Dark Clouds in Pugdeduck's World

Dark clouds are hanging over my world right now. My hubby has been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells. We are in a stage of denial right now, and hope to stay there. Treatment includes chemo and blood transfusions. Transfusions have started, and chemo will start next week. We are taking one day at a time with this. Hubby has good days and bad days, and as unfortunate as this news is, at least we finally have a diagnosis that appears accurate instead of all the previous dismissals, misdiagnosis and simplistic, superficial treatments, and we can focus on getting him the right care.



And other bit of sad news; my daughter's family dog Blue, who was deathly afraid of thunder and lightening, became terrified during a recent storm, and trying to get into the house, actually jumped from the outside through a screened window. They were not at home at the time. My grandson, home on leave from basic training, was taking care of the pets during their absence. When he investigated, he found Blue badly injured from the jump and fall and in terrible pain. Pain pills were ordered, and the dog continued to deteriorate. When my grandson took him into the vet's, he determined the pain pills had caused the dog's kidneys to shut down and that death was imminent, so he was put to sleep. My daughter and family are now on the way home from their holiday vacation, and it will be a sad time for them after losing their long-time pet.



2009 has been a year of wonderful highs--the birth of my first great grandchild--and now some very sad lows for us. I do hope 2010 will be better.

Organic Orgy!

This week's find! Organic cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, spinach, onion, celery, sweet potato and celery. And, kale from my own garden.

Mmmmm..... As the temperatures go down , the family demand for my veggie soup goes up! Of course I always save enough for me!

In exchange for the soup my daughter brought over a few ripe figs! The tree is loaded but they are taking longer to ripen now that it's colder.

Runaway sweet pea! Wish the rest would catch up! They are still just kind of sitting there. Odd, indeed.

The carrots from my garden are small and pale but they taste so good! Sometimes I wonder if it's because I grew them or if they are really more favorable.

This little 2-1/2-month-old guy is growing like a weed! Good food, beautiful winter flowers, a healthy and happy great grandson, and Christmas in just eleven days--it's Heaven in Pudgeduck's World!

Winter Inflorescence

I spotted this inflorescence in front of our local Subway. This is the first time I've seen a Twin Flowered Agave bloom! I'm going back in a few days to check and see what it will do next. It looks pretty cool. The shopping center's landscape crew will probably cut it off, so maybe it won't be there when I get back. They have a habit of cutting off blooms on Agaves (which are going to die anyway after blooming) so I imagine they'll cut off the bloom and then dig it out later. Since this type of Agave is solitary, it will need to be replaced.

Notice the squared off Texas Sage in the photo. I don't know why they plant bushes that will definitely be too big for the area, and then shear them like this. You never see any flowers because of the constant shearing. Then, they start getting bare and die. Such a waste.

Chilly for the West Valley, Arizona

My winter garden is looking and smelling good!!! Stocks, petunia, and alyssum are filling in nicely.

The transplanted Rain Lilly likes the pot better than the spot it was in. It has more than doubled in size.

Sunny days and cold nights at the lake. I love being on the swing this time of the year even though I have a blanket just in case. Today it was about 63 degrees and a blanket was utilized!!

Last night I covered a few of my plants- it was down to 36 degrees. I will have to cover them again tonight.

The newly added area to the garden is filled with too many flowers and seeds. By February all seeds will be in bloom--if there is enough room!! I'm still picking the Dwarf Blue kale, and the carrots are so fragrant and tasty! They are still tiny but I keep checking to make sure they are growing without any interference from the bugs and grubs--so far so good!!! I planted beets in the same area and not one of those have come up.

Tomato plant is loaded with blooms and fruit. I covered it last night and hopefully they will mature!

We are already planning our Christmas activities, and this year we will do a round robin. We will start at my youngest daughter's home with appetizers and gifts--then going on to my oldest daughter's for the main course and gifts, and last, at my home for dessert and gifts. This Christmas will be extra special--my grandson will be home from boot camp! He will be here for two weeks before he will be deployed. We are all so excited to see him! I don't want to think of the days of worry that lie ahead.