Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Monday, May 5, 2014

Even though the PANSIES are SMILING, I have to have SURGERY!!!!

 Bet I got your attention!!!!!!  Some of you know that I have been experiencing some stomach-issues for awhile... WELL--the pain has gotten worse the past few months --so my doctor decided that I needed to get an ultrasound of my GALLBLADDER...

I did just that ---and guess what????  My gallbladder is FULL of stones!!!  Fun-fun!!!!  My options were to just live with it (and put up with the side/back/shoulder-blade pain) --or get that 'thing' taken out!!!!

I decided to get the Gallbladder taken out now that they can hopefully do it by the laparoscopic procedure (which is day surgery with little discomfort or recovery time).  YES---this has caused us to make some changes in our travel plans ---but we feel that it is something  I need to get done..  SO---we won't allow this little 'bump in the road' to deter us much.   You all know me----I don't let things get me down anymore than necessary!!!

SO---my day surgery will be on Thursday,  May 8, at the local hospital here.  I'm sure that George will be keeping everyone posted as to my surgery --and I hope that I won't be out-of-commission very long, if at all much.  Please say a PRAYER for me/for us and for the doctors and staff at the hospital on the 8th.  Thanks.

NOW---for some better news !!!!!   Even after one of our most wicked winters in a very long time,  many of our sweet little PANSIES made it through---and are now smiling brightly.  We love Fall Pansies --and plant about 72 or so of them each Sept/Oct.  The Pansies are hardy little flowers and make it through our winters fairly well.. They give a little color to our yard through our drab winters...

BUT--this past winter was COLDER than most (with temperatures dropping down to  a MINUS 10 degrees -F- on two different occasions).  Our yard did and has sustained some damage ---including about 40% of the pansies we planted (planted 72 and have about 49 left).   We also lost a couple of our Roses --and some of the others aren't looking very healthy yet.  Some of our Hosta and Lilies got a little damage from the last freeze (but hopefully, they'll be fine).  Our new Clematis which we just planted last Fall has not shown any sign of life --so we may have lost it.  And one of the biggest losses appears to be our 4 Holly bushes in front of our house... All of them are losing their leaves.  Don't know what will happen to them.  Winter was a ROUGH one for many of us this past year (although we didn't ever get much snow here---just the cold temps).

SO--on a better note,  I'm going to show you some of our remaining Pansies --which look healthier and healthier with each warmer day.   They will live until it gets terribly hot sometime in July.   The Pansies are the  ONLY 'annual' that we plant these days... All of our remaining flowers are perennials....  BUT--we love the Pansies and will continue planting them each Fall I'm sure.

Sit back and enjoy some coffee or hot tea or cocoa ----and smile as you look at the sweet little Pansies.  Be sure to click on them for enlargements...




















 














Well ---how 'bout that???  These little guys are happy that the winter is over and that they can smile again and make us all HAPPY.   (We are ALL happy that this winter is OVER.)

Did you lose plants/shrubs/flowers during the horrible winter of 2013/14?????  I heard from one friend that she lost FIFTEEN of her Roses....  (She lives farther up north than we do.)  YIPES....

Have a wonderful week... I'm not sure how much more blogging I'll be doing this week ---but I'll be back as soon as possible.  Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers.

Hugs,