Flowerbed Update

Hi All!

Well - the folks are on their way back to Ohio *sigh* I will miss them. It was a nice visit!

My flowerbed is coming along so I thought I would show you some pictures - you have to PROMISE to ignore the weeds!

Here are the Caladiums which came up from what I thought were Hosta plants. What a surprise! Oh well! I will take them!
Speaking of Hostas . . . this one actually has three leaves . . . almost!

Okay - all of your more experienced gardeners out there - is this only one Hosta with leaves coming up in different places or did two Hostas get planted close together. Even though I would have NO IDEA how THAT would happen!

Here are my moon flowers. They are busy climbing away! My mother was fascinated with how quickly they grow. Of course it is fun to watch the darn things grow about six inches in one day!

The little plants along the front are my cone flower seeds sprouting. I hope! Today a bunny was looking at them with thoughts about a quick nibble but, luckily, Hubby was looking out the window and chased the little bugger away! I sprinkled chili powder on them after I watered today so hopefully the bunny isn't a spicy food lover!

Here is a Hydranga bloom. It is one of four on my plant and they are all on the same side of the plant. Anyone have a clue why? I turned the plant around thinking it might have had something to do with the amount of sun the plant got on that side. We will see if that makes a difference.

The weeds are not too long for this world. My parents helped me buy a nice little forky rakey thing to weed with. It is awesome and I weeded most of the flowerbed with it. However, not being entirely sure just where I planted the rest of the Hostas, I didn't weed in and around the Hosta area so that I didn't dig up a Hosta by mistake. I am giving them another week or so and then I am going in! Hopefully, I will then get some mulch on this bed to cut down on the future weeding!
No - this is not growing in my garden but I had to share. Miss Cleo was being so cute and normally she quits being cute by the time I get my camera ready to take the shot! This time she just rolled around and let me take a few shots. Good Girl!

If you need cheered up just take a look at that little pink belly!

Trisha

Voice Update:
My voice is still doing really well. Last night I got out my percussion massager and went to town on my neck and shoulders. Not really in the front of my neck where my larynx is but along the sides where my muscles tend to tense up! I didn't do all of my exercises while my parents were here because I was doing so much talking just having two other people in the house. I think the cats were relieved that I wasn't talking to them or myself for a few days! Today it is back to exercises!

Coffee Bean's Little Screen Debute

Hi All!

I am so happy about the action that Dystonia Awareness Week is getting in the blogosphere! First Arwyn trotted out a video and now . . . Coffee Bean has taken the plunge!

YEAH WONDERFUL WOMEN WITH SD!

I am so impressed with the bravery of these women. Sure, I do a podcast but, you don't actually SEE me while I do it!

Also - Coffee Bean is holding a Dystonia Awareness Week contest. Head over there to enter and tell her I sent you!

Have a good evening!

Trisha

Dystonia Awareness Video

Hi All!

Just a quick post to tell you - check out Arwyn's video for Dystonia Awareness Week! She rocks!

Trisha

Warning Birds and Trimming Shrubs

Hi All!

After my very scarring experience last week with the bird sex I have been warning birds that I see who MIGHT be interested in some bird sex that I DO NOT WANT TO WITNESS IT! They need to get a hotel room or a nest or a bird house or something. I mean, it is just not right that they do that kind of stuff in front of innocent bystanders - like me!

This morning my mother (who is still visiting from Ohio) and I went walking and there was one bird who kept puffing himself up and chasing a female bird. Uh-oh! It looks like he is wanting some action! I kept telling him - NO WAY!

Luckily for all involved, nothing happened while Mom and I were in viewing range. Thank goodness - I don't think I could handle more explicit behavior from birds! That is just disturbing!

I will admit that Mom found the whole situation amusing! She kept laughing at me while I warned the birds to "knock it off!" I am glad that I made her day just a bit brighter!

After walking - later than normal because my mom decided to sleep in! - I had to trim those darn, ugly shrubs out front again. To be honest, it was only one side of the flowerbed that needed trimming because it grew from the time I trimmed it to the time I got the other side trimmed. It is a never ending cycle around here.

Anyway - Mom and I tackled the shrub (it is soooo nice to have help!) and then moved on to water the "new" flowerbed out back. With the water running and the sweat dripping it was a very damp experience. There are several more hostas growing - I will have to take a picture and post it for you tomorrow. I am so insanely proud of those darn hostas!

Do I need to have my head examined?

Trisha
Voice Update: Good but a bit tired. Mom and I are heading out to have lunch with a friend of mine and I am hoping my voice holds up. I did really well with the massage yesterday but never did fire up the massager. I HAVE to do that today!

New Podcast

Hi All!

In honor of Dystonia Awareness Week, I have published a new podcast about the topic. Give it a listen by clicking on the link at the top of my blog page or go to Learning To Live With SD.

Let me know if you do anything to help spread the word!

Trisha

Voice Update:
A friend from Ohio called and I talked to her on my regular phone - not my amplified phone - for over an hour. My voice was pretty good and she was amazed! YEAH!

Dystonia Awareness Week

Hi All!

June 1 - 7 is Dystonia Awareness week. What a perfect time to learn a little more about Spasmodic Dysphonia - a focal dystonia!

Spasmodic Dysphonia (SD) is a vocal disorder which affects approximately 50, 000 people in North America but MANY more people are likely to have undiagnosed SD due to the lack of awareness about the disorder both by the general population and among the medical community.

SD is a neurological disorder in which the muscles controlling the vocal chords spasm uncontrollably making the production of a "normal" voice nearly impossible. There are two main types of SD - adductor SD in which the muscles which bring the vocal chords together are spasming and abductor SD in which the muscles which separate the vocal chords are spasming.

Personally, I have abductor SD (ABSD) which results in a very whispery voice with "breaks" where letters are not sounded. For example, when I try to say my father's name - Paul - it comes out sort of like this - p . . . . .aul - with the p sound being extremely quiet and a lot of air being released between the initial p and the rest of the word.

If you would like to hear more samples of what ABSD sounds like or what adductor SD (ADSD) sounds like, please head over to the National Spasmodic Dysphonia website. The website also has a lot of information about SD which you can peruse at your leisure!

I challenge everyone to learn a little more about SD this week. If you already know a lot about SD I challenge you to go out and tell one person about SD. If we all do that, think of how quickly SD awareness will spread!

Go out and spread the word about SD!

Trisha
Voice Update: Pretty good - seems to be holding steady. My throat was a bit sore (not like a sore throat - but rather in the muscles) after talking to my parents. I did my massage as soon as I logged on to my blog because I saw me pledge to be better about it!

Wait - I am going to massage right now!

I am back. I am going to fire up my massages and massage my neck to try to get some of that darn soreness out of it. I think my speech therapist suggested that a while back but did I pay attention? No! I am going to give it a shot. I will let you know how it goes!

A "Trisha Moment"

Hi All!

Remember I told you that I was related to that Murphy's Law dude? Well, I thought I would tell you one story which makes me a believer!

This story happened to me in the presence of my dear Hubby and his brother. We had gone to Bermuda for a week's vacation and, since no cars are rented on the island, rented nice little scooters. This wasn't my first time on the island with Hubby. We went to Bermuda for out honeymoon. That was the time Hubby worried about me being able to drive a scooter. He must not have heard my stories of riding the motorcycle or the three wheelers at the farm.

Or maybe he DID hear them!

Anyway - we had our little scooters. We needed to fill up with gas so we stopped at the gas station. All stations in Bermuda are full service - that means a little man comes and pumps the gas for you. I think he might clean your windshield too - if you had one.

The little man came out to pump gas. He had to have been about 70 years old and seemed very slow and deliberate. Hubby and his brother had their tanks filled first (what happened to LADIES first???) and then it was my turn.

If you have never seen a scooter in real life, you need to know that under the seat, which flips up, is the gas tank access and a little compartment to store things - like your helmet - or, in this case, my purse. I love that purse - it is a brown leather Coach purse and is the perfect size for traveling. It was the first Coach purse I ever got and I bought it myself with one of my first paychecks when I started teaching. I love that purse!

Soooooo . . .. the little, old man filled up the first two scooters with no problem. Then he started pumping gas into mine. So far, so good. Then, someone called to him from the building. As this man turned his head to see who was calling him, his hand holding the gas pump - which was still pumping gas - turned also. The gas pumping hand stopped right over the little storage area under the seat - and where my purse was. Still. Pumping. Gas.

Gas began to slop over my beloved purse and into the storage area. It started accumulating rapidly. Seeing this, Hubby and I both yelled "HEY!" to the little, old man. He did turn back to the scooter - SLOWLY - and put the nozzle back into the gas tank. He wasn't phased at all that he had pumped an inch or two of gas into my purse!

That is right - into my purse! I scooped the purse out of the scooter and it literally dripped gas all over the place. Luckily most of the contents were safe but the poor purse was drenched!

After they quit laughing, Hubby and his brother managed to get the little, old man to get us some rags to mop up the gas sloshing in the storage area and to blot some off of my still dripping purse. During this mopping-up time, Hubby and his brother continued to break out into laughter each time they looked at me attempting to blot my purse.

I was a little angry! It was my favorite purse and that darn guy didn't even act the least bit sorry for saturating it with gasoline! I don't think he even gave us a discount for the gas that went into the storage area rather than the tank! That isn't fair! You would think he would have at least apologized. Nope! Nothing!

I held my purse at an arm's distance all the way back to the hotel (it stunk like gas - naturally) which was several miles. Once in the hotel Hubby sealed my purse in a plastic bag for the remainder of our trip and the journey home.

Why me? The gas COULD have soaked the beer Hubby had under HIS seat!

Trisha

P.S. I did eventually get the gas smell out of my purse (Thanks, Heloise!) but it was never the same!

Voice Update: Good but, after a couple of days of talking way more than usual to my parents, I am taking it easy today. I am making sure to do my massage (which I still don't like to do!) and my exercises. Fun, Fun!