Did Dave Ramsey watch a lot of Dragnet?

Envelope budgeting, made famous by Dave Ramsey, makes a cameo in a 1968 episode of Dragnet. Hubs and I have been watching Dragnet and Emergency! episodes on RetroTV lately and I starting laughing when I saw the envelope scene between Friday and Gannon early in this episode.

My pretty, pretty garden

All of the little plants coming up in our veggie garden delight me. The blossoms on the tomato plants - those in the garden and the pair planted here, in front of the house, make me smile as I explain to the kids that the actual tomatoes will develop there. We even have a couple of itty-bitty green tomatoes on a couple of plants! I'm excited to eat food that I've grown myself, but also really eager to see if the gourd plants produce some gourds that I can use for birdhouses. And I really hope that some of the sunflower seeds I got for free grow up to produce flowers - the kids will enjoy them, and my grandmother was also thrilled when I told her I had planted them. Everything's small now, but there's so much promise!

What kind of prize do I get for this?

Latest tests show TWO kidney stones, one on each side. Among other issues. Yay.

I have not always taken very good care of my body. I need to work on that, pronto, before other red flags turn into serious issues.

Ever notice how an appliance starts breaking down and developing all kinds of problems soon after the warranty expires? I am that appliance. Sigh.

Waiting game...

My mysterious health problem persists, and my doctor has not figured out the cause of my pain, but, God bless her, she is doing tests and trying her best to rule things out, one at a time. My pain comes and goes - it's around more often than not, but I have had the occasional hour or two of blissful pain-free relaxation from time to time. I know my kids and my husband are eager to get this diagnosed and resolved, probably as eager as I am. It's taken a toll on me in so many ways. For many weeks now - over three months - I haven't felt like my usual self, and haven't felt like doing everything that I should be doing, with my family, the house, the dogs, my job...

Gardening!

The kids and I planted a few rows in the garden at my grandmother's house on Thursday afternoon. Pumpkins, gourds (the kind that make good bird houses), squash (yellow and zucchini), corn, watermelons, cantaloupe, purple hull beans, and sunflowers from seeds, plus small tomato and pepper plants. The kids had lots of fun and were very eager to help - hopefully that interest will continue throughout the summer. I can't wait to see some of the seeds sprouting and growing. It's raining this evening, so hopefully a little rain will kick-start the process. And I'm looking forward to spending fun time outside, with the kids, tending and picking from the garden - and visiting with my grandmother, who delights in visits from her great-grandchildren. Stay tuned for photos of the process, as the plants begin to grow and produce. For now, imagine a swath of tilled red clay. ;)

Itty bitty update

If the weather cooperates, I'll finally get some planting done tomorrow. My dad has offered to help me get the seeds in the ground, and hopefully the red clay that passes for soil here will be dry enough to use the tiller. It's been raining so much lately, without sufficient breaks for the ground to dry at all, that I've been waiting quite a while to get the seeds in the ground.

The mystery pain isn't resolved, isn't diagnosed, but does feel a bit better thanks to a change in medication. I have a new doctor - I really like her so far - and a plan of attack to eliminate possible causes until we find the right one.

To add more fun to the mix, I'm making serious efforts to potty train a certain stubborn, strong-willed three year old boy. He likes Spiderman underwear, but we may need to buy more pairs if he keeps going through them so quickly - hard to keep up with the laundry.

I get these calls sometimes.