FANTASTIC!!!

One of the most fantastic days I have had in a very, very long time!!!!  But I will get to that in a minute.

I walked over to take some information to Dar and she got the call from the cancer center a day early.  NO MALIGNANCY!!!!!!!!!!!!  There is something in there, but it is not cancer!!!!!

I had my mammogram today--the tech said everything looked fine.  I got to look at the pictures--now that they use digital imaging.  Such an interesting thing--the breast.  Lots of capillaries and veins and milk ducts--I love this modern day technology.  I also got my chest x-ray--didn't get to look at those, but tech said it looked okay.  Last December when I was in the ER--they routinely do chest x-rays when you go to ER, the doc there said I had a nodule in my left lung.  I can only ASSUME the report was sent to my primary care doc and he never called, so..................but, since I am my own advocate and check out every report AND get the reports sent to me---I decided to get another chest view today, just to make sure it hasn't grown and the edges are still nice and smooth and it's small.

I think I have also diagnosed the severe dizzy spells I have been having for the last few months.  Monday I remembered that when I was in rehab, last year, my blood pressure got so low, I was taken off all my bp meds for four months.  So Monday--I started charting my bp--taking it four times a day--morning, noon, supper and bedtime.  The systolic number (upper) never got over 120 and the diastolic number (lower) never got over 52!!!  That my friends is why people faint when they stand up and walk a few steps!!! So--I stopped taking my bp meds.  I am on three--Lisinopril, Amlodapine, and a water pill--hydrochlorothiaizide.  I am continuing to monitor my bp 4 times a day, but yesterday I felt better and today great!  I have not had one dizzy spell in two days--I usually have several a day.  I think I've figured it out and when I see the doc next Thursday, I will hand him my report and see if he concurs.  Today my bp has been 117-122 over 55-57--so, it's getting better.

I have taken bp meds for 23 years--but recently I have lost a lot of weight and on a completely different diet--a lot of fresh veggies and fruit and perhaps--wouldn't that be something if I didn't have to take those meds?

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Now--this is what I did today!  The show is coming up!!

Planted my vegetable garden.  2 tomato plants and a hill of cucumber seeds in the middle.

A few strawberry plants still reside on the south end AND a Sun Impatiens in that triangular thingie.

 Here is the planter by my entrance.  The Fuchsia geranium, dark blue/purple Wave petunia,

and the Chartreuse vine. 

I decided to put the other one in my side yard.  The yard guy doesn't mow next to the

tree, he weed whips it, so it shouldn't cause him a problem when he mows my lawn.

This looks a big rugged right now--it sits at the end of my perennial garden.

The Rosea Vinca flowers and a trailing plant called Silver Falls, which

will grow into a beautiful long curtain of silver.

I got three railing planters this year.  They were quite popular

a few years ago, but I wasn't planting then.  I wanted them this

year and had a hard time finding them.

I put pea gravel in the "flanges" that hang on either side of the railing.

It has drainage holes, but I didn't want the dirt washing out and getting all

over my porch and porch skirting.

Each planter has a Vinca vine in the front and these flowers--

called Rosea Vinca.  I wanted Impatiens, but they aren't selling

them this year because of a mold disease that decimated the crop last year.

I hope these spread and fill in like an Impatiens.

I have a crock by the top step that is also filled with the Rosea Vinca

and a blue Wave petunia.  A pot at a small white table between the

two chairs has the same.

This is my side view--my spring flower garden, Forsythia, which is done

blooming and two Rose of Sharon bushes that won't bloom

until August.  Yes--my bird feeders are full--I feed the birds all year long.

I saw a hummer yesterday--his feeder above the others.

My Baltimore Oriole feeder is hanging on the other end--haven't

see a one yet!!

This helped make my day so fantastic--all the time I was working

on the front porch, I could inhale the Heavenly scent of Lilacs.

This is taken from my porch, toward my back porch.

The green bush in front of the Lilac, is a Weigela, which isn't

in bloom as yet.

It will look like this, when it blooms.

These two pictures were taken from my back porch.

The Lilac bushes are only about 18 inches from the railing.

All I have to do is open my kitchen window and the scent

fills the house.

One of the reasons I wanted this unit--even in December, I noticed

the Lilac bushes--they are one of my favorites.

I am so happy.  To think that exactly one year ago today--at this precise moment, I was sleeping--drugged on Percocet, Tramadol and probably a bit of Morphine--the night of my hip replacement surgery.  For the last four years I have not been able to garden--now I can.  Oh--not a lot--and I have to sit and rest about every half hour--but I AM DOING IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you have never been in constant pain for four years--to the point where you were even unable to walk, and then recover and be (almost) whole again--you will never know why I call my surgery a miracle!  I know, we use that term a lot, but to me--I asked God, "Please, just let me be able to walk again," and look what He and a caring, fantastic orthopaedic surgeon gave me.  I just wish Freddy was here to see it--he would be sitting up on the porch, watching me dig, haul things in the wheelbarrow, and planting and he would be smiling from ear to ear!!!