As the Garden Grows

What's blooming today?


You are here: Home / Archives for Home and Lifestyle

I’ve seen too many people suffering from addiction

by

Having worked as a nurse in both a chronic pain clinic and now one of the busiest emergency departments in Canada I’ve had the opportunity to see and to try to help a number of people suffering from many different forms of addiction. Addictions ranging from legal prescription drugs, alcohol, and of course illegal drug addictions or a combination of two or three of these forms of devastating addictions.

It breaks my heart when I see a smart man or woman who’s somehow taken the wrong path in life, or has had some very bad things happen to them that caused them to overuse prescriptions and alcohol to ease their pain.

Many of the people with addictions that I’ve encountered have never tried any form of drug rehab, but I think that when they finally admit to themselves that they have a problem – and certainly ending up in the ER because of a fall or some form of bizarre behavior that has caused the police to pick them up and bring them to the emergency department is a good way of telling them that they have a problem.

If you know someone that is suffering from an alcohol or drug addiction you should visit the Watershed Addiction Treatment website and see if there is any way that they can help you get the person that you are concerned about into rehab. Be sure to show the addicted individual the site too. Viewing the site and opening up a conversation about their problem just might make them realize that they have a problem that can be treated.

The watershed addiction treatment programs are for both men and women and they offer a high standard of care for those suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction. They’ve been successful in the treatment of thousands of people suffering from addiction. View their site for more information.






Weddings and anniversaries

by

My nephew just got married this past weekend. It was a private ceremony. He’s still young but he’s been irresponsible in his life. I think he’s got four kids now. I’ve lost count. At least this time he’s married to the mother of his last two children. Maybe it will work out for him. Somehow I don’t think I’ll ever be receiving 25th anniversary invitation from him and his wife. You never know though.

I remember when my parents had their 50th wedding anniversary. We planned for it for months. Choosing which golden anniversary invitations we’d send out, and planning the guest list.

The party wasn’t a surprise. We decided to hold it in my parents home, partly because it was easier on the majority of relatives who would be attending. Most of my siblings and myself live out of town – so it just made it easier planning wise. Of course we didn’t let our parents do anything. All they had to do was prepare themselves for the day.

I hope that one day Chris and I will be able to send out 50th wedding invitations for ourselves. We’ve been married 13 years – only 37 more to go! Wow that’s a huge number to bounce around. Thirty seven more years, yeah, I think we’ll make it.

February Gardening Tips

by

I realize that February isn’t traditionally thought of as a gardening month in many areas of the world, but whether you live in a warm or cold climate there are some things that you can do for your garden in February.

In warm areas gardeners are likely perplexed by the weather as it can change from day to day, or even from day to night. Likewise, gardeners in cold climates might experience some fluctuations in the day to day or at least week to week temperatures.

February, for many gardeners is a month of planning, and for watching for the first signs of spring.

Here are some tips and ideas, set up by gardening zones, for the month of February:

All Gardeners –

  • Finish your seed and plant orders
  • February can be a difficult month for your houseplants – watch for pests
  • Care for your gardening tools. Have you cleaned and oiled your pruners?

Zone 8 and higher –

  • Keep and eye on the weather, watch for cold snaps. Be ready to protect tender plants
  • Keep watering your garden unless your area is undergoing water restrictions
  • Care for your annual flower bed, amend the soil if necessary
  • Plant cool season veggies – Kale, lettuce, broccoli, onions
  • Propagate new plants from cuttings
  • You can plant your cold hardy annuals such as Icelandic poppies and pansies
  • Harvest any winter crops before the weather warms causing them to bolt
  • Begin planting seeds for your warm season flowers and vegetables
  • divide your perennials
  • Prune roses and bareroot roses
  • Plant fruit trees and bareroot roses
  • Plant bulbs – crinums, amaryllis and calla lilies
  • protect your roses and fruit trees by using dormant spray on them
  • If you overwintered Begonia and canna tubers and corms it’s time to pot them up

Zone 7 and lower

  • If the weather is nice enough get out and prune your trees, shrubs – ornamental and fruit
  • Replace Mulch if necessary
  • If the ground has thawed check your flowerbeds and adjust any plants that may have heaved
  • check your garden, plants and trees for animal and pest damage
  • Cut branches for forcing indoors – dogwood works well
  • Give your Holly bushes a hard pruning to rejuvenate them
  • Check evergreens for dessication
  • This is the month to start cool season veggies, annual and perennial flowers by seed indoors.

Meta