ok I got some pics for Shelly :) our first is a nice opuntia. http://groups.msn.com/menthasphotosforwebsets/cactus.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=135 Valse Brilliant Epiphyllum http://groups.msn.com/menthasphotosforwebsets/cactus.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=136 a beautiful NOID epi at the local nursery. this plant does not get fed and hardly watered. http://groups.msn.com/menthasphotosforwebsets/cactus.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=137 a close up of bloom and bud http://groups.msn.com/menthasphotosforwebsets/cactus.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=138 another opuntia on the other end of the neighborhood, the house burned down, but the op's still there. http://groups.msn.com/menthasphotosforwebsets/cactus.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=140 this guy is huge. The small guy in the lower left side is about the size of a man's hand. http://groups.msn.com/menthasphotosforwebsets/cactus.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=141 The pic of the cholla is in the camera, which I forgot at home along with my wallet! oops

I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome in '85 and everyone pressured me to have surgery. I didn't and probably won't (too many friends with CTS were having bad outcomes from the surgery or were having to have it done again a few years later--no thank you). Shortly after that, I found some research done by a chemist who discovered that caffeine aggravated such problems as CTS and that a small daily supplement of B6 reduced the pain in several double blind tests. (I'm sorry but over the years, I have lost the report I had about this.) Anyway, I quit drinking anything with caffeine and now take a B complex supplement every morning. I have found that the B complex is more effective for me than the B6 alone. My CTS was caused by lifestyle. I replaced woven cane, splint and rush seats for a furniture refinisher as well as folks who heard about me from other customers. I have a small herd of dairy goats to provide my family with milk and meat from cull animals and as a hand spinner, I knit almost constantly. I actually took a knitting project when I had an exam to test electrical conductivity in the nerves of my hands and arms and the doctors called me a "hard core knitter." Any of the three activities would do it but I was busy constantly with all three. I have since given up the chair seat weaving (folks didn't want to pay what my time and skills were worth even though they would SAY I ought to charge more). I still knit as time allows and the goats are in the barn awaiting me now. I'm planning to get back into horseback riding next spring for exercise (we are planning to adopt from a rescue agency a senior Tennessee Walking horse that is a "babysitter" horse and I won't ask him for anything faster than a flat footed walk for his sake and mine). If anyone reading this decides to quit caffeine, please do it slowly. Withdrawal, cold turkey, causes major headaches, fast heartbeat, nervousness and overall discomfort. I did it cold turkey twice and will never do it again. I also have flat feet and bad ankles and knees. I can't get through the day without planning sitting jobs into my schedule. Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate taken as a capsule have really helped me but it takes a few weeks for it to work into your system. I also know that losing some weight (I'm workin' on it!) would relieve stress on the legs too. It seems that when the CTS comes back from overwork, I also will have tendonitis in my ankles and that leads me to believe that it is somewhat nutritionally caused. I love my SAS shoes but buy slightly oversized boots for outdoor work. Best wishes to all of you for painfree days and good gardens

I had it done a couple of years ago, wasn't as bad as I had thought. Healed quite quickly. Enjoy your frozen dinners and movies. Think of it as a vacation. haha

A lot of safety gardening issues are double-edged swords. There can be no doubt that excessive sunlight exposure can cause melanomas, but sunlight is also something that all living creatures need. I'm guessing I am not getting the requisite amount of rays, due to the fact that I wear long sleeves and long pants as armor against insects and because I am often too cold but never too warm. Because my eyes are sensitive to light, I also wear hats with brims, just so I can see, but it also limits my sunlight exposure, for good or bad. I will never wear gloves while gardening, simply because I cannot stand them! And also there is a known benefit to skin contact with the soil, and nature in general, that out-weighs the concerns of parasites or other evils lurking in the soil. http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-9099/the-surprising-health-benefits-of-going-barefoot.html http://modernfarmer.com/2014/08/dirt-make-us-happy-getting-hands-ground-better-prozac/ I probably shouldn't say this, but I treat myself every year or so for possible parasitic infection using equine worming products. Worms live in the soil, and I don't want them living in me! Once, long ago, I went through the appropriate human medical channel to treat roundworms and was subjected to lengthy humiliation and charged 10 times what the same drug in the agricultural community costs, and I said never again. When I get barbed wire or thorn cuts or insect bites/stings, I immediately pour hydrogen peroxide into the wounds. It introduces oxygen into puncture wounds and prevents or stops infections in their tracks. It is far more effective than anti-bacterial soaps (which carry their own health hazards, so much so that I have banished them from my home). Peroxide is always the best first medicine for puncture wounds, and soaking in hot water, especially with Epsom salts which will draw out foreign objects, is a great follow-up. Tetanus shots at 5 year intervals are a must for any gardener, especially for those of us who have pastured horses on their property at any point in time. We have only to mention that we are former horse owners to dissuade any reluctance on the part of physicians to give us out 5 year "jabs." Tetanus lives in moist damp earth so it is always a concern. The tick danger is perhaps the most serious of all, as well described by Dee.