Oh, dear.
While it's nice to see things so green, 99% of what's green is non-native non-food and needs to be addressed.
There's hardly even a footpath left from all this spring rain. The grass has gone WILD.
Another view:
I feel tired, just looking at it.
However, right now there's almost NOTHING in the garden
that we want to eat, so now's the time to unleash the chickens
upon our garden to help with digging...
Cinder having dug through the corn stalk "lid" on Plot 1.
... and eat vast quantities of bugs (the chickens, not us).
After that, tho', they'll have to be kept out, again,
'cause once I've got baby plants going, it's no longer
a place where chickens are to be trusted.
This is about the greenest you'll see our place:
That is the garden in the background (you may see a few of the posts fm. the fence)
The above shows my chicken wrangling set up: A chair. Just a place for bb to park her fanny, work on the computer, and keep an eye out for predators looking for some fresh, free-range chicken.
Although that is from only a few days ago (3?), the grass is already taller and blooming/seeding out.
SUMMER is ON THE WAY.
Despite the fact that it was 32 degrees this morning.
Oh, speaking of...
Blanch duBois; c'est moi
I am using this picture for this post to show you bb's uncalloused hands. Definitely pre-gardening season.
However, you may notice the Easter colors of my fingers? Pretty pink 'n' yellow?
I took this shot on 4/27 to show you what bb's hands do when she gets too cold. It's called blanching.
It happens to folks with Raynaud's phenomenon, which Wiki calls: "a vasospastic disorder causing discoloration of the fingers, toes, and occasionally other areas."
I'm officially vasospastic.
Anyhow, the picture above is pretty mild, but there are some CRAZY pictures on Wiki. I've never had that very purple color they show, just yellow usually, and only VERY RARELY an icky brownish/blue.
It's kinda like your body thinks you're going to freeze to death way before this is possible, so prematurely starts shutting down circulation to your extremities.
Apparently about 5% of men and 8% of women have it. At Mount Rainier, in an office building of about 15 people, three of us had it. Odd.
It's most common in young women; mine appeared in college. I have a mild version, and the primary or "disease"/"idiopathic" form. Far as I know.
One thing wiki taught me today is that people with this are more likely to suffer from migraines.
Ding ding ding ding ding!
C'est moi.
Perhaps it can all be traced back to a basically lax and/or confused circulatory system?
The opposite of cool
ANYwho, all the things that Wiki recommends one does during a Raynaud's "emergency," I've tried, including putting my fingers in my mouth, shoving my hands down my pants (GREAT way to make friends and influence people), and doing the windmill (spinning your arms in giant circles to get the blood SHOVED back to your fingertips via centrifugal force).
No pun intended.
Once, years ago, in San Diego, I was waiting for a bus at 515 a.m. and my fingers went yellow. And would not un-yellow. So, getting desperate and throwing my disinclination to wear the "weirdo!" hat, I crossed the street to the ONLY place open then, a doughnut shop.
Then I had to ask to use their sink to run warm water on my hands.
You can bet this got a look.
So, of course, I explained my conundrum to a skeptical face, then showed him my lovely yellow digits, and FINALLY he acquiesced and let me do shove them under warm water.
Heaven.
So, to thank him and ensure my recovery, I bought a coffee to hold back at the bus stop.
More evidence that Raynaud's is a great way to make (unexpected) friends and influence (weird out) people.
So, now you know, and now I will go stare at last year's garden chart and make a new one, filled with exciting plans for this year's garden.
While wearing a fleece top, fleece hat, fuzzy slippers, and sitting under a quilt, indoors.
=)
Vasospaz that I am.
biobabbler
I have been known to groan while running my Raynaud's phenom fingers under hot water in public bathrooms, and it is also why I volunteer to handwash the dishes at friends' parties and walk around with my hands thrust through my pitzips and under my armpits for much of the winter. Right now my hands hurt and I am hoping it is from learning to catch frogs rather than arthritis or some other old lady thing coming on. Those 5%/8% numbers seem low to me. I have a friend who is a delivery guy and he wears gloves even in the summer.
ReplyDeleteCount me among the 5%. Mine also occasionally gets triggered by a combination of cold temps and vibrations through a steering wheel. Meaning, I've been known to drive while sitting on one hand to get the ol' digits warmed back up.
ReplyDeleteYes! I learned to not hate doing dishes by hand while living in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Then, and while working out at the gym, or soaking in a hot bath, would be the only time my hands were truly happy. =) Just LOVE submerging them in toasty, soapy water.
ReplyDeleteJust now making toast did my usual hold-hands-over-toaster-to-soak-up-the-heat thing & 'cause of your message thought, probably not everyone does this every day. =)
I agree re: percentage seems low. Yes, hands in pits, I too have struck that vogue pose... =) Maybe that should be our gang sign!
Moments ago I tried to change into normal clothes so Bear wouldn't have to see a woman 1st thing who looks like she's camping, but that lasted about 15 seconds then ultra thick fleece came back on, fleece hat back on, shoes back on...
@CP: Wiki talked about vibrations and how work involving that is probably NOT a good idea for phenoms such as us. BTW I'm ALWAYS sitting on my hands. Unless I'm talking, of course.
ReplyDelete