Flowers from my garden

Shaddy asked if I would share pictures of the flowers in my garden. I made the comment to her that I had many plants with medicinal uses, and wondered if the reason was my pharmacy background. When you look at their history, many plants have been used medicinally. One source said, even today, flowering plants provide almost 25% of the basic ingredients for our modern drugs.

In Oregon, we have had a very wet and cool spring and summer. But I am thankful for these conditions when I see the temperatures in the mid-west and east.

Here are a few of my plants and what they may be, or have been, used for:

Lavender (used as an anti-tussive (for cough) and an antiseptic) 

Yarrow (helps calm eczema)

 Foxglove (digitalis - regulates the heart)

 

Echinacea (stimulates the immune system)

Rose (promotes blood circulation) 

 Begonia (promotes blood circulation)

Magnolia (useful for asthma)

 Hydrangea (used for urinary tract infections)

Jacob's Ladder (treatment for dysentery, toothache, animal bites)

 Sage (has been used for its healing properties, and recently evaluated for the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease)

Mint (used to treat stomach aches, chest pain and as a diuretic)

 Day lilies (some of these flowers are edible, but some are poisonous)

 

Iris (has been used in aromatherapy, as a sedative, and as an anti-cancer agent)

Gunnera (this plant is wonderfully odd with its huge leaves.  It has been used for many things including as a topical wound dressing)

Disclaimer: Before you try any of these for their medicinal uses, please consult a health care professional!

Now What? A 500 word writing prompt - For Dawn

  (A writing prompt from Ann. An essay of 500 words on the following: Now what?)

What if you thought you only needed one cat but ended up with two? Kitty #1 seemed lonely and a second one felt like the right thing to do. Kitty #2 came from the same place as the first, a shelter/adoption agency just for cats.

You’ve watched for the last four months as Kitty #2 has dominated and made life hell for Kitty #1. Kitty #2 has also jumped off your balcony into “no-no” land ten feet down and been captured by the crazy renters in the condo below you. When you rescued her, you smelled pot and who-knows-what-other dangerous things.

Kitty #2 is on a path to destroy your new couch by clawing deep divots in its arms. Kitty #2 has been sleeping on your bed at night and taking up more than her share of the space. Kitty #2 makes it quite well known that she requires breakfast at 6AM by loud meowing, sitting on your chest, then if these tactics don’t work, face batting. Your normal waking hour is 8AM, thank-you-very-much. And to top it off, Kitty #2 is not particularly friendly nor does she want to sit on your lap or be held.


What if, after weeks of agonizing debate with yourself, you finally decide to return Kitty #2 to the shelter? They take her back willingly with no recriminations. You breathe a sigh of relief and reorganize things in the condo for yourself and Kitty #1.

Life returns to normal and you are happy with your decision.

Then Kitty #1 stops eating. She wanders the condo meowing and looking for, yes, you are sure, Kitty #2. Kitty #1 is in a funk and no cajoling, special treats, nor extra petting will bring her back to her happy self. You find yourself looking for Kitty #2 when you get home from work. Your mornings have less distractions, but they seem too quiet.

Now what?

After four days, you relent and return to the shelter/adoption agency to bring Kitty #2 home. They say she is there, but no one can find her. They know she spent the first two days in kitty-quarantine to make sure she wasn’t sick, then was released into the large area with the others waiting for adoption.

You walk into the area calling her name, and after a few calls you hear,”meow, Meow, MEOW.” She has climbed to the highest place in the enclosure and has been in hiding in the corner until she hears your voice. She waits for you to come rescue her, of course, to teach you a lesson. But, she is so high up that you have to stand on your very tippy-toes and stretch your arms as far as you can to reach her. She finally jumps into your arms and immediately starts to purr.

When you walk through the door, Kitty #1 is there to greet Kitty #2. They play, eat, and sleep together for the next week, totally ignoring you.

Now what?

Nicholas Gets Married

 

The day was breathtakingly beautiful, as were the bride and groom. Beach weather in Oregon in early July can be unpredictable, but it was a glorious day to witness the union of two special people on the beach in Gearhart. Nicholas, my nephew and the oldest of my brother's three children, is the child my sister Robin and her husband Mike adopted in 1985. When they passed away, my brother and his wife, Matt and Debbie, enveloped him into their family. They were intimately involved in the ceremony this day, as were Natalie and Drew, Nick's sister and brother.

Barefooted groomsmen in gray slacks and vests, with cream-colored dress shirts and yellow ties followed Nick down the slope of a massive sand dune behind us to the decorated arch set up as the alter. Bridesmaids followed, clutching bouquets of yellow and white, in their individually designed silver dresses. All eyes were on Angelica as she was escorted down the sand dune on the arm of her father. Her stunning ruffled dress caught the beach breeze and flowed around her gently;  her smile was as wide as the ocean as she looked at her husband to be.

The special vows they had each written were spoken with conviction. Nick chose to say his vows to Angelica on his knees, to honor his bride. Their love for each other was clearly visible.

They embrace God totally in their lives and live to serve Him. I love them both and wish them all the best that love between two people and marriage can be.

Hillside the Novel

Alexander wiped the sweat from his eyes as he searched frantically in the old desk for the worn envelop. He knew had to be there, but it wasn't where he had put it. The phone call he'd just received caused his stomach to roll and his heart to race.

 “If you don’t deliver the information to the mailbox at the Old Mill in an hour, you wife will be in grave danger.”

Elizabeth was nowhere to be found, and he knew the gravelly voice on the other end of the line meant business: bad business.

His chest hurt; he took short quick breaths trying to quell his nausea and concentrate on the task. It had to be here somewhere. When his vision blurred and his head started to spin, he knew he was in trouble.

Nate; he had to pass the information on to his son. Why hadn’t he done it before now? Nate was the last hope for Anna. He grasped his chest as he slowly fell to the floor.