It is a horror when folks let the obviously planned & planted garden go dead, or consciously throw plants away! When we built our small house to retire in (1,283 sq. ', on 1/3 acre), the house on the corner as you turn to go up the hill I live on was lovely. Mature trees, lawn, several blooming shrubs, little vignettes of bulbs and borders etc. Barb came up and we became happy neighbors. Vern daily picked up all the tumbleweeds that blow around here. Turns out that they used to own the property to what is now the center line on El Rancho Blvd., to eminent domain. The master bdr. is downstairs and the traffic noise forced them to sell. The houses across the blvd. are owned by Phoenix House,(1/2way houses), and they sold to them. First ex-cons lived there-too much trouble.Fights and girlfriends and police being called weekly, apparently the city made them move. Now Veterans live there & I couldn't be happier. There are a couple gardeners there, but it's too late. Vern had 20 vase shaped evergreens along the street side, pruned to perfection, 5 or 6 other evergreens dotted around the property and basically just a very well done assortment of trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals. The yard was ignored, and the huge mature trees are dead. All of the evergreens are literally falling down, and the smoke tree has suckered so badly, well, it's just sad. I don't understand how the owner of the property allowed it's value to be cut in half. For that reason alone maintaining it should have been a priority. I wonder what your neighbors are planning for their yard. Well, you won't have to see it. When are you moving? I am looking back at the posts and I see you're not sure. Good luck with that. Take care of yourself. I know it sounds trendy but meditation has helped me tremendously, more than anything since violence and ugliness entered my life 9 years ago. My youngest Daughter, DeAnna died 4 years ago, and I am just now enjoying my garden again. It had gotten pretty overgrown, but I kept it alive which I believe kept me alive. How did your ribs get hurt? I will look more, but I haven't found the original post. It sounds like you have had some difficult years too. I would be so interested in helping each other. Let me know. Sincerely, Marian

Love your pics. NJ. Wow1 I want to go everywhere you fine people live and see your gardens. It is a blessing to be able to walk out our front door and make beauty with nature. Marian

I believe "THE MASTER CLEANSE" saved my life. I think a lot of health problems are due to the toxins we all ingest. The organic lemon juice--well, please just get the booklet. I have no vested interest, and it is nothing but organic lemon juice, organic maple syrup and O. Cayenne pepper. It explains all the benefits in the 50 page booklet. I was actually drowning in the toxin build up in my system. Two days in--without actually fasting--just drinking it all day and a nice healthy meal at lunch--and I was feeling better. A week in and I had lost 10 lbs. of bloat and felt like I was going to live. It isn't a bunch of vits. and herbs in pill form which can do more harm than good. We forget that all medication started out growing in the ground. Just because it's an herb doesn't mean we need loads of it or that it isn't as strong as the chemical counterpart. I seriously just wish good health to you. Being sick is the worst. Marian

My dogs already claimed their area of the yard, but sometimes they like to break the boundries and go into my garden. Living with Addisons cannot be easy, and my heart is with you. I suffer from Hypothyroidism, and alot of the symptoms are the same. I dont go many places, cause I fall asleep at the wheel. Even things that I used to enjoy, like reading, are affected, because I fall asleep now so quickly. Weight gain is also a part of hypothyroidism, and I have to watch what I eat constantly. jSo I thank God everyday for the simple things in life, like still having the ability to work in my garden and enjoy the fruits of my labor...