Garden 2014

One of the first things my husband helped me with at my house when we started dating 2 years ago was building me three 4'x4' raised garden beds.  And that year, I started with some basics - 2 tomato plants, some squash, zucchini, banana peppers, and some other stuff that didn't yield substantial crops.  Then, last year, we were in full wedding planning mode, and I knew that I wouldn't be able tend to it - so I let it grow over for the season.

While I can never claim to be a complete "outdoorsy" person, I must say, I thoroughly enjoy gardening (minus the icky bug element of it all).  It helps me to relax, clear my mind, and ultimately helps me (and my family) cut back on our produce expenses for part of the year.  Some of my fondest memories of my extended family involved spending time with my paternal grandparents and great-grandparents.  My great-grandparents were avid gardeners - and when we would go to visit every summer for a week or two, I remember spending afternoons at my great's, snapping beans and picking other veggies from their gardens.

Last weekend, I hit full-fledged garden-planning mode, especially since Andrew had been talking about beautifying the yard the week prior.  So, after church last Sunday, Andrew and I hit up the local stores in search of this year's plants/bulbs/seeds and other supplies.  We cleaned out the beds that even after a season of lack of care, held up very well!  One of the first plants we brought out to plant didn't fare too well at the mercies of our newest dog, Stella (a lab/we dunno mix) - she apparently has a taste for strawberry plants!  But we learned our lesson, and today took measures to better protect/reinforce our plants from the dogs (even though, I must say the dogs did pretty well for a week - but I'm not willing to chance it!).  We also added 6 other plants this afternoon.  So, here's what we have going this year:

Full view of our 3 beds

Yellow Planter: Spinach

Red Planters: Strawberries

Blue Planter: Romaine

Tomato Cage (top): Goliath tomatoes 

Tomato Plant (middle): Cherry tomatoes

Tomato Cage (bottom): Roma tomatoes

Top Bed (L-R): cilantro, spearmint, parsley, basil

Bottom Bed (L-R): red potatoes, red onions, white onions, garlic

Top Bed (top row): jalepeno (two plants), yummy bell peppers

Top Bed (bottom row): cayenne peppers, banana peppers (four plants), green bell pepper

Bottom Bed (top row): cucumber (full-size), green okra, straight-neck squash

Bottom Bed (bottom row): cucumber (pickling size), zucchini, straight-neck squash 

(thought I bough a crook-neck plant, but came home with a second straight-neck plant!  Oops!)

So, this is our garden this year (for now, at least!).  Broccoli come time to be planted/transplanted in the next couple of weeks, so we may have to finish out the other side of the first bed soon to make more room, but we'll see! 

And I'm definitely open to feedback and advice - I'm new to gardening and I'm by no means an expert, so any/all advice/guidance I can get is greatly appreciated! 

Isaiah 58:11

And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. - Isaiah 58:11

This verse has been very poignant to me the past few days.  It is a wonderful reminder to me that no matter what I'm going through right now, God knows what is going on and he is with me.

I had my doctor's appointments this last Tuesday.  And they didn't go as planned.  And while I want to be able to say that I'm "okay" with the outcomes, I'm struggling with it right now, but praying for peace and contentment in our situation.

First was my hematology appointment.  It was with a new doctor, new practice, etc., so I knew that I would be having to start on a blank slate of sorts with explaining my case history.  Before I even got in to see the doctor, though, I was informed that my hemoglobin had dropped 1.2 (down to a 7.9) in just a weeks time.  Basically, I was informed that because of my drastic decrease and because my body does not typically absorb iron like others, I would have to begin monthly iron infusions indefinitely.  Not the worst thing in the world (I once had to go through 6 weeks of infusions a few years back), but being told that I would have to undergo this procedure every month from here on out with no identified end in sight is somewhat daunting.

Then I had my appointment with another specialist.  I had a follow up ultrasound, following up on the ultrasound I had a week ago.  And that's when we were informed that there was something detected on the ultrasound that was more than likely contributing to my health issues.  It's unrelated to my endo and adeno, which is of some slight concern to my doctor.  And until this, coupled with my severe anemia are addressed, we can't address other health concerns.  So, my doctor has scheduled me for surgery next Thursday.  Nothing super serious (again, I've had a similar procedure before), but every procedure always carries it's own set of risks.  

I will say, we were relieved to find out that my doctor is not advising a radiological procedure that had previously been discussed briefly right now at this moment.  He does not see the benefit of doing it, nor the necessity.  So at least that's been tabled for now.

So - please continue to keep me (and Andrew!) in your prayers over the next few weeks and months.  The procedure next week is outpatient in nature and shouldn't take long at all, really - and if I'm not in a lot of pain, I can even return to work Friday.  But that's not to say that this isn't still stressful for us.  Prayers for peace, patience, and guidance are greatly appreciated.  

As always, thank you to our family and friends who have been here for me (and us!) since the beginning and even now, still...it is greatly appreciated!