Summer Garden, Monday June 27, 2022

 Hi Everyone!  I’ve been absent from here because chemo has kicked my backside this month!  I am starting to come back a little today-thank goodness!

My summer garden is coming along nicely!  Daylilies loving this SC heat.  (I’m glad something does!) Here are a few photos of this years beauties.

My roses have been so pretty too!

This is Lady of Shallot.  This is my new favorite!

Graham Thomas

Oh Happy Day

My First Love

Pink Prelude

Pink Prelude

Here are some other garden beauties.

I hope this summer garden beauties make you smile.  They certainly have given me alot of pleasure, especially not feeling well.

Take care and stay cool!

Sherri

Chemo Update, Etc. -June 1, 2022

 Hi Everyone!  I just wanted to let you know that I have been doing well with my chemo treatments.  I have 4 under my belt now.  The first 2 though created an allergic reaction and I was really sick.  That has now been taken care of and I had my next 2 and they gave me Predisone to counteract the allergic reaction and it worked!!  So glad about that because I was pretty scared!

Summer is just flying by!  I cannot believe that it is June 1st already!  My gardens are doing well (flowers and veggie).  I have veggies forming on the plants as I type!  I planted yellow summer squash, cukes, 2 tomatoes (1 is a Cherokee heirloom one), green beans, strawberries and green pepper.  My herbs are exploding this year too!  My daylilies (even the ones I just planted this year) is doing really well.  Most are going to or have bloomed already.  My roses are just gorgeous this year too!

I had Owen, my oldest grandson yesterday, overnight and most of the day today.  We had such a wonderful time!  We did watercolor painting, lunched out twice, made dinner together, watched a movie and just chilled with each other.  Owen is going to be 11 on July 11th and he seems more like 40!  He is so smart and just loves history (which I do too!).  He has the sweetest soul and I count my blessings every day I spend with him.  

I am having problems with emailing photos from my phone to my email.  So that is why I haven't been able to post any photos.  I have also been having problems responding to your posts.  I will have to figure out what is going on or get some help on this.  Are any of you having issues?  It says to sign in to google and I am already signed in.  I have signed out and signed in again but it still won't work.

I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of their day!

Sherri

5.10.22 Alot Has Been Going On!

 Hi Everyone!  I know I haven't been on here in some time but alot of things have been going on.  I hope everyone is well!

On April 13 I had my chemo port put in.  Boy was that sore!  It has healed really nicely though and is very helpful for my chemo treatments, etc.  On April 24th and 25th I received my first chemo treatments along with a steriod, another med to counteract the chemo, 2 pills to be taken every morning and evening and lots of fluids.  I was doing really well until April 5th.  I started to have a really bad allergic reaction to one of the pills and one of the chemo meds.  April 6th, Friday I had to go to the hospital to see my oncologist and have IV fluids.  I was dehydrated, had a fever, light headed, low blood pressure and a rash all over my body that was so itchy and hot to the touch.  I was given 2 bags of steriods, steriod pills (which I am still taking) and a huge bag of fluids.  I haven't been doing much of anything since then.  I had to go back to the hospital yesterday for another round of fluids.  I am doing much better, but boy did that really knock me for a loop!  Every day I should get better than the day before.  On May 24th and 25th I have to have my second round of chemo and I am sure that will go much better!  They will give me steriods, etc. to counteract the allergic reaction.  I am just thankful I didn't have to be admitted and stay in the hospital.  I was able to come home, have Mother's Day with my girls here at my house and just rest.  I am very thankful for all that I have because you just never know what life is going to throw at you at any time!  

My gardens have been pretty much taking care of themselves!  My roses and daylilies are blooming now along with all the other flowers (perennials).  I do love taking a short walk through the gardens and watch the roses open, smell their beautiful scents and just enjoy!

Well that is all I have to tell you for now.  Lets hope everything goes great from here on in!

Enjoy your day!

Sherri

Some News 4.22.2022

 Hi Everyone!  I hope it is nice and sunny in your neck of the woods today.  It is about 75 and sunny here in SC.  Birds are out and singing, flowers are blooming, the grass is green again and it is lovely porch sitting weather once again.

I am sharing some news about myself.  I have had B Cell Non Hodgkins Lymhoma for 6 years.  I haven't ever had to have chemo, radiation, etc.  Well about 1.5 months ago my Dr. said things are getting active and now I have to have chemo.  I got a second opinion from my former oncologist in Charlotte.  He said the same things.  So 1.5 weeks ago I had a chemo port put in and I start chemo on Tuesday, the 26th.  I will have to have chemo 2 days a month.  The first day will be 6 hours long and the very next day will be 1 hour long.  I will have my last chemo treatment in October.  While this isn't the best scenario, I am glad that they caught this happening and I can go forward with treatment and be fine.  I also have fluid under my left lung lobe and that has caused me to have some breathing issues.  Like when I go up the stairs especially carrying the laundry basket.  The chemo will take care of this.  

I hope that all of you can say an extra prayer for me while I am on this chemo journey.  My daughters have been wonderful!  Jenny (the youngest daughter who has the grandboys) will be going with me Tuesday and Wednesday.  Megan said she wants to come with me the next month.  I have been given 2 Rx's to start taking tomorrow (Saturday) to counteract the side affects of the 2 chemo drugs.  One is for upset stomach and the other is so I don't get shingles.  The one chemo drug will give you shingles if you have not had a shingles vaccine.  A few months ago I was going to get a shingles vaccine but never did and now I'm sorry I didn't but atleast there is a drug to take care of that.  

I wish I had better news for everyone but I am looking on the bright side the alternative is worse!  Thanks everyone for listening and those of you who will say extra prayers!  I'll keep you posted as I can.  I'll have some days of real fatique and I'll want to just sit and tap away on my blog!

Love,

Sherri

3.7.2022 Spring Has Sprung in SC

 Hi Everyone!  I hope this finds you all well and getting some Spring like weather in your area.  It has been so nice and warm here lately.  I love going outside and hearing all the birds tweeting away.  Today it is pretty breezy here but it is 79 degrees at 12:00 (noon) and expected to go up to 84 degrees.  So nice!  It just makes you smile and feel so much better.

Jenny, the boys and I went to Congaree National Park last week.  It is in Hopkins, SC.  That is about 1.5 hours from our home.  We really liked walking the boardwalk path they have.  There are so many cypress trees and knees there.  It was really beautiful.  Here are some photos:

Myself and Jack-Left
Jenny and Owen-Right

Beautiful cypress trees reflecting in the water.

Kingfisher carved from wood in the Visitor Center.

Owen looking at the moss growing on this cypress tree.

Odd shaped cypress knees.

This vine twisted and twisted-making a sculpture almost on the tree.

Jack walking on the boardwalk.

This is how Jack felt after the 2.2 mile walk through the Park.

Jack on the left, Owen on the right.  It was really a great day!

This weekend I took a mini vacay and went to Megan and Ken's down to Georgetown.  They live in Wedgefield Plantation and there is a golf course across the pond.  Just so beautiful!  

This is from Megan and Ken's backyard.  So pretty!

Sunsets are exceptionally beautiful!

On Saturday we went to Trader Joe's and I bought these beautiful plants:

Kalanchoe for my kitchen windowsill.

Miniature rose for my kitchen counter.  

It was good to get away for the weekend!  I really enjoy visiting with them.  Saturday night we went to a great Italian place.  They have a wood-fired oven.  Megan and I shared a pizza and Ken had the biggest, most wonderful Italian Sub!  

Flowers inside and out have been blooming around here.  

Red Camillia in Jenny's yard.

White with red camillis in Jenny's yard.

My second orchid is reblooming!

Close up of the saucer magnolia blooming in my backyard.

Saucer Magnolia blooming in my backyard.

My house really needed to be power washed and so did the garage.  It took the 2 men washing the house and garage all day and 10 gallons of bleach!  It looks fabulous now though!

There have been alot of golfers on the golf course behind my house, the pear trees all around are blooming, azalea are starting to bloom and the grass is getting greener.  I am glad for Spring to arrive just as Winter's bleak flowerless time was starting to get to me.  

I hope you all have a wonderful week!  Enjoy!

Sherri

2.14.2022 Spring is Coming

 Hi Everyone!  I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day!  You don't have to be a couple to enjoy Valentine's Day.  I had a lovely lunch out with my daughter, Jenny and my 2 grandsons, Owen and Jack.  We went to The Green Frog Social House here in Lake City.  The food was wonderful and we had so much fun chatting.  There is a local Botantical Garden here in Lake City, so over lunch Jenny and I picked out 2 classes we are going to take over the next few months.  One is on cutting gardens, which I am going to make this year at my house.  Can't wait for that!!  The other is a tour of the gardens in our town.  That one should be a good one too!  I received 2 cards from the boys and heart-shaped box of chocolates.  Jenny gave me this beautiful Lemongrass candle she made.  I love the wooden bowl it is in-so pretty!  Megan gave me a bag of Lindt Truffles!!  She brought them up last weekend when she was here.  They were so good!!

The boys and Jenny are so thoughtful.  This could have been a really hard day and they made it better.  :)

Small signs of Spring have started to happen here!  I have a saucer magnolia growing in my yard.  I didn't even know I had one!!  I love to cut branches and bring them in the house.  Here is what I did with mine.

Here are the branches I brought in and put in the Dining Room.

I forgot I had this beautiful hand blown vase and I thought the magnolia color would go great with it in the breakfast room.  

We had a really cold day the other day and when the sun hit the field on the other side of the golf course steam started coming off.  It looked like a fog machine was being used!!  So beautiful!

My orchid is blooming and the amaryllis that bloomed before shot up another stem and has 4 more buds on it.  2 have opened and they are gorgeous!!

Originally when I got this orchid, my Mom had just left it to die.  She was moving and she said it had ants in it, so she put it outside.  She was going to let it die.  I saved it and brought it home.  I nursed it back to life and this is the 3rd year it has bloomed!  Glad I rescued it.

This is the second round of blooms on my amaryllis.  I just love this color!

John really loved Valentine's Day!  He loved when we would go out for dinner, he would buy me roses and a small gift.  I would give him his gift and we always gave each other cards.  I have saved all of the cards he gave me while we were dating and married.  I tied them up in a pink ribbon and put them in my memory box.  I am so glad I did that.  Sometimes I take them out and read them, reminiscing about the things he wrote.  I have to say I really miss his cards, he would always write something lovely on them.  I miss that man everyday!!  I decided I was going to buy myself some roses in honor of him (and I really love them!!).  Believe it or not I bought the roses in the picture below from Walmart.  This is week 2 and they look as wonderful as the day I bought them!!

Sometimes you just have to treat yourself!  Always remember to hug your loved ones, tell them you love them and appreciate the time you do have with them!

Sherri

2.7.2022 Rainy Monday

 Hi Everyone!  Well we are getting rain.  It is dreary, foggy and raining pretty good, but I don't care because it is good for my lawn and my gardens.  We had a drought for the last few months and I am hoping this helps with that.  It has to be good for the spring plants/flowers and our lawns.  

This view across the driveway into my backyard shows you how much rain we are getting.  The golf course is beyond the pine trees and there are a few puddles out there.  They disappear pretty quickly when the rain stops due to our loamy/sandy soil here.

My saucer magnolia really seems to love this weather/rain too!  It looks so pretty looking out my breakfast room bay window while I'm eating my breakfast seeing those gorgeous blossoms!

Not much going on here today.  I have to water and divide some plants that have gotten to big in a huge dish garden I received at my housewarming party in October.  I have a watercolor Valentine painting I want to do for an a spot in my house that needs a little color (I will show it to you when I'm done with it).  I will probably work on the shawl I'm knitting and while knitting I'll be listening to the audiobook, Such a Good Wife by Seraphina Nova Glass.  I finished reading Coral Cottage and that was a cute story!  Sounds like the perfect rainy day to me!

Everyone have a lovely day not matter what the weather is in your neck of the woods!  

Hugs,

Sherri