It's been quite the qhikeainxw I last posted. Wanted to stop by and say hi and let everyone know what's going on. I've been dealing with trying to o so a hip replacement the last year and finally got cleared. Should have had a knee done 2 years ago but tried the shots and physical therapy to no avail. Been wanting to get a house but hasn't happened yet but hopefully soon. Have other health issues as well like joints full of arthritis. Missed everyone here, but just alot going on, and not in a good way. I had a bunch of pictures come up in my history that I got from ones here in the forum and a few from Sutton iris farm. Mine some I really miss.

Hi, Richard! You've certainly had a lot going on, and not in a good way. I'm in a similar situation (though my hips, thank God, are still okay, and we have a house, though DH wants to move).

Fwiw, I hear that hip replacements are faster to recover from than knee replacements.

If your knees (like mine) need replacement, then yes, PT and cortisone shots alone aren't going to get the job done. The one and only cortisone shot I had since my knees went bad lasted less than the 3 months that we had hoped for, and now the knee surgeon doesn't want to do any more shots. (I will spare you the long saga as to why those replacements haven't gotten done, yet.)

Hopefully you can get your knees done (probably one at a time) sometime after the hip replacement. Say a minimum of 3 months recovery time for the hip (I'm up for a second wrist surgery and my knee doc won't operate until at least 3 months after that, but your doctors can better advise you), then on to the knees! Figure a year for full healing for each knee.

Best wishes for you to get your operations and your mobility back, and for you to get a house with some land, so that you can get back to gardening!

Hi Richard,
Nice to hear from you. I am sorry to hear that you have a few health battles at the moment.

Polymerous said: Hi, Richard! You've certainly had a lot going on, and not in a good way. I'm in a similar situation (though my hips, thank God, are still okay, and we have a house, though DH wants to move).

Fwiw, I hear that hip replacements are faster to recover from than knee replacements.

If your knees (like mine) need replacement, then yes, PT and cortisone shots alone aren't going to get the job done. The one and only cortisone shot I had since my knees went bad lasted less than the 3 months that we had hoped for, and now the knee surgeon doesn't want to do any more shots. (I will spare you the long saga as to why those replacements haven't gotten done, yet.)

Hopefully you can get your knees done (probably one at a time) sometime after the hip replacement. Say a minimum of 3 months recovery time for the hip (I'm up for a second wrist surgery and my knee doc won't operate until at least 3 months after that, but your doctors can better advise you), then on to the knees! Figure a year for full healing for each knee.

Best wishes for you to get your operations and your mobility back, and for you to get a house with some land, so that you can get back to gardening!

Hips are quicker to heal from. A couple of months and knees are around 4 I think. Both surgeries are done within an hour in most cases which is amazing. A lot of people go home same day.

Physical therapy and shot are not enough, but a lot of insurance/doctors go that route first cause of cost.

I'm gonna try to be a little more active in the group, but will be based on how how I'm feeling. I have missed the forum and definitely having irises.

Totally_Amazing said: Hi Richard,
Nice to hear from you. I am sorry to hear that you have a few health battles at the moment.

Unfortunately I'm paying the price for years of being hard on my body and not properly taking care of myself.

Hi Richard, I hope you can make some progress on the health issues and eventually get back to growing irises again.

Laurie, I do to. I miss growing them and working on the garden. I have a few things I would love to grow like cucumbers/watermelon/peppers in addition to irises. Hopefully I can make it to where I can focus on health and get better.

What, no tomatoes? There's NOTHING like a ripe, homegrown tomato. Even the farmers' market tomatoes haven't been all that good the past few years.

I *wish* I could grow cucumbers, but the last time I tried, critters (rats or raccoons) got them. They would need yet another critter cage built, which is $$$$ (both for materials and also for the labor for our garden helpers to build it).

Marilyn, oh how I agree with you. Nothing can compare with a huge, ripe Big Boy tomato, and yet no one sells them because they are juicy and don't ship well. You have to grow them yourselves, and that's the only way you can get them.

Yes, growing your own (of any veggie, really) is the only way to get the Good Stuff.

Though I prefer to grow OP heirlooms; our favorite tomato now being JUTLAND. Until just this year, I wasn't able to find a commercial source for the seed. I've been buying plants from Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants https://www.heirloomtomatoplan... . (I have also saved seeds, but since I always grow more than one tomato cultivar per year, there's no telling if what I have saved is "pure".)

I just checked online, and there's now one vendor (which I know nothing about, so who knows if the seed is trustworthy or not) who now is selling the seed. https://www.delectationoftomat...

I also found a second source, but again, I know nothing about them: https://tatianastomatobase.com...

While I like to support the smaller seed sellers who specialize in OP, non-GMO, and heirloom seeds, I really like to have some track record of reliability/purity before I buy from them.

quote="Polymerous
I just checked online, and there's now one vendor (which I know nothing about, so who knows if the seed is trustworthy or not) who now is selling the seed. https://www.delectationoftomat...

I am familiar with this person From a Facebook group I'm a moderator in.. he has gotten I'm trouble for doing something bad to one kid in Utah and a second in a different state. I'll leave it at that.

I do have some tomato seeds to grow. I got the from someone who does Appalachian heirloom varieties and carries over 100 I think. He has a good following for being reputable dealer and does everything thru messenger.

Just want a simple little garden so I can make pico, salsa, pickles and pickled banana peppers. Nothing overall big sue to health. Of course a little pone surrounded by some irises, carnations and possibly snap dragons.

?? "pone" ?? Patio? Sitting area??

In addition to the herbs and tomatoes, I like to grow arugula, lettuce, and maybe one or another "green" during the cool weather, for salads. During the warm months, I like to grow peppers, and wish I could grow cukes and melons. But critters...

The critters love to done the gardens regardless of what's planted
They're always attracted to something.

If the other source you listed is who I think it is, you're good. She has a great reputation.