
It's become clear to me through posts and PMs that there are some gardeners here just waiting for the chance to discuss gardening!
So, I was thinking... how do you use gardening, or how does it affect you if you need a break, need some respite, need to relax, need inspiration....how do you use it as a therapy tool in caregiving?
What are your activities: Do you go out and pull weeds, read a magazine, design new beds? Look through garden catalogues? Go to garden stores?
And what interests have you added to your gardening? Visit estate or garden displays? Do you go to garden shows?
Does anyone design and plant Knot Gardens? Raised bed planters? Assistive gardens? Pollinator gardens (and have you thought of ways to help the bees and butterflies?)
Are your gardens primarily for pleasure or food, or a mix of both? Do you grow plants for medicinal purposes? Which ones, how do you harvest and process them? Any suggestions?
Do you grow plants that can be used in crafts, such as grapevines for wreaths and lavender for lavender wands? Do you make herbal products such as creams, lotions, chapstick?
What else can you share about gardening and the means in which it nurtures your soul?
daughter - glad your flowers are growing well weeds - not so much,
way I love hydrangeas but never have been where they will grow. Enjoy!!!
More rain here -badly needed. The field next door is getting greener and greener.
Just a thought, my honey gets rashes from exposure and we keep a spray bottle for him in the shower.
Way - that island sounds wonderful. Love the sound of waves.
ITRR makes sense. Thank you. He said it was better over night but now is aggravated by his hands being in hot soapy water.
Today thankfully it is cloudy and cool and the air quality is good which should give him a chance to heal. He had it before but this is by far the worst session.
(I do it this way always, way cheaper and that always works. I use organic oatmeal)
Golden prayers that R is healed quickly and doesn't suffer to much. Skin can be such a total nuisance when flared up.
I only like summer if I’m at the beach , otherwise I prefer Fall .
Being land locked the last 20 years, I miss summers when I lived on an island , where we could be at the beach in minutes whenever we wanted .
We went all year long . Even bundled the kids up when they were young to see light snow. So empty and peaceful , sound of the waves and the kids chasing snow flakes .
The beach was my church , it was where I felt most calm .
Husband is sore, hands and wrist, I'm sure it's because he has done too much, doc said this could last a while.
Now your Golden's husband, not fun at all.
My friends brother, is just getting worse, no answers, now breathing issues, in an induced come. looking like he may not make it. All parisit test take a culture, hopefully be back tomorrow.
Right about now, I'd like a good old fashion snow storm!! 😓
Sorry you have (had?) skin allergies. He had big welts but the baking soda paste helped them.
I have had a lot of skin allergies. Not fun.
Is there a refrigerator at the farm ? They have those cooling towels too you put in the fridge.
Sweat mixed with the pollution from the wild fires and baked from the sun may also cause problems . Probably rinsing with a water hose at intervals may help rather than letting it sit on his skin until he showers at home .
He is out in the sun all the time, Interesting that sun makes the pollution affect worse. Probably a wide brimmed hat, rolled down sleeves and gloves would help. I'll pass that on to him.
Daisy -thank you I'll tell him. I hope he can keep it somewhat suppressed.
The doctor is from another continent and probably has little experience with the effects of our wildfires.
Try oatmeal bath . The kind you buy at the pharmacy . I’ve used it for bad sunburns or other contact/exposure rashes .
Pollution exposure can be made worse by sun exposure . BTDT.
A nurse suggested baking soda paste to stop the itching and it helped. He looks like he has been beaten up!
Send, that would probably work for the mosquito bites. We used to use it years ago for bee, wasp and hornet stings. I don't have any preventative ideas except don't wear dark clothing. Mosquitoes are attracted to it. Wear light colours when you go outside.
The air quality is a bit better today but who knows what we are looking at for the rest of the summer.
Guarding against that, will give it extra attention.
Thank you!
Hope you feel better, allergic reaction to mosquitos can be tough.
Golden, I hope your hubby is okay with a simple solution to whatever is going on.
feeling ill x 3 days. Going to try Claritin for allergies, after trying everything each of you mentioned.
dH is outside, watering our newest plants and our oldest Bouganvilla. It took a neighbor to come to our door and telling him to water our plants, so he listened. Mosquitos do not attack him.
In the last few days, he had placed a plastic cutting board in the microwave to use as a lid. He must be under stress, watching the L.A. riots full time and not listening to me about moving away from the computer.
Ok then, my day is done here. God Bless every caregiver on this forum!
Scary about your friend's bro
I just found out, a friend of mine brother is in Albany med, in ICU, they are checking for all bug diseases, right now they got him in isolation.
Bug spray is good. I'm glad hubs is being cautious. I told R about how sick he got. Also glad the deal with the step daughter is working out.
It looks like the 4 brothers are selling it to my step daughter, for a very good price, if it works out! I'm happy for everyone, she has had her share of emotional issues, but seems to have worked through them. 🤞
Daisy - oh I am so happy to be away from the Fort Mc bugs! Rain I like but not cellar flooding. I had lots of that up north. It's the pits! That's too bad about your friend but good they went to the doctor,
R broke out in rashes on his hands, wrists and forearms and ears and neck. The wildfire smoke was bad today. He used to get a rash on his neck up north when ever he visited a certain one of the plants. But, of course I was thinking of ticks as he first had what appeared to be one bite that wa painful yesterday..However today it spread to both hands and more
I think we have it figured out as air pollution as it only affects the exposed skin. He wears long sleeves rolled up to his forearms. This was the worst it has ever been.
I gave him an antihistamine and cortisone cream which seemed to help and found some respirator masks as he has a bit of a cough. Being outside most days for hours he has lots of exposure too much I think.As you get older your body doesn't deal as well with such things.
The weather is really not getting to me at all, but I'm sure some are really getting depressed. Water in people cellar, that never get water.
So many kinds of Jasmine. One plant that has survived is an Australian Jasmine.
I think the Jasmine smell can help make you sleepy.