Woke up this morning to sunshine and the possibility of a daytime temperature of 24C (75 Fahrenheit).    Maybe we will finally have summer.  The last few weeks have been cold, rainy and windy.  Last Thursday the temperature at 5:00 PM was only 9C (48 Fahrenheit).  In fact we had frost warnings every night last week.  With the prospect of some warm weather this afternoon, my husband put the pool heater on this morning.  I can hardly wait to swim.  Our warm weather usually begins in May and lasts until the second week in September.  Even though the daytime temperatures can be in the high 80’s in September, the nights cool off to near freezing.  What with the miserable weather this spring, we really only have eight weeks of summer left.

Last weekend I finally summoned up enough energy to fill 10 planters/pots with plants. These are the pedestal type plant pots. I have five standing on my back deck, two on each side of the driveway and two on either side of the front porch.  Since it was so late in the season I figured it was best to use red geraniums, white alyssum and purple lobelia in each of these pots.  I purchased four hanging planters.  The two hanging on the pole in the front yard are trailing geraniums in the most vivid magenta colour.

The one hanging on the pole next to the front porch is filled with red geraniums and trailing ivy.  I took the hanger off of the planter with the mauve petunias and put it on the bench in front of the garage.  The Mandevilla I purchased is gorgeous with beautiful pink flowers.  I put this one in front of the garage as well.

The mandevilla cannot be left outdoors during our cold winter months so I will take it in and hope it survives the winter.

During the winter months I had formulated these grandiose plans for my back yard.  My plans included a 40 foot flower bed along the fence in the back yard.  By the time June rolled around I realized that my plans were not realistic; I did not have the energy to weed the small areas in front of the house and along the side of the house.  Last weekend I had a brain wave.  My father had left a number of old fashioned tubs in the storage shed.  I decided to drill holes at the bottom of each tub for drainage and fill the tubs with potting soil.

Once I had planted a variety of flowers in each pot, the end result was really quite lovely.  Keeping the tubs weed free is so much easier than maintaining a 40 foot long flower bed.

Yesterday afternoon we finally planted the two crab apple trees I got for Mother’s Day from my son and daughter-in-law.  The two trees had been at the greenhouse waiting for decent planting conditions.

The average mature height of these trees is 15-20 feet tall and the average mature width is 15 feet.  I can hardly wait to see the blossoms next spring.  There are two other projects I would like to tackle this summer.  The first one is to plant a Rhodendrum, a Pembina Plum tree and a Fieling Plum tree.  The second project is to transplant several evergreen trees on the property.  The one my dad and husband moved from the old house to the new house last summer has done very well.

Last Thursday at noon I realized I was getting another nasty outer ear infection; the fourth one in a year.  My outer ear gets very itchy, then crusty and a day or two later the infection will set in.  By Thursday evening it had spread down my neck and on my face.  Thankfully I had an appointment scheduled for Friday morning and No Name prescribed antibiotics.  When I asked No Name why these infections happened he told me my immune system was compromised.  It certainly doesn’t take a mental giant to come to that conclusion.

Aside from receiving antibiotics and a refill for my thyroid medications, nothing else was accomplished at the appointment on Friday.  But then, I am past the point of expecting any great revelations concerning my health.  I get the feeling that No Name considers my symptoms to be an old, boring story that does not bear repeating.  How many times do you have to tell a so-called mental giant that you suffer from extreme fatigue, weird infections and spiking blood pressure that can crash as fast as it rises?  How often does a doctor have to hear about the bruising, the muscle weakness, the excruciating bone pain and the dizziness to the point of passing out?  How many times do you have to repeat the fact that when you get up from a supine position or when you bend over the whole world begins to spin?  How many times do you have to explain the adrenaline rushes and the sweating episodes that occur with any exertion?  How many times does a person have to repeat this sad, pathetic story before a dim memory of lessons taught in medical school begins to form?

It has been six years this June that the nightmare began.  I should be grateful I suppose, that six years ago I had no idea that I would still be begging for answers in 2004.  At that time I was so naïve and uninformed that I actually believed that the medical know-it-alls would soon find the reason for my debilitating symptoms.  I suppose this would be considered one of those times when ignorance is bliss.

Tomorrow is my grandson’s last day of school before summer vacation.  We will be attending the picnic at grandson’s school tomorrow.  The parents and grandparents are invited to bring lunch and join the students at noon tomorrow for this annual event.

Grandson and his friend will be joining me for a short vacation to a family resort on July 5th to July 8th.  The resort is only 20 miles from where we live so it is an easy drive for me.  The resort has three pools, waterslides, bikes trails, paddle boats, fishing pond, miniature golf course and a games room.  The restaurant at the pool area is open for lunch and supper.  Providing the weather co-operates, it should be a fun and relaxing couple of days.