About Me

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I am a retired English teacher and department head, the mother of three grand mother of four, and have been married to the same man for 53 years, two years after we met at college. I taught in both middle and high schools as I really love teens and in-betweens. I was also a certified Lamaze instructor, and for a short time a volunteer chaplain at Howard County General Hospital. I am a two-time cancer survivor, ovarian (2003), and breast (2019) I was born in South Philadelphia and grew up in the 'burbs with great parents, in a bilingual household. I love soft pretzels and cheesesteaks, the Phillies, the Eagles, the Orioles, and sometimes the Ravens. I love being Mom, Aunt Kathy, Nona Kathy (Kath), and Teacher. I spend a lot of time in my gardens in the spring and summer, and in the winter I plan what I'm going to plant. I also am an avid reader, cook, photographer, lover of languages, music, and four-footed furries.

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Showing posts with label lemon tree. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lemon tree. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Let the Planting Begin...

I've done a lot -- still have some left, but wanted to share what I've done before the *&^%#*^ rabbits eat all of my efforts. Even with the strongest repellents on the market, they love my impatiens, verbena, and roses. Mind you, the impatiens and verbena are in pots! They're climbing in and feasting. Time to borrow one of the grand dogs. Keep in mind that nothing is in full color, yet. Our weather hasn't been consistently warm enough, but I know it's coming.

These lovelies are waiting to be planted.

My Turtle Garden

The Back Garden


Lemon Tree; Gerbers; Verbena, Red Geraniums, and Creeping Jenny; and a pot in waiting. These are the steps the bunnies live under.

The garden that got away -- we'll be reworking this beginning this weekend.

Heirloom Tomatoes and the patio corner garden

Plants on the patio steps
So now you know that I haven't been spending ALL of my time on Facebook!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Prep Day

Today is a day I've been dreading for three weeks. Tomorrow I'll have my second colonoscopy -- I was supposed to have had this a year after my last one, but have put it off not because of the procedure itself, but because of the day before, the "prep". After two attacks of diverticulitis in one month, my doctor sent me to the specialist, who remembered me from the last time. She just shook her head at my reluctance. "You can take pills this time," she said cheerily. "Okay," I said enthusiastically. When I got home I looked at the directions. I have to take 28 pills 15 minutes apart! I figured I'd be dead by nine that night.
I'll be staying away from the kitchen today. Yesterday, I cooked most of the day for my husband's parents. His mother is undergoing chemo and his dad is not feeling well, so I roasted a chicken with lemons and rosemary inside the cavity. I also tossed butternut squash and fingerling sweet potatoes and yams (all cut into same size cubes) in butter, cinnamon, salt and pepper and roasted them. I made his dad a mile-high lemon meringue pie with lemons I picked yesterday from the dwarf tree that spends its summer outside and winter in our sun room. Needless to say, the house smelled wonderful yesterday. My mouth is watering, my stomach is growling......
I realize I'm being selfish and ungrateful. I know there are children in this country who don't have enough to eat. I can do this for one lousy day.
The good news is that the procedure (a euphemism if I've ever heard one) is early tomorrow and the drugs she uses to sedate me are absolutely wonderful. (After the last procedure a very nice nurse asked me if there was anything she could do for me. "I'll take a six-pack to go of whatever you gave me, thank you.") Most importantly and all kidding aside, being an ovarian cancer survivor, I'm thankful for the wonderful medical care I receive knowing that others do not receive any care at all. I'll keep you posted.....