Hi everyone! How are you all doing? I really want to know. I've had to be away from the forums for a while because of medical and life events. I'm ok almost back to normal, whatever the difinition may be; I guess that depends upon many factors, so I'll stop writing about this now. :-)
I like the pic of the wagon and the pulling with a manual wheelchair. This would be beyond my abilities. I could do this with my power wheelchair provided I didn't get stuck in my yard. :-)
I appreciate the information from everyone about the tools and cooling equipment. Cooling vests are wonderful for managing heat. I hope to get one in the near future. There are also vests with tubing which with a pump delivers cuirculated water through the vest. I don't remember what the name for these vest is at the moment and may not remember, so I wouls suggest doing a search and perhaps you will find the exact vest which is right for you.
My service dog is almost three now. She was a stray who I found out about because she was being cared for by some poeple I know. Bella has helped me with many things such as fetching things, opening and closing doors and drawers, getting the laundry out of the washer (work in progress), allowing me to gently lean on her when necessary, and taking off my shoes and socks (work in progress).
I hope to have a raised garden some day so any ideas or suggestions are appreciated.
I have a laundry list of medical issues, so if you're interested in this list let me know.
Most of my gardening is inside because it is the best way for me to enjoy this activity. I very much enjoy my house plants of which I believe I have about 100 or close to that amount. For me there is no such thing as too many house plants. Whenever a house plant needs a home, I do what ever I possibly can to give a home to the plant(s). All are welcome and I do research so that I have the knowledge to care for them properly.
My home is in MD near Annapolis, so if anyone is near this area, you are welcome to visit, let me know and we'll get together.
Along with my plants and service dog I also have a blue headed pionus parrot and a congo affiricn grey parot, and two cats.
One tool I use which is handy for mixing soil and other ingredients is a cat littler box because it is large enough so the contents do not spill (at least for me), and it is shallow so that even on a table or cart I can have easy access to the litter box. Also, when filling small to medium pots, I can usually put the pot into the litter box and fill the pot without spilling the soil mixture onto the floor.
When watering my plants which are in small pots and which should not have their leaves or any part of the plant wet, I use a syringe and carefully squirt the water into the pot around the underside of the plant turning the pot so that as much surface area as possibly gets wet. I do not use the needle, just the plastic syringe. Large syringes are good as funnels and to do more intensive watering when a watering can isn't best for the job.
Most of the time when I ned to move plants from place to place I will place the pot on the foot rest of my power wheelchair and roll them to their destination. If the pot is very large, I will very carefully use my power wheel chair to push the pot.
Oh! If you are taking care of orchids, a syringe is good for dribbling moisture into the top layer of the pot which dries quicker and also for dribbling water into the ariel roots or a cotton swab with water will moisten the roots which are accessible at the top of the pot. I also sometimes use a cotton swab to gently clean the orchid leaves of debries. It is goot to remove the clear plastic pot from the heavier container to make certain that the orchid is not sitting in water. Orchids do not like their roots swimming. Damp is good swimming is a death sentence.
Sometimes I use a plate, scoop, or similar object to move soil. sometimes a handful does the trick.
Plant lights are great for me because they shed light on what I'm trying to see. I also use a hand held cctv camera to magnify things. Without this camera, I would not be able to see a lot of what may be affecting plants.
I think I've covered most of what I do to care for my house plants, so will go for now. Safe travels and many blessings to everyone. Happy gardening!
