Hi Debbie, In 2002 I contracted lyme disease and shortly after the auto immune fun started. RA and all the other assorted diagnosis. I turn 50 in a few days and havent worked in nearly 3 years. Sometimes life just doesnt seem fair and then I look out at the garden and realize how much I have. My gardening ventures may not be as ambitious as they once were and everything takes longer but it still gives me the same joy :) Making gardening a bit easier has come in stages and I'm sure as my ability decreases over the years I'll make more modifications. I fully understand about not being able to get down on the ground to plant, weed, etc. Now I use a long handled bulb planter to make small holes. I found a short shovel (about 3 feet total) with a small blade that is very light weight since a normal sized one is not possible. I've seem these short shovels at a local garden center that have a padded circular handle which I'm sure I'll need in the future. I also tried the cart to sit on to weed and found it too painful. So what I finally put my energy into was... minimize the weeds. After planting, I put down a thick layer of newspaper and then add grass clippings. Each time we mow, more clippings go down. I havent had to spend nearly as much energy on weeds since starting this. I should say that this is what I do in the veggie garden. The flower beds get a thick layer of cyprus mulch and a sprinkle of Preen each spring. This year I plan to try cardboard instead of newspaper for the veggies and see how that works. Last year my sweetie put in 2 raised beds for shorter veggies. They made a HUGE difference. He made them 12 inches high and filled them to the top. On each corner he placed a 4x4 inch post that sticks up several inches above the raised bed (driven down into the ground more than a foot so its sturdy). This gives me a place to hold on to when I lean over. It also makes a nice place to rest a basket when harvesting veggies :) I'm sure there are other examples but this is a bit of what I've done to help keep garding a joy in my life. Good luck with your therapy and ~happy gardening~

Update...My Stevia seedlings are doing well! So far, 7 out of the 9 seeds I put in the two pots have germinated. 6 of the 7 look sturdy too, even for tiny seedlings. I'll post a pic of them on this thread within the next few days. The surface sowing seems to be the way to go. Last year when I didn't have many germinate at all, I put them about 1/2 inch deep into the potting mix. They obviously got pushed down into the potting mix a bit this year with the first few waterings (warm to hot water from a sink sprayer thing), so i'm sure if you put them on the surface then heavily water the first 2-3 times/days, they will germinate fine. It seems to be the right thing to do also to keep the seedlings above 70 degrees. I put the two 1 gallon pots I have them in on top of a normal heeting mat. The room stays about 70 or so with high humidity (so other seedlings don't get too hot). Now, we have to see if I can keep them alive & also how fast n well they grow into bigger seedlings. :) - Steve

It has been a while since my last post. Here are a few pics. Here are some yellow cardi scorps, chocolate bhuts, brain strain ( the largest guy) and 1 loan Douglah. Remember the Bhut's I started a few months ago. They have grown a bit. My largest Brain Strain in middle,bhut on left, and dorsett naga on right. And a couple pod shots red savina Red savna again And a couple pi assentions

I didn't mean to imply you were couch potato. It doesn't sound like you are a couch potato at all! You have done lots. And I suppose that listening to people with your best intentions at heart is a good thing but around here, if my in-laws had their way, I'd be in a chair sipping lemonade from the day I found out. Not for me. I think many people underestimate what a preggers lady can do. I get frustrated by the number of people who just about have a canitption every time I go to lift anything over 5 lbs. I think many women get caught by this. They stop doing ANYTHING when they get pregnant b/c they think that's what they are suppose to do and when it comes time, they end up paying for it. But, yes, near the end nature has ways of making sure that you slow down as you need too. Hang in there, butterbeanbaby, it's almost over. And soon you will have a new little flower that's more precious than any in the garden.