Tomatoes Begin to Ripen

Cherry tomatoes by bucklava

I had planned to write at least two blogs on the garden between the last garden post and now.  Some minor crises, one hard fall, and an interesting interlude on Facebook when my blog giving my view that Christianity is not the only way to God and heaven was posted by a Facebook friend.  Falls are always dangerous for me for three reasons: (1) my bones die (cause unknown, but injury can't help)  (2) I have an artificial hip (doctor's instructions: don't fall) and (3) I have no health insurance (pre-existing condition).  In this case, I fell outdoors on nice, hard dirt. still, not concrete, while carrying plants to the backyard.  I avoided landing on the artificial hip side and I did not have any permanent injury.  I ripped a nice hole in my thumb on something and my good knee (the other has the knee cap out of place, but it works, much to my orthopedist's dismay) was skinned and badly bruise but functions with only minor complaints mostly when I bend it.  Oh, one of my elderly cats is sick and I am administering nebulizer treatments two to three times a day..   Good excuses, but the reality is I just didn't feel like blogging about the garden.

The garden is progressing but not as I had planned.  I planted sweet pepper and eggplant seed in two beds and not one seed sprouted.  I have never had this happen.  By the time I realized that the only thing going to sprout were weeds, it was too late to reseed.  I bought susbstitute plants at my local nursery( the plants I was carrying went I fell).  They had no eggplant.  I have planted two sweet peppers, two squash plants,  two kinds of basil and two kinds of parsley.    I have purple sage, lavender and mint in my side garden, in the ground among pots of cereus, pencil plant, and sanseveria.  My lavender always dies: I think from too much water.  The side garden drains well and is dry.  I put the mint near the bird bath on the ground so it will get more water.

My garden May 1

My tomatoes are growing well and all have now set fruit.  This is the last year I grow Celebrity. because it does not perform well for me. Celebrity was the last to set fruit.  We are already sampling the Sungold tomatoes and the Sweet 100's.  Ojo Bonito is loaded with green tomatoes.  The plants have been attacked by small, black worms that eat the leaves.  I have instituted a daily search and destroy ( actually, look and squish).  So far, I am winning.  The Brandywine was the first tomato attacked by these nefarious critters.


My main concern now is the ferocity of our spring storms.  I lost my car windshield to hail in 2008.  We had our first storm last week; this was also our first rain since I put in my tomatoes in early March.  Hail warnings were abundant, but the storm that came through my area had no hail and lots of rain., over two inches.  That really was a miracle.  This part of Texas is in a severe drought which continues.  One line of storms is not enough., but at least I will not need to water for a while.

Sungold tomatoes by tvol

I purchased my okra seed yesterday.   I need to prepare a bed for it this week.  Okra loves the heat.  I want to track down a nursery that has some eggplant plants.  I will sow some radish seed on the edges of the four beds I have now.   If all goes well, I will plant some red sunflowers at the bottom edge of the garden.

The garden is my escape from reality.  Whether I harvest much or not, I will reap peace and renewal.

DNA Detective Work Sheds Light on King Tut's Life, Lineage, Death - AOL News

The article, DNA Detective Work Sheds Light on King Tut's Life, Lineage, Death - AOL News, hit me hard.because I have suffered from the same bone disease he had, avascular necrosis.  My bones die unexpectedly, just as his did.  Maybe I am related to King Tut.

I have lost most of my right ankle bone and have had my left femur replaced because of necrosis.  I can tell you that the pain is intense and the crippling profound.  Tut may have been lucky to die young because without modern medicine his bones would have continued to die leaving him more and more disabled.

Before my hip replacement my left leg had lost more than a half inch in length,  My last request to my surgeon was "Make my legs the same length."  He did.

My problem is not related to inbreeding.  My mother and father were from different states and different ancestries.  I know my genealogy on both sides and their were no family intermarriage.  I have no ancestors to blame.

Faith Healing

I had an indirect experience with faith healing when I was a child. I had to use a wheelchair because of a bone disease, Legg-Perthes or necrosis of the femur. One weekend afternoon, my mother and I were coming home from the park (You can fly a kite from a wheelchair). Mother was pushing me in my wheelchair. A car passed us, then pulled to the curb. A well-dressed, older man got out and came over to us. He handed mother a business card and explained that he was with the Oral Roberts crusade in town that week. There would be a healing service tonight. He suggested that she bring me. Mother politely declined. I thought that was the end of the conversation.

The man persisted. He asked me what was wrong with me. At eleven, I was only too happy to engage an adult in conversation. I babbled the name of my disease and how it had affected me. The man visibly brightened as I talked. He beamed at my mother and told her that many children with my malady had been healed through Reverend Roberts. She must bring me to the service. Mother told him the truth. We did not have a car; we probably would not come.

"That is not a problem," the man said. "We can send a car for you."

My mother smiled, her sweet smile that meant she was up to no good. "I do appreciate that, but I can arrange transportation. Now, I need to get home."

"Do come. Your child will be healed," the man called after us.

I already knew that we were not going. Mother's march home told me she was upset. When we reached our house, she explained. "God can heal you. I always pray for that. You don't need a faith healer."

Some weeks later, I had my regular check-up with my orthopedist. Not much had changed. I was surprised when he brought up Oral Roberts. Mother recounted our experience. I think the doctor looked at her with new respect.

"You know your child could walk now, but it would do irreparable damage to the bone. There have been children who think they have been healed by faith healers. These children leave their wheelchairs and walk.
None have been healed. You did the right thing."

Eventually, my femur did heal, not perfectly, but well enough for me to be able to walk. Mother and I did not discuss that encounter with the recruiter for Oral Roberts for many years. When we did, I thanked her for being so sensible. She just smiled that sweet smile.