Wow, I love all the pictures! Skybird, did you bring some of that " Chrysanthemum (a/k/a Dendranthemum) 'Hillside Pink Sheffield' " to the swap this spring? Hubby picked up several flowers from you (I can't BELIEVE he didn't ask me which ones I wanted) and the little tag blew off before I could make sure we knew what we had. I think that he grabbed that one if you brought it, and then planted it where it'll get full morning sun but midday it's in the shade, pretty much for the rest of the day. Will it do okay there? It hasn't bloomed, but the greenery sure looks nice LOL You guys have inspired me to look at making bug boxes... maybe I can attract something out there to eat whatever is eating my strawberries. For the record, I picked slugs off of my beans every day for the past week... their numbers are finally dwindling, but oh do the chickens love those slimy suckers! (no pics of slugs, they're not nearly as pretty as bees, nor are they as pretty as a preying mantis eating a housefly!) This seemed more like a "beneficials" post. Maybe I should put up a pic of the chickens--they've certainly been beneficial in the garden this year!

I would have said something and would not go back. That is just me. Due to my chemo I did not go into the dental office to sit with dd during her cleaning. DDS had to speak with me. I asked if we could speak in reception area and he said no, because of HIPPA, even if I said it was ok. He was more than happy to chat outside so as to not compromise HIPPA or my health. My most recent situation brought about a visit which lacked privacy in a very similar way. I had to see the nuc med guy to have dye injected into my breast to light up the lymph nodes. We go into this large room with 4 tables and 4 big MRI/Xray machine thingys. There were curtains dividing the areas. I was taken to table 3, I could hear a man was in 4. As the tech worked on me, discussing my breast and exposing my chest I could hear everything going on with the man in 4. I had to listen to this poor man cough and cough and cough and gag and moan. Several times his tech pulled the curtain, almost exposing me to the man in 4. My tech kept telling him to stop and be more careful. It was very awkward having to have needles poked into my nipple, injecting me with nuc med that burned like acid. I talk through pain and it was awkward telling my tech outloud how much it burned. The whole time I kept thinking how my privacy was being invaded by this man next to me, even though his coughing was probably keeping him from paying much attention to me. That was the most painful part of any treatment I have had to endure both physically and mentally. I won't even dwell on the germs that were floating in the air from that man while a needle was being poked into me. Sherrmann, you might be right. Doubt any office would be that brazen, maybe they are set up like an ER and consider it ok. When I am getting chemo I sit 6' from the next chair and hear their stuff. That is not considered to violate HIPPA so there has to be some small print in the rules. I still would asked for a private room before the exam.

I don't have any of the garden right when we moved in - only after I ripped out most of the weeds and mildewy phlox. I'm not sure how big the garden is - suffice it to say it's big! This picture is located between the 1st and 3rd photo I posted. That scraggly grass on the left is the same grass in the middle of the first photo. The buddleia in the middle had completely grown over the beautiful daylilies you see in the third photo. This photo is facing the back of the garden, with the shade garden on the left and the main bed on the right. We ripped out the ivy arch you see and the yucca plant next to it is still being dug out (every 4 weeks... I hate it!). You can see the spirea on the right and the barberry to the right of the ivy arch for orientation.

This is an antiquated question like, "How do you do?" It's inappropriate within a medical setting. I'd prefer, "Hello. How may I help you?" Why do receptionists call you in to the doctor's examining room using your given name? Is it an attempt to preserve patient privacy? My primary's nurse calls me Mrs. (Surname), despite having known me for twenty years. She introduces herself by her given name.