Stuff Just Happens

I sat down and heard a crash on the deck followed by a thump. I thought Prince must have jumped off to take his daily tour of the yard. When I got to the deck the window box planter was on the deck floor. Prince was laying down looking as if he couldn't believe somebody would make such a mess. He has grown up and become a compulsive liar! Typical childhood phase.

That was one of my posts from a week ago. Today was different. It's a special day, high school graduation for my son.

Let me take you back to December, 2013. My home educated son completed his high school course of study in December and the plans for the graduation event were made. This would be a family event which was to include the presentation of the diploma followed by dinner out and dessert at home. Everything was in order and this would be fun!

I know that it is unusual to graduate in December but it is not unheard of but every day presented something different. I think he was the first to say that there was no big rush since Christmas was approaching and we would be having especially busy around the holidays. Then, it was the post holiday which brought us to Valentine's Day, my birthday celebration, his sister's birthday, a myriad of weather events and work schedule changes until I finally had enough and put my foot down. By plum! I have been waiting since December and if this is going to be done we are going to have the presentation of the diploma on May 26, 2014, Memorial Day.

Well, the son got sick. Fortunately it was nothing other than a lousy cold but he started not feeling well late last week and then I turned up with it too. Not again. The date was set. I had put effort into getting schedules changed and we were not going to cancel. Since he was not feeling well changes were made to the planned dinner out. Since I wasn't feeling well I modified the dessert menu from the elaborate cake served on my favorite china to a half dozen cupcakes and ice cream.

We went to a local restaurant for dinner. It wasn't the reservations that I had made in my mind at the fine dining establishment that is out of state but the food and service were more than acceptable. It stinks that he and I were both not feeling very well. This is an exciting time for a young person and it's exciting for the parents too but we surely missed something, didn't we?

We left the restaurant and arrived home. I was ready to serve dessert when my son told me that he didn't think he would like to have any dessert because he would rather spend a few hours gaming. My daughter offered my husband and I the ice cream, I pulled a cupcake from the plastic package for my husband and the three of us sat down to finalize the celebration. I heard a crash from the dining room. When I arrived in the dining room, the cupcakes were on the floor. Stuff just happens.  It's a typical adulthood phase!

My Five Tips For Success With Gardening

I have a strong belief that we need to live in harmony with nature and because of this I am continually asked for advice about how to start and maintain a garden.  Below are the sure tips for getting the flowers you love to grow successfully.

The planting technique improves the plant's likelihood of success in the garden or a pot.

     Since the roots of plants typically grow out, not down be sure to place the plant into a hole that is 2 to 3 times larger than the root ball.

     Break dirt off of the root ball so that roots don't need to grow through the starter mixture and can grow into their more permanent location.

     Put water into the planting hole before placing the plant in. This is easy, plants seek the water and you want the roots to be drawn downward.

     When planting a shrub or tree position it in the ground so the root ball is level with the existing grade. Leave the tree or shrub's root collar above the soil.

     Water thoroughly at the time of planting. Check the soil conditions regularly for the first year to be sure the plant, tree or shrub has enough water.

Potted plants require the same attention to planting and maintenance is fairly easy. Though clay pots are very attractive, plastic pots retain moisture better. If you feel the need to have the clay pot simply buy a plastic or resin pot that fits inside. This allows you to have the decorative choice and also allows the benefits for the success of the plant's life.

Annuals only have one life cycle so they will not grow again next year. Since the season that they are planted is their only season they need to be fertilized more often than a perennial plant. Fertilizing once very two or three weeks with a 10-20-10 fertilizer is fine. Actually, if you apply the fertilizer once a month through the summer season you should be successful. I'm not one to use expensive fertilizer. The packaging should show the nutritional value of the fertilizer, such as 10-20-10. I like to use this blend because since it does not tend to burn the plants out I appear to have great success!

Growing plants is a great activity to share with children. Though there are a number of tools available children are happy to use a rock or spoon to dig with as a tool. Depending on the child's age and interest level is a good way to determine if you want to invest in purchasing perennials.

The same techniques apply for the planting perennials.

The greatest benefit of plants is attracting wildlife. I am always amazed at the number of song birds, hummingbirds and butterflies that appear because they are attracted to the plants for food and shelter.

Planting a few plants is a nice weekend activity that is low cost and can be as time consuming as you want it to be, especially if you are like me and schedule in plenty of breaks and after getting outdoors, relaxing and enjoying the company of an assistant it almost always guarantees a good night's sleep!

The Thing To Do With Post Traumatic Stress

Good news for me! Today I found out that George W. Bush agrees with me!

I watch for the mountain bike ride that Former President George W. Bush hosts in Crawford, Texas in honor of wounded veterans. I know I could not do the 100K, three day ride but it gives me great joy to to see the successes at this awesome event!

This year, Stars and Stripes  highlighted the participation of U.S. Army Master Sgt. Chris Demars, who was wounded in two separate attacks in Afghanistan in the space of just 10 days in 2011. The attacks left him with traumatic brain injuries, two broken legs and multiple shrapnel wounds. He also suffered a back injury and both his eardrums were blown out.

Demars, 45, has since fought to overcome post traumatic stress along with his physical ailments and he agrees with Bush's efforts to reduce the stigma of the condition. Earlier this year Bush boldly suggested that "disorder" should be removed from the condition's name as it is a treatable condition. 

I could not agree more with George W. Bush and had mentioned it in a blog last year.  You can read it at the following link,  GHC blog, May 30, 2013. 

Chris Demars suffered trauma that instantly placed him into hero status. I can't begin to imagine the trauma and I certainly can not imagine any bit of his recovery being a disorder. Though I have never met him I am proud of Chris. I know that he's a hero just by knowing the injuries he has overcome. Post Traumatic Stress? Yep, there are things that happen that just knock a person into another state of mind. Referring to that as a disorder is just putting another stupid obstacle in the way.  Referring to this diagnosable, treatable problem as Post Traumatic Stress is the thing to do.