You can garden for free when the Gay Addams Family meets the Dalai Lama

Its SPRING TIME!!! Our attention turns to gardening as we dream of days sitting under a shade tree reading a good book. The birds sing anew, and we realize its because they are mating, so we play some Marvin Gaye and Barry White and hope it encourages them. Nests are being built in anticipation, so we supply some pieces of yarn and clipped dog hair to keep the babies warm. One can hear the sounds of lawnmowers and smell the sweet onions as they are unceremoniously chopped down with the blade. I sit quietly and crochet until the cats realize I have yarn, and we wrestle for it to the death or until one of us gives up. Jamie whittles, large knife in hand, and silently warns against any proselytizing, soliciting, or turning around in our driveway. Buddhist prayer flags send prayers of intention into the universe with every breeze and a dozen "No Trespassing" signs dot the landscape.   We watch the lesbians across the street watch us watching them, but we all do it so smoothly, because we're cool like that. Its a Gay-Addams-Family-Meets-the-Dalai Lama- kind of thing. So nice.

In 2008, before I came along, Jamie chose this property for its trees. Mature maples tickled the driveway and provided homes for a myriad of critters, shade from the hot sun of summer, and sufficient pollen to ensure spring allergies. A walnut tree stood guard over the dogs' play area, and flowering crab apple, dogwood, and quince announced the end of winter with their powerful, yet delicate, display.

As time passed, and Jamie came closer to finding me, she added trees, shrubs, and perennials to the landscape. When I arrived, it was a beautiful welcoming place, once I passed the seal of approval from the dogs, cats, and a mouse named Maple.

What I found interesting was, that every new plant put on this property by Jamie and her parents who helped her, was either free or nearly free. After the discovery that an Apostolic Church wanted to move in next door and another neighbor wanted to be a nuisance, it was decided that a fence needed to go up. Unfortunately, there was only enough money for a privacy fence on the west end of the property. Come autumn one year, the beginning of a natural fence began.

Forsythia Fence

From the overabundance of forsythias at Mom & Dad Farris' house, 70 plants were planted in a row. Now they run from the road, north, to the top end of the property. They are a big, beautiful "No Trespassing" gift from Mother Nature. Forsythias, known around here as simply "yellow bushes" are hardy, giving shrubs. Very easy to propagate, they can be transplanted easily and are fast growing plants. They replant themselves when the tip of the limb touches, and grows into the ground. If you have to trim them back, take the clipping, plant it where you wish for a shrub to grow, keep it watered, and many times they will take root and flourish.  Transplanting with the root intact is more promising, however.

The overabundance shined another gift down on our home here at Whisper Creek when Mom & Dad Farris had too many perennials growing in their garden. They were kind enough again to let us have them. While they might need this year to establish themselves rather than blooming, they should give us years of enjoyment.

Free Perennial

Thus we have two frugal ideas for gardening. 1) When your family, friends, or neighbors are ready to give up their excess plants, offer to dig them up for them. You can also trade from the excesses in your own garden. 2) Plant perennials as they will come back year after year. If you decide to plant annuals, be sure to collect the seeds. For an excellent guide on collecting annual seeds for next spring's gardening, see The Weekend Gardener.

Jamie hates to kill anything. I think she mourns when she mows. She won't cut down a seedling or weed she thinks has potential unless she absolutely has too. This has actually proved fruitful. Be it through bird poop or wind, seedlings popped up that grew into trees. Mimosa trees we never had to buy, maples we only had to transplant, a mulberry tree that produces the most delicious berries you've ever tasted.  A new maple even came up by the stump of one that the previous owner had cut down. This is an awesome way to get free trees! Be selective in your mowing and weed eating. When the tree is old enough to handle it, you can transplant it to another location if necessary.

Baby Maple

Jamie has purchased trees in the past. Looking for the unwanted imperfect trees in the same way she looks for pets to rescue, she has acquired trees that with a little TLC and patience, became beautiful flowering trees. She does the same for houseplants and pays a fraction.

The final method she has used with success over the year is buying from The Arbor Day Foundation. For a $10 membership, you can get 10 "free" trees. You can choose from flowering trees, trees to attract wild birds, evergreens, red buds, autumn classics and more. The trees will be bare root and take some time to grow, but patience pays off in a big way. If the tree doesn't make it, they are replaced, for free. Not only can you get your "free" trees, but purchase other trees and shrubs at a good discount. We just planted 2 crape myrtle we ordered from them.

A once, unwanted tree

While you may think that it will take forever for these to grow, the tree in the foreground of the photo below was planted less than five years ago.

So as I crochet and wrestle with the cats and Jamie gives people the evil eye even though she's a teddy bear at heart, click on the link, and order those ten "free" trees. Then make sure no tree feels like an ugly, imperfect, unwanted tree. Patience and love always pay off.

Namaste and blessed be.

Arbor Day Tree

Quince

 

Jackpot! $12.50 for $125 worth of Clothes :)

OMG....OMG....OMG.....You know you've hit the jackpot when you find $125 worth of NEW clothes plus some beautiful slightly used summer dresses, 2 shirts for Amber (our daughter), 2 more shirt for Abigail (our dog), and several more pieces of clothing for $12.50.

I kid you not.

We arrived at the Community Clothes Closet thrift store before 9 am this morning only to find they didn't open until 10. Thankfully, we live close by so we went home and waited until 9:45. When we returned, the line outside the door was long. We grabbed a parking place in front of the apostolic church while people gave us the evil eye because they wanted our spot. Or maybe it was because of the "Born Again Pagan" bumper sticker on Jamie's car. Anyway, once we joined the crowd, the women waiting with us told us that come hell or high water, that door wouldn't open until 10 or even 10:05am. 

Inside, they teased us coming near the door and then walking away. It was torturous. We looked through the window scoping out the clothes making a plan of action in our minds. The door opened and we were sucked in by a vacuum of people. It was wonderful.

This is the fun of thrift store shopping. Its a treasure hunt.

Neither Jamie or I buy new clothes at big box or clothing stores unless we absolutely cannot find it anywhere else. If you've been reading our blog, you know that we found awesome deals of new clothes at TJ Maxx and Ross on items we hadn't been able to find in thrift stores.

But today was THRIFT STORE DAY. We were giddy.

Generally undergarments are an item that we always buy new. However, today at the Community Clothes Closet,  I found three new pieces of Cupid compression "foundation wear" (as I like to call undergarments).  These normally sell for about $15 each. I paid 50 cents each!  (And no, I'm not showing pictures of my undies).

Probably our most exciting finds included a new one piece Kathy Ireland bathing suit for $1 that is selling for $32 on Ebay. Next was the Liz Claiborne overalls with a MSRP on the tag of $49,  for only 50 cents.

We added these wonderful pieces to the mix for a total was $12.50!! Summer dresses, hippy wear, camisoles, workout gear, two shirts for Amber as I mentioned, and a Miami Ink t-shirt for Jamie.

Jamie's favorite score was an autographed copy of June Carter Cash's book Among My Klediments for 25 cents.

I needed to try on some of the clothes and went to the dressing room...that had no mirror. So I asked the ladies in nearby dressing rooms if they had a mirror. They did, so I decided to wait for one of those to open. Once one came open, I went inside. Apparently, no one realized I was there because a conversation ensued between the women on either side of me.  "I don't need no mirror to know how I look in my clothes cause I'm fat. But my husband doesn't call me fat. He calls me fluffy." The other woman answered, "Me either. That girl wouldn't try her clothes on without a mirror. Have mercy." 

Anyway, I walked away with a treasure trove that fit my unfluffy body just fine.

Thrift stores, consignment stores, and yard sales are very popular here in East Tennessee. While some people look down on purchasing used items, what they don't realize is that new items can be found there too. 

Thrift stores differ from consignment stores in one important way. Thrift stores generally raise money for charities with donated items. Consignment stores sell items on behalf of others and pocket a percentage of the profit for their troubles. They can be more selective in what they sell, but their items are more expensive. Here is an example of an item sold at a local consignment store:

                                                                                                              

   

In case you can't read the price, the original price of these Ed Hardy jeans was $240. (I know, I can't believe it either). The consignment store's price was $39.99. I don't know about you, but I would (and could) buy a closet full of clothes for that price. However, there is a customer for every type of store. 

Thrift stores often have awesome sales in addition to their already low prices. The selection changes often because they ask very reasonable prices. The Community Clothes Closet has a half-price sale the first Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of the month. That's how we hit the jackpot. Plus we met some nice, fluffy folks.

So shop smart. Shop thrifty.

THUNK! The Wall That Made Me Wiser

Hello all!!  We're still alive!!

Its been a few weeks since we've written, which gives us something pretty important to write about.

As you may recall, Jamie and I weight train. We love it. Two hours six days a week, including cardio.

That is, until I hit a wall.

Not a real wall, but a proverbial wall of complete and utter exhaustion.

Speaking of walls, within the walls of my body lies an auto-immune disease. I rarely speak of it, and few people know about it. It is a pesky little virus that mutated, called Chronic Epstein Barr Virus (or, for brevity's sake, CEBV.) I had been diagnosed approximately two years ago by an immunologist.

It is a very rare disease in the United States and Europe. It occurs more frequently in Asia and South America. It was found in my T cells, B cells, and NK (Natural killer) cells in my blood. While there is no cure, there is some concern that the outcome can be nasopharyngeal cancer or Burkett's lymphoma.

Epstein Barr Virus

At the time of my diagnosis, I had already lost 60 lbs and my doctor made it clear that I needed to lose the remainder of my weight (80 more lbs) and exercise every day until I sweated. He started me on supplements and vitamins as well as four injections per week to boost my immune system.

The CEBV activated allergies I didn't have before. Testing showed I was now allergic to every grass, tree, mold, mildew, and even my favorite fruits and vegetables. I had to purge my home of all chemicals, including home cleaners, shampoos, and soaps. Prepackaged, processed foods-gone. Sugar and sugar substitutes all gone because they could cause an inflammatory response.

Three years prior I had made many positive changes losing my weight slowly and keeping it off, but now I had to make more changes to extend, and in reality, save my own life. 

I had to change almost every aspect of my life, and I did.

I lost the weight, and kept going. As I lost the weight, ate healthier, and avoided those things I was allergic to, my CEBV went into remission. Unfortunately, I took it a bit too far.  I became underweight. I was obsessed with the scales and with exercising. My family and friends prompted me to see my family doctor and I agreed to go into treatment for an eating disorder. A team including my general practitioner, immunologist, and nutritionist, helped me.

However, as I struggled to comply with my nutritional needs, I still had the mindset that with exercising, more was better. Pushing my body through the pain only showed I was doing what I should be doing. I would lift weights, do cardio, and take additional classes 6 days a week. No pain, no gain, right?

I never stopped once to consider that I was pushing my body to the brink of madness. Over training led to over use injuries, but that was normal, wasn't it? Its not like it was permanent.

Then, BAM, it happened. The wall.

I could not get out of bed. I couldn't lift my head, couldn't move my legs. My body ached as it never had. I developed a severe skin rash. The fatigue and deep muscle pain never left. Nausea would surprise me at a moments notice. My right upper abdomen hurt terribly.

My worst fear.....my CEBV had re-activated and then some.

This rash covered a large portion of my body

Weeks of testing, doctor visits, emergency room visits followed.  Everything was tested. Full abdominal CT scans and ultrasounds, chest x-rays, thyroid x-rays, thyroid ultrasound, blood work, bone density scans, mammograms, a diagnostic colonoscopy with a 14 day prep. (14 DAY PREP!!!). All in all, I saw eight health professional (doctors/therapists/nutritionists/immunologist/gastroenterologist/nurse practitioners, yada, yada, yada).

In the end, we found that I had done permanent damage to my body. My liver is now enlarged. My colon is permanently damaged and I will have to be on medication for the rest of my life. The road to recovery is long. I am still exhausted. My employers, The Greater YMCA of Kingsport, who have been more than supportive, are allowing me to return to work slowly. I worked one day this week (as I will next) and came home and slept for hours. A long recovery, indeed.

I will soon start back on the injections to boost my immune system. I will probably have to be retested for food allergies. My doctor has limited my training to four days a week. My diet has had to change again.

I have learned the hard way the ill affects of over training and now I want to share it with others. I don't want anyone to go through what I experienced the last several weeks. 

The body has an intricate system of checks and balances. Chronic over training can lead to serious brain, muscle, and metabolic imbalances. Testosterone can decrease in men. The body's immune system in both men and women can become depressed and one may notice more upper respiratory infections and flu. Disturbed sleep, changes in mood, and persistent fatigue become apparent. When muscles are not allowed to rest appropriately, injuries result as well as poor muscle performance. You can become weaker. Not stronger. Rest makes you stronger because it allows the muscles you have broken down to repair themselves and grow. It is during sleep that growth hormones are at their highest.

Exercising more than four days a week does not allow the body to heal or muscles to grow and eventually it can lead to some serious problems. Even without my CEBV, I know I would have hit this wall. It was only when I hit that wall that I activated my CEBV.  Now I must live with that.

I'm determined to follow my doctor's advice, eat as my nutritionist suggests, and listen to my body.

Exercising is important for a healthy life. However, we only have one body. While it is healthy to have goals to reach for, its important to allow your body time to reach those goals and incorporate rest into your training regiment. I hope you can keep an open mind when examining your own approach to exercise. Be kind, gentle, and compassionate: please listen to your body. 

Jamie and I returned to the gym this week. Jamie hit her own wall during this time coming down with a fever of 103 degrees and then later injuring her back. We took turns taking care of one another. She was exhausted from the emotional roller coaster of it all as well.

It felt good being back in the gym and I was somewhat relieved knowing that I didn't have to push myself as hard as I had been pushing. I can still have the muscle gains with the four day a week program I have chosen and still be good to my body at the same time.

I only wish I had realized that sooner. I'm still a beast in the gym, just a much wiser beast than I was before.