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Friday 9 October 2015

A Cautionary Tale ........

Well with a title like that I should be writing a really "don't tear your eyes away from this!"
type of post right ? ... probably not so much that way in the drama department ... sorry.
I can only speak about what has happened to me and perhaps why ...
It may not affect you unless you also suffer from "like" circumstances as I do.

I'll jump right into the middle of things to keep it interesting ..
I just found out yesterday I have a rare bacteria causing a bit of an uproar with the most recent uti (urinary tract infection) I am suffering from.
Yup .. not so nice to talk about but hang on ... there is a connection to gardening.
There has only been one recorded case that my GP found .. it is an environmental bacteria ..
 Meaning just that, from the environment aka ground etc ....
That may be simplifying it too much but the connection seals the deal.
A couple of weeks ago when I did my big revision of part of the sun strip I was bare foot in my Dollar Store wanna be Croc garden shoes ... dirt didn't strike me as an issue because I clean my feet well, even before I get to the shower.
BUT  .... some how, some way, this "raoultella planticola" managed to get into my system.
My so called "system" is pretty beaten down from autoimmune conditions and Addison's Disease.
So that may also have been the party girl inviting this beast in for said party.

My point here ? ... I think a lot of my garden friends on here are Baby Boomers which is a nice club to be in .. I appreciate you all !
But .. I think a lot of us have health issues .. we don't connect a problem with them when we are in the garden because that is such a stress buster for us and we just literally dig in for the pleasure of it all.
I am now asking you all to consider wearing more protection and being just a little more careful for the sake of your health ... as much as you love your gardening (as I do too) take precautions and understand the possibility of picking up unwanted "guests" from the soil.
In other words Take Care of Yourselves !

I have now started a two week course of strong antibiotics and I am so hoping to kill this bug that has been making me so miserable.
I will be wearing my rubber boots, double gloving and wearing a dust mask to finish the Autumn chores ... plant those happy Spring bulbs and look forward to Spring coming.
I want you all to feel good too .. so please take care of yourselves !

Now for my last naughty purchases for the garden at this late date (not counting a few unusual bulbs for Spring to come as yet)
I found My Monet Sunset weigela

And ? ... a really gorgeous pagoda
Now how cool are they ... it has been a long time since I had a "garden RUSH" and those two did it for me along with a few ? Spring bulbs ... mixed crocus for Garden PA and Queen of the Night Tulip for both of us .. I first saw that amazing dark tulip when I was a girl on the east coast ..
A Dutch family brought them to Canada and talk about wow factor ... I fell hard but waited all this time to buy them myself finally ... I wonder why ? DUH !!! haha

Garden PA has been hard at work taking things apart for winter ... the pump came out of the water feature .. the battery operated fountain has been cleaned and taken apart ..
He has been a doll and bought soil and more mulch for me : )

Signs of Fall ... the Porcelain Berry vine is gorgeous and the birds are loving the "meal on a vine"

The walkway here looks "shaggy" and unkempt but will soon be whipped into shape !

 This picture is for Cindee because we both love owls .. but she gets to see the real deal on her property most years ... girl you are just too lucky ! LOL
It is time to dump pots so I wanted one last picture of these cuties

The last picture for this post is one of my favorites of late summer , early Fall ... I love the lighting because I don't often get late afternoon pictures and this was so pretty !

19 comments:

Pat said...

You're sick...this is not good. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
I'm so loving the owls and water pond(battery-that's new to me).
Your garden is a mess? Oh please...come visit me. ha
Wishing you all the best.

RobinL said...

What a strange thing to catch! My garden footwear consists of flip flops or rubber garden shoes and socks when it's chilly. You are a brave soul, dumping your summer pots while they still look so pretty. I can never stand to dump them until the frost knocks them out.

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

Oh no so sorry to hear that. )-: I am the worst for running around without shoes on in my yard. I will have to work on that. I hope you have a speedy recovery.

Buttons Thoughts said...

Oh Joy I sent one comment but I am not sure it went through. Oh that is so terrible getting sick while doing what you love, I am pretty sure none of us would think of that. I am so happy you shared this it is important. I do hope your antibiotics work and you will be back to normal soon. Take care my friend and rest and listen to your doctor. Your garden is beautiful. HUGS HUGS B

NanaDiana said...

Well, your gardens certainly LOOK beautiful but that is a terrible price to pay! I hope the antibiotic works and does its job. I had quite a round of three strong ones back to back. Did they tell you to take a probiotic? Eating yogurt is not enough if you are on a heavy duty antibiotic. You can end up with all kinds of "gut" issues. I took a prescribed on for about 3 months after I was off the meds. Good luck. Hang in there! xo Diana

Barry said...

Joy:
A very interesting and heads up post. I too am bare handed and bare footed in the garden for the most part, and yes, even a cut is an open receptacle for these nasty bacteria to 'come on in!' I also have a habit of touching a lot of my plants - I love examining the blue hooded flowers of Monkshood - which as we both know is slightly more than crazy toxic if ingested..... but who says it has to enter the system orally? Thanks for the heads up and here's hoping you can soon be rid of that nasty unwanted visitor! Take care dearheart!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello Patsi girl and thank you ! .. After seeing your tomato patch I am bowled over how organized and amazing it looked while growing and what a bounty of tomatoes!
Every time you have some you will think of summer and that is wonderful during winter : )

Robin girl I have to stick to a schedule even though some may look good .. I never know how I will feel so to keep things half way orderly and less of a problem come Spring, out they go!
I feel better knowing I have done as many chores as possible before the snow flies !

Thank you Cindee girl : )I couldn't resist a picture of the owls because every time I look at them I think of you and your real owls .. I so wish I could see them !

Buttons girl you are too sweet , thank you so much .. yes it was a bit of a shock and I so want to feel normal again so I stick to the plan and make myself get well one way or another! haha

Hello Diana girl .. with this antibiotic I can't have dairy at all .. I don't know about the probiotic though so I have to find out about that .. yes I know antibiotics can do some damage as well as good .. it is crappy we have to pay a price to get the good stuff done.
Thanks for letting me know about the probiotic girl ... I will look into it !

Hello sweetie ! and thank you ! .. yes I have done that too .. touched my plants many a time but garden gloves have always been a must for me .. I just didn't think of my feet and now that is another no go zone ? LOL
Do use more caution Barry .. this is a serious thing .. I didn't see coming .. to be able to shock your own doctor is kind of funny .. well you know what I mean .. I may be the only second case record ... but hey ... my soil is supplement so who knows where our soil is truly coming from when we top up all the time ?

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

Joy, I am wishing you a speedy recovery! So glad you have a fine PA to help out. :)
Your fall garden is looking lovely. It is certainly one of my favourite times with everything a little overdone, colourful, and a bit ragged. Your photo with the golden afternoon light captures it beautifully. And mum & baby pagoda are gorgeous!!
Take care, lovely lady!

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Lovely pictures Joy. I hate that you are feeling so poorly. One never knows what one will run into in the garden. Do take care. Big Hugs...

P.S. I love the shaggy look of your walkway. Doesn't look like it needs a bit of work to me. But you know how my garden looks. ;)

Casa Mariposa said...

I hope you're feeling better soon! I like your shaggy walkway. :o)

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello there Ms S girl ! Thank you so much : ) Yes I am very lucky to have a great PA, he loves the garden too and helps as much as he can (in between his fishing days, haha)
I really loved that golden afternoon light too .. and so happy to have found another pagoda I so like having in the garden ... thanks girl !

Thank you so much Lisa .. you never know what can turn up in compost or soil or even mulch that you have no idea about .. Actually I do like a bit of shaggy in my garden ... I just know what is out and about some spots that should be taken care of .. haha
Hey your garden is so pretty Lisa, I have full confidence in your comments about mine .. so thank you girl : )

Thanks very much Tammy ... we all have to be a bit careful because of the surprise elements we have no idea about ... today I donned my boots and dust mask !

RURAL said...

Joy, third time lucky here trying and trying to leave you a comment..but something keeps coming up...finally.

Wow, I'm shocked for you, that's horrible Joy, I hope that those 'biotics are starting to fight that nasty critter down. You know what they say, you can't keep a good gardener out of her garden..

Your garden is always evolving into a stunning showcase, it's gorgeous...and I am always wondering how on earth you are going to get more plants in there, but somehow you do.

Can't wait to see those tulips bloom in the spring.

Jen

Angie said...

I do hope those antibiotics take care of things for you. I am one of those gardeners that can't work with gloves on - I feel they really hinder me but since my baby grandson has come along - I take far more precaution when coming in from the garden. Well you never know just when he is in need of a cuddle from Grandma and I'd never forgive myself if I passed something from the garden onto him. Wise words you have shared with us Joy. Hoping for a speedy recover for you.
I too love the shaggy walkway - it's perfect in my eyes. The new Weigela is just as you promised in your comment on my blog. I hope you weekend has been a good one!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Jen girl ... I have meant to email (I am going to do that today I swear !) .. yes it is kind of shocking to be some sort of record holder in not such a good way .. yuck !
But at least it was identified and now my GP is not fooling around ..
Thank you so much for your kind comments on my garden girl ! I do change things up a lot to get different affects .. when I feel good I design in my head continually .. it can drive you a bit nuts ? haha .. fingers crossed I will have the affect I am looking for!

Angie girl hello there and thank you so much !.. we just don't know exactly what is in our soil especially as we top it up all the time with more soil and compost etc ... Yes .. taking pecautions especially with your little one is very wise indeed .. you can't miss out on a cuddle !
This is our Thanksgiving weekend so it is turkey time with all the trimmings : ) love it !
Then tomorrow I am trying for another garden mission .. the weather is perfect for it.
I so want it to look amazing next year : )

Nadezda said...

Hi, Joy!
I'm sorry you're ill. I hope the antibiotic treatment will help you to recover soon. What a strange bacteria...
Your garden is beautiful and I also liked your new header!

Sara - Villa Emilia said...

Lovely photos of beautiful plants!
I hope you are feeling much better by now. Remember to take cranberry in some form; it might help to prevent similar happenings in the future. Take care!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello Nadezda girl !...Thank you very much! Yes I have this knack for the "strange and unusual" to happen to me ? haha
I enjoyed your posts about rocks in the garden very much .. I have lots and always want more some how? You can never have too much of that element I think.

Thank you very much Sara .. yes I have to have a plan in place once this treatment is done.
I need to get strong and healthy over the winter to be a garden ninja next year ! LOL

Anonymous said...

omg, I'm so sorry to hear this Joy. I haven't been by in a while so I was hoping you had a great summer & were getting ready for Halloween!!!!!! I totally forget gardening can be "dangerous" to our health. Although I was reminded this summer when there was an outbreak of Tularemia(I think I spelled that right??) or Rabbit Fever in our state. The rabbits were out of control ~ bunnies everywhere because the fox population had been wiped out by mange. It's all so connected. One thing out of balance causes a domino effect. Anyway, a guy across the street from me got sick & it really made me worry. The health dept advised gloves when working in your garden/yard which is really hard for me to do. I can't be the only one who can't "feel" the plants thru gloves?? I hope you are feeling much better now. Your blog header photo is amazing.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello Kathleen girl : ) Thank you so much !
I just ready your post on the monarch and it was stunning !
I have heard other gardeners complain they can't feel the plants .. well I just try harder and seem to be able to .. I have to ... I can't take any chances so I do what I gotta'do ? haha
I have never heard of rabbit fever ... and YES !!! every thing is in such delicate balance that one cog out of the wheel truly affects the whole wheel .. that is so sad about the foxes .. a terrible way to die.
Lets hope next year mother nature can get a grip and get things a little more in balance.
Take care girl !