independence day

let freedom ring, let the white dove sing,
let the whole world know that TODAY IS A DAY OF RECKONING,
let the weak be strong,
let the right be wrong
roll, the stone away,
let the guilty pay,
IT'S INDEPENDENCE DAY!
~lines from one of my favorite songs, by Martina McBride

Celebrate your freedom and independence as an American ♥ thank a service member and/or their family.

I haven't felt like blogging much lately, or doing much of anything for that matter.

I started Ambien the other night, about 5 nights ago now. It was on the second or third night that I had "the accident". That next morning I woke up and went to wash my face. When I went to wipe at my left eye I about yelped in pain and then wondered what in the world the reason was that it was (is) reddened and swollen. I went to ask Big B, he laughed asked me if I remembered falling.

Um, no.

He proceeded to inform me that after hearing me yell out in pain, he jumped up only to find me twisted in the elliptical trainer that sits on the side of the room that my side of the bed is on. Hearing the commotion LB came in to investigate only to find his mother looking like a human pretzel. They helped me up, to the bathroom, which evidently was my original destination, and back into bed.

This was all the day before yesterday. Today it's still swollen, painful and come to find out my right forearm is bruised up pretty good.

This incident hasn't helped the homework cause. Luckily I'm pulling strong grades in Psych and Nut. Because we had to go out of town for the funeral last week I fell behind on my A&P studies and had to ask for an extension for Exam #4 which I was set to take this past Wednesday. As it is now I'll be taking it this coming Wednesday. The delay cuts into my time for the next unit, but it just so happens to be the urinary system and fluids & electrolytes. I'm comfortable enough with just having had that subject matter, but needed the extra time for the somatic and special senses and the endocrine system, extra time that has been squandered away with injuries. Who am I kidding, it's going to be about doing some serious cramming over the next few weeks.

The boys have stayed pretty low-key lately. LB continues to do well driving and AW is staying out of trouble.

Big B and I have nearly completed the backyard landscaping, well at least for this year. I'm thinking the yard could use a couple of good specimen trees. That may wait for fall or next year.

I'm leave you with our latest 'scapes:

some befores, for reference


picture from realtor, before we owned the house

our latest work


lavender, crape myrtle, boxwood
just some potted plants, and pots with seedlings to include four o'clocks and portulaca






i love this grouping with my elephant's ears, some geranium and my little pot of cacti and succulents


I don't really have a good before and after for this, but will explain it anyway. To the right of our house, facing it, is a side entry where the previous owner had laid pea gravel. I've been meaning to get rid of the gravel along with the rose bushes that suffered in it, and lay mulch. We finally did it this past weekend. In fact I owe it all to Big B, self-proclaimed, "Mega Mulch". He did the pea gravel removal and has done all the mulching over these past few 'scaping jobs around the house. The rose bush was relocated to the back bed, center (see above photos), and we'll plant hardier, low-maintenance shrubs along the side of the house, soon.



this is actually some coneflower I transplanted in the front, but it's such a pretty color and ti will be nic eto see it mature in this spot