cup of food grade diatomaceous earth. (from amazon) -add water to make a gallon. -i stretch a knee-high panty hose over the sprayer container to strain it. -i just put the mess in a bucket and re-steep it a few times and make another batch. -I cook with the big cloves and just chop up the pesky inner tiny cloves for the mix. -i drop in a bit of oils, citronella, lavender, etc -hot water will speed it up This is an old pic from my dog forum. My mother sends me the avon stuff but i've been out of that for a while. Most recipes on-line are similar and not necessarily exact. Soap can harm some beneficial insects so i leave that out most of the time. -the D earth is actually safe to drink in liquid form and not harmful. It is not good to breath the dust so i suspend it in the mix and it clings to the wild shrub underbrush and the rocky areas. I do dust it around the hostas and no longer have a slug problem. (calm day, no wind, and wear a dust mask). Tuck it under some leaf mulch. I bought 10lbs a few years ago and just opened the second bag. It lasts a long time. My pups wear bandanas with this blend in the link. I now make a version of my own using similar oils. I have a few sets of bandanas i cut in half to make 2 triangles and run them through the wash. I keep them 'juiced', but they get stinky as the oils will get a rancid smell after a week or so. (smells great at first!) No ticks at all this past week, even after all the rain. I'll spray once a week for a while, then every other week around july. Here is a link that might be useful: herbal defense This post was edited by sleevendog on Sun, May 4, 14 at 11:24

I did have a birthday!! I can not believe you remembered that. Thank you!!! I promise to be a good girl and not leave my chair for so long again. I really enjoy this forum and everyone here. The East coast is awesome!! I can't believe we have been here for so long. The kids are all out of school and my youngest is doing Basic Training in the Army over in Georgia. Can you believe he was only in 6th grade when we got here? We are so proud of him! I have spent all morning trying to find the best car rental to drive over to see his graduation. Two weeks and he will then go onto Airborne School. His training should keep him stateside for at least the rest of this year. We still have most of the fur kids. Two of our oldest cats have gone over the Rainbow Bridge in the last few months. I am dreading the coming year as most of our animals all seem to be roughly the same ages. Every one is in good health so maybe they will stay that way! Our oldest dog is getting slower though. Trish