“Take rest; a field that has rested gives a beautiful crop.” ~Ovid
Well it has been about 6 weeks since my last blog post, and I thought I would drop in with a quick note to say hello, and give you a bit of an update. Even though this hiatus was not planned, it has had its benefits. I had to unplug (mostly) from blogging and social media due to aggravating an old back injury. Good news….it has healed better than before thanks to my wonderful acupuncturist. Bad news….I discovered a high blood pressure issue likely caused by too much caffeine. I love having a cup of strong coffee and a pot of black or green tea every morning, and have done so for the last 4-5 years. But no more. Removing caffeine has been hard, but I know my body is reaping the benefits. I am healing and my blood pressure is getting back to normal.
Needless to say my garden has been neglected once again. And with the insane weather this summer, the veg garden has been slow to produce. When I needed cool weather, it was hot so cool weather veggies didn’t grow. Then when I needed hot weather it was cool or so hot plants shut down…..and then we have had a very dry summer in my area of the state. It is feast or famine as they say. But I will give more of an accounting of the flowers and veggies later.
So what have I been doing if not gardening, besides going crazy? I was binge watching some TV shows until my back felt comfortable enough for me to read. Now I am enjoying the slow days of resting and reading. I have read at least 8 books of late.
I thought I would share this special vase I made just before my back issues. It was a birthday vase for a neighbor friend of mine.
I cut echinacea, hydrangea, veronica, heliopsis, daisies and Lady’s Mantle. We have several antique mason jars in the basement, and I thought I should at least use them for flowers. So I put the cut flowers in one of the antique mason jars. I love the old-fashioned look.
I am joining Cathy@Rambling in the Garden for her wonderful In A Vase on Monday meme. The pictures shared here were created with my iPod Touch camera and two free apps, Pixlr and Prisma.
A Special Surprise and Upcoming Giveaway
Recently I was contacted by the Four Roses Bourbon Company which may sound strange for a garden blogger. But they wanted to work with gardeners and bloggers to get the word out about their new anniversary rose (pictured below) that was developed by Jackson Perkins, appropriately called, Four Roses® Anniversary Rose. They are celebrating their 130th Anniversary which is quite a legacy, and quite a story.
You can read more about the rose here. The Four Roses Bourbon Company is giving me one of these beautiful roses to try in my garden, and they would love to offer one as a giveaway to US residents. So stay tuned for more info on the giveaway coming soon, when I am back in full swing blogging in September if everything keeps progressing with my health.
All original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Gardens Eye View, 2010-2018. Any reprints or use of content or photos is by permission only.
The gardener rests and the garden makes the best of whatever the weather – lovely vase, especially the 2nd pic.
Interesting rose – personally I love the dark ones. Can never quite work out the different types of rose but the bourbon range are renowned to be fragrant and strong
Feel better, Donna, and get much needed rest! The weather has been strange here, too. A very hot and humid summer with thunderstorms pretty much every day. Beautiful vase ~ I love antique mason jars and use them for different things. Enjoy the rest of the summer!
Glad you are feeling better…dont over do it. Tom and I had to drop the daily caffeine habit too, once you are over it you are free. I favor fruity herb teas now… peach, blueberry acai, and apple cinnamon amongst others. Be well…
Good to know that you are recovering more quickly than you might have expected but still taking things steadily. I like my coffee strong too but gradually reduced the caffeine and now drink only decaff. What a pretty vase you have created for your neighbour – the second picture shows it off beautifully
Glad to hear you’re recovering. I have back issues too so I know how painful and debilitating it can be. Also frustrating when you can’t do all the things you want to. I read and binge watch TV when I’m under the weather as well. Love your mason jar full of flowers, it’s very pretty!
I’m glad to hear you’re feeling better, Donna. I know it must be frustrating to be side-lined as you’ve been but it sounds as though you’ve made lemons into lemonade in using your downtime. I hope you’re able to get out and gather flowers in your garden again soon but, in the meantime, pace yourself!
Glad to hear from you, Donna, and that your back is improving. Health is everything!
Your arrangement is pretty – I love the look of old Mason jars, they say ‘countryside’ and ‘summer’ to me!
Glad to hear your back is on the mend. Your photos are gorgeous. I am just using a camera phone at the moment. I might try the I-pad and aps. Or is it an I pod? If I get behind again, I’m just going to post one photo in a vase. I’m sure Cathy won’t mind. I’ve had family illness to deal with. It’s not been a very good summer so far. All the best. Karen
I too have been on a hiatus, though not due to physical issues. Glad you are recovering and – oh do I understand the gardening/weather conundrum!
Glad that your back/health are in recovery mode. Long may it continue.
That rose is an absolute stunner. There is something about that velvety deep red colour which never fails to stir me. I hope its scent is as powerful as the rose.
Donna, sorry about your setbacks but glad you’re finding good with the bad. The vase is just perfect.
Dear Donna: Take care of yourself! It sounds like you are approaching things smartly and cutting back where you can. That is a lovely rose!
I know the struggles of caffeine. Just 6 weeks ago I completely gave it up and went into a deep depression for a few days afterwards. Now I can say I am feeling better than ever off of it and don’t have the highs and lows it did to my body. Keep it up – it’s worth it!
Glad you are rested Donna and back better than ever! I have high blood pressure in spite of my plant-based diet. I did not give up my coffee. Everyone has different triggers. For me, it’s salt. I try to watch my use of oils in cooking — yes, even olive oil, and salt. Difficult for a chef ( ; In just six short days I won’t worry about my overgrown garden with the hostile takeover grapevines. I would have loved to leave her to the next owner in better shape but that’s the way things go. It has been a hot summer — not conducive to heavy garden labor. I think even if you were healed, it would still be difficult to keep up in the garden. I am planning a very small bed of flowers at the lake — I’ve learned my lessons. I love to read! It’s one of the best parts about summer (and winter for that matter). I thoroughly enjoyed Lab Girl this summer. Have fun and stay well.
I’m glad you could take a rest when needed. I’ve been off blogging since July 1 – not for health but for lack of desire I suppose. We did have a nice 3 week vacation in July and our weather has been hot – for the Pacific Northwest, which slows me down some and I tend to stay indoors in the AC. Catching up is fun – and glad to see you are feeling better. Your flowrrs are gorgeous!
I hope you continue to feel better. Looking forward to future bulletins!
Eight books is not all bad. Hope you continue to make good progress on your journey to full health!
So sorry you have been out of commission, Donna, and hope your healing continues. It has been a terrible summer for the garden here also: too hot or too cold at the wrong times, as you say. Plus we have had record rainfall — downpours that did great damage to plants. In addition, I’ve been away a lot, so my garden looks worse this summer than its ever done. Still, there’s always next year as the ever-optimistic gardener says! Your photos are lovely — you make the best vase arrangements. P. x
We all need a break, sometimes, and with the recent events in our family I have also been rather sporadic with my online presence over the summer (although I must say, I’m rather addicted to Instagram). I’m so glad that you are feeling better physically – we all need to look after ourselves first, a difficult task for some of us.
Taking time off to let your body rest and heal is a good thing. Look forward to your getting back to regular blogging soon. Your neighbor must have been thrilled with the beautiful flowers.