Hotlips Returns!

This photo was taken too close up, so it is a little blurred. But I couldn't wait to share that Hotlips has returned for her 3rd year. And is she going strong. I didn't have my camera available to catch her first three blooms this year, so this is her fourth. And she has around 5 more ready to pop out and about 10 more just kind of hanging around.
The blooms only last a day. I love opening my back door to leave to go to work and be greeted by one of her beautiful blooms. Makes the summer heat almost worth it.
So enjoy her while you can.

Only 6 more months!

For those of you who are struggling with the heat like we are in Texas I have really good news for you! GUESS WHAT I JUST FIGURED OUT!!!




It's Just 6 More Months Until Christmas!
So Chill Out Baby! Frosty is on his way!

We did it. We have a new baby!

James & I have a new baby. But I must warn you before you go any farther. The outcome of this new little one is not good. She will be sliced and cooked until tender.
Oh no! Tell me it ain't so! But it is.
Because our new baby is a 10 inch zucchini squash! The first real produce from our garden. You remember the garden, don't you? The one James sweated and worked on about a zillion years ago?
A funny thing happened today when I was checking out said garden. We have had a number of blooms on the squash, the cucumbers, the tomatoes and the peppers. We even had a cantelope vine come up from last year that has blooms. And we have had one tomato pop out that has been green for since Memorial Day. But nothing else.
So I am looking at the squash plants for a sign of a yellow squash and I see this green baseball bat thing at the front of the garden. I check it out and it is a HUGE zucchini squash. That solves the question of whether we planted zucchini or yellow squash!
I brought it in and showed James. Photographed it and put it on Facebook. Admired it. James looked for more siblings, but alas there were none.
Here is our beautiful zucchini (before I slice and cook it!)

As a side note, for those of you who have read this blog for awhile now, Hotlips is getting ready to make her first appearance this year. This beautiful reddish orange daylilly is in her 3rd blooming year. There are 3 shoots from the first pot and each have 2 or 3 blooms on them. I will post her debut later when she erupts in all her glory!
Now where is that butcher knife?

A little scare

On Friday morning I had a little scare. Well, actually it was a great big scare.
I woke up at 4:00am to chest pains. They were in my left shoulder, up my jaw and esp. in the middle of my back. My pulse seemed to race and I was nauseated.
I waited until 7, took a shower and then called my sister, my manager, my husband and then an ambulance. I didn't start crying until I called 911. I know, waiting 3 hours to call seems crazy and it was, but I kept thinking the signs would go away.
When I got into the ambulance my blood pressure was 200/108. Normally I am in the 140/78 range. 200/108 for those of you who don't know is stroke level.
They gave me some nitroglycerin and some aspirin. When I arrived at the hospital, they ran blood work, gave me lots more nitro and then did a CAT scan. It took about 5 hours to get my blood pressure down.
All the tests came back looking ok, but they kept me overnight. My cardiac enzymes were ok through the night.
My primary care doc said they have seen 300 cases since Dec. of a virus (not contagious, environmental) that sort of mimics a heart attack. Chest pains, nausea, light headedness, are all signs of the virus, along with extreme tiredness. He thinks this may be what I have.
But just in case he has me seeing a cardiologist. This all happened on a weekend of course and they don't do extensive testing on weekends.
I have to have nuclear stress test done. I have had one in the past and said I WOULD NEVER do that again. But never say never, because I have now scared myself into agreeing to have one.
Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers. This is a very scary time for my family and I.
Oh and by the way, just after I called the ambulance, I put a little stitching project in a bag I took with me. You have to have your priorities in line!
New note: I have an appointment for the stress test on Wednesday, June 16th with a visit to the cardiologist on June 21st.
Since I last posted I had another episode, but not as bad. I went to my doctor to find my blood pressure was up to 208/120. They got it down before I left the office and put me on a blood pressure medicine. He is not sure why all of a sudden my b/p has taken to being this high, but for now I am feeling much, much better. It is amazing what a little pill can do for you.
I want to thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. It is what gets me through this rough patch in my life!