A Walk Thru My Garden

I LOVE spring!
And I love roses. They are my favorite flower.
My roses always look their best in the spring.
Then the heat of Savannah hits, and the blackspot starts, and before you know it, my beautiful roses are litterly just branches with shriveled up blooms on the ends. Not a leaf at all! :-(
So, while my roses are bloomimg pretty, I thought I'd share some pictures. They are not the best photos, just some quick snapshots while the blooms are still pretty.

My 15 Minutes Of Fame

Well.....more like 5 minutes. :-(

Sunday, my picture was in the local paper, and I didn't even know! We get the Sunday paper, and I looked at the whole thing, but I didn't see myself. Stupid paper carrier left it out of ours.

Then Monday I go to work, and the first thing I do is check my email. I have emails from co-workers saying "I saw you in the paper yesterday! Good for you"
What the....??
Then I have an email from a past patient of mine. She's going on and on about how good I looked in the ad, and how cool it was that they ran our pictures across from each other.
What the heck happened? I know nothing!

The hospital had a section in the paper all about our orthopedic unit! The picture shows me teaching one of our patients all about her total knee replacement. Some of you know that I have been teaching a pre-op class for our total joint patients. Those of you who didn't know, do now! LOL!

I knew the ad was going to be printed some day, we did the photo shoot a while back. I just forgot all about it, and nobody gave us the heads up.

So, here is the picture that appeared. I know the writing is tiny, so here is what it says:



What To Expect Before, During, and After Your Orthopedic Surgery

St. Joseph's/Candler performs hundreds of orthopedic surgeries a year, but yours is unique. Knowing what to expect can help you have a positive and successful outcome.

to reduce the risk of post surgical complications, and establish the safest and most optimal environment for healing possible, you will be pre-screened prior to surgery. This may occur in a separate pre-screening visit to St. Joesph's/Candler or on the day of surgery, depending on the nature of your procedure. Pre-screening involves a series of simple lab tests to check for blood abnormalities, urine abnormalities, diabetes and infection. In addition, a chest x-ray might be taken to check for pneumonia and an EKG might be performed to ensure your heart is working properly.

If you are one of the almost 900 patients a year who have joint replacement surgery at St. Joesph's/Candler, you will also attend a pre-operative education class during the visit. This class will give you all the tools necessary for a better understanding of your surgery and recovery, as well as tips on how to prepare your home for your return and other important things you need to know about the discharge process. This interactive class also allows you to view a sample implant and other equipment used for your care.

On the day of your surgery, the staff at St. Joseph's/Candler will see to it that your admission and surgery preparation go smoothly. Your surgery will be performed by one of the most highly trained orthopedic surgeons in the region, with the latest and most technologically advanced orthopedic care available anywhere in the Southeast. Finally, staff members will guide you through your post-surgery stage with the knowledge and confidence you need to achieve a full recovery.

More Charleston South Carolina Pics

I promised some more Charleston photos, and almost forgot all about it. So sorry!
You guys need to remind me when I make promises like this. :-)

So, here are some photos taken down along the waterfront. They call this The Battery. Don't you love the old homes?! I love the pastel colors. And the widow's walks, and light towers. Charleston is full of history and charm. If you haven't experienced her for yourself, you need to make a trip. Just don't come in July or August when the temperature is 100 degrees, and the humidity is 120% BLECK!!!



























Not much going on down here.
Yesterday was my mom's birthday. Mom is not "wired", but if she were, I'd wish her a Happy Birthday.

Tomorrow is both my sister Lee, and my mother-in-law Judy's birthdays.
Lee, I wish I were there to celebrate with you. But, we'll be together next month.
:-)
Best Birthday wishes to you! Have some cake for me! Love you!!

Buggs, our bunny is doing well. I think he's still little, but Judy says he's growing. I guess because I see him every day, I don't see how he's growing. I'll have to stick him in the Easter Basket, and see if he still fits. :-)

Work is good. I had lots of patients in class yesterday. That's a GREAT thing! Job security in this economy is always a good thing!
John is working hard. He's trying to decide what his next project will be. Lordy, where does he start? Bedroom paint job needs to be finished. Door frame leading to the bonus room needs to be completed. We want to remodel our bathroom. He plans on putting in a back deck with sunken Jacuzzi (that's the next project I want done!) He wants to erect some more fence behind my roses this year. The roses already have a lot of new growth, so that project will probably be put on hold for awhile. The house needs to be pressure washed, the front flower beds need sprinklers installed, he wants to put up a gazebo where the downed trees came from. Ect, Ect, Ect.
I think that will keep him busy for awhile. Don't you?! Sorry babe!

That's it for the exciting lives of the Swindells. Another weekend is upon us, and now to decide what to do with it! It will soon be Sunday, and it will be all over again! Isn't that the way the weekends go?

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Do something fun!

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone had a great day today. I love Easter, it's a time of rebirth, renewal, and hopefully the end of winter!

It was a quiet holiday at the Swindell residence. John's sister and her family came over for dinner. Naturally we all ate way too much food, and now I am miserable!

After dinner I got outside and played in my rose garden. I am determined that my garden is going to be amazing this year! I am going to baby these things like crazy. they do really well until the heat of summer hits us, then they look like crap until fall comes along! I need things to take pictures of, so they have got to be pretty this year!

Before I leave, here are some pictures of our little Easter Bunny. I think we've picked the name Bugs for the bunny. Or, his nickname is Bunn Bunn. After the bunny's photo shoot Jingles had to get in on the action too. I think he was looking for treats in those Easter eggs! LOL!

I hope everyone has a great week, and the weekend rolls back around quickly! :-)

Magnolia Plantation

Hello!

Yesterday was one of those picture perfect spring days in the south! Highs in the upper 70's with a light breeze, sunny blue skies, no humidity, and better yet, none of those nasty gnats biting your head, driving you out of your mind! Just a perfect day! Oh yea...already said that. Sorry!

So, I debated about how to spend the day. John and I considered going to Sea World, but there was so much around the house he wanted to do, we decided to stay at home. And I decided to get out, and also get out of his hair.

Judy joined me in a trip up to Charleston South Carolina to visit Magnolia Plantation and Gardens.

The flowers were so beautiful. We had some heavy storms run through our area Thursday, so the blooms got slammed pretty hard, but it was still quite pretty to look at, and also photograph.

For a little history of this place, it was founded in 1676(that's 100 years BEFORE the signing of the Declaration of Independence!) by the Drayton family, Magnolia Plantation has survived the centuries and witnessed the history of our nation unfold before it from the American Revolution through the Civil War and beyond. It is the oldest public tourist site in the Lowcountry of south Carolina, and the oldest public gardens in America, opening its doors to visitors in 1870 to view the thousands of beautiful flowers and plants in it's famous gardens.

We even saw a pair of alligators! Can you spot the gator in any of the photos?
After the gardens, we went to The Battery. That's the waterfront in Charleston with rows of gorgeous homes. I'll post those pictures later, giving everybody a chance to "walk" through the gardens.