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First Zinnia

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It’s Sunday.

And I’m still not feeling well. Friday night I felt feverish and I rarely get a fever. During that night I woke up shivering, and Don said my skin felt very warm. Yesterday, when I got up, I got a dizzy, clammy feeling and felt like I was going to pass out. (That’s something that has happened periodically to me over the years – it always has to do with sinus congestion.) So I took it easy all day yesterday – didn’t have a choice, really. Last night, I woke up bathed in sweat. Obviously, my body is trying to get rid of something – a virus? Anyway, I feel yucky yet again this morning.

I don’t like being sick.

Don had to mow the front lawn yesterday. We usually split that job and I like mowing. I couldn’t go to the CD release party last night. (Don brought me a cupcake.) I watched several episodes of Fixer Upper. I went to bed early.

Waaaah.

I managed to get outside yesterday to take a photo of the first zinnia to bloom here. They’re all planted from seed and are scattered around the property: in the Chicken Wire Fence Garden, the white barrels, and the kitchen garden.

Here it is yesterday:

first zinnia

And today:

first zinnia 2

It’s getting there. Hello first zinnia!

We watched Lawrence of Arabia the other night. That has to be one of the best films ever made. Simply stunning. Well, I should amend my previous statement. I watched half of it, then retired to bed with a fever. Don watched it all.

I miss Peter O’Toole.

Well, my friends, that’s about all I can come up with today.

Happy Sunday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Comments

  3. Well darn, it’s horrible not feeling well. Hope you recover soon, maybe it was from the stress of all the blog stuff going on. I plant my zinnias from seed too every year. So far no blooms but I think I got them in a little later this year.

    • Well, it is interesting that I got a fever at the very end of three day blog craziness. Probably is related.
      xo

  5. Feel better soon. I think I might try some zinnias next year. They would add a lot of color when other things aren’t ready to bloom.
    Eileen

  6. hope you get to feeling better soon. it’s nice to take it easy and catch up on tv & movies. i want to watch old movies now that you mentioned Peter O’Toole. fighting a summer cold myself and it ain’t pretty.
    love your zinnia. i planted some from seeds this year for the first time and have been thrilled with the blooms. especially since our grandgirl is named Zinnie.
    off to catch up on your blog posts.
    happy weekend and get well soon.

  7. Feel better soon! Perhaps the insomnia was a warning of the fever to follow. Maybe you can talk your sweetie into making a pot of homemade chicken noodle soup for you today. I’ m totally convinced there are healing powers in a bowl. Beautiful zinnias!

    • Well, can’t do that – I’m a vegetarian! But I do use a non-chicken noodle soup that I get in the health food store. I’m having some of that later today.

  8. Well, darn! Who wants to be sick on the weekend? (or any day, for that matter!) Hope you can fight this bug off quickly and return to enjoying your zinnias soon! Even if Anne (with an “e”) wasn’t too fond of zinnias, I enjoy them immensely! Feel better soon…xxoo, Martha

  9. There is something so unfair about being sick during the summer! Sinus problems, ugh. Be well.

  10. Sending ‘get well’ wishes Claudia – a whole bunch of zinnias to fill a vase soon hopefully – they will cheer you up.

    Being under the weather in Summertime is always miserable – so sorry!

    Hugs, Mary

  11. sorry you are feeling so bad.
    i just ran outside to check my zinnias…you won that race! if i get the front yard watered today maybe tomorrow i will have about three blooms. love planting seeds and bulbs… always a nice surprise when they grow and you forgot where you planted them!
    Dr. Don and Nurse Scout will make you all better!

  12. Hope you feel better soon. I hate being sick also. Zinnias are so pretty and happy! I am going top plant some next year for sure. I’m taking today to work around the house some! You just need to rest!
    hugs,
    Linda

  14. Love zinnias, too. Nice to see the progression of the blooming….you’re such a trooper to blog on while feeling so puny. Here’s hoping you’re feeling better in no time. Take care.

  15. You are sick and out taking pictures..I had this funny thought pop in my head..Some day in the far future..Claudia lying on her deathbed..she gets up..grabs her camera and says “I just have to take one more picture of my flowers..lol..I hope that gives you a little smile..I hate feeling sick..it’s like misery to me..I am such a wimp when I feel bad..You would never get me out the door to do anything..lol..Please rest..I know Don will take good care of you..Hugs..

  16. So sorry you are sick Claudia. When my allergies start acting up I often feel dizzy when I bend over. Hate it. I love Zinnia’s because my Granny grew such lovely ones when I was a child. When I see a Zinnia it always takes me back to a simpler time. Get well soon my friend.

    • I hate it, too, Janie. Allergies, sinus, some sort of infection….I’m not sure what it is, but I’m sick of sweating and feeling clammy and yucky!

  17. What a bummer being sick during the summer. I tend to get sinus headaches which in turn makes me dizzy and nauseous. YUCK !!!
    I plant zinnia seeds in two large pots on my deck. The zinnias attract hummingbirds, yellow finches and tiger swallowtail butterflies. I love how the colorfull blooms bring life to the deck in more ways than one.
    Hope you feel better soon,
    Vanessa

    • It’s a giant bummer. That it is.

      I love my zinnias. Can’t wait to see more of them bloom.

  18. It is bad to be sick in the winter, but illness in the summer is just about worst time to be any kind of sick. I hope you bounce back real soon,
    I Have been busy taking pictures while I am here. My BF has a wonderful garden, and bird feeders. Perfect for picture taking.

  19. Goodmorning Claudia,

    Those Sinus infections are miserable!! I hope that you will start feeling much better today…

    Debbi Saunders

  20. I love zinnias….think I need some zinnias…and daisies! I think it’s such a hardship to have a sinus/cold/virus in the summer, than in the winter. Hope you feel better soon…your garden is calling! ;)

    • I miss my garden. I went outside and walked around it for about 10 minutes. Then I had to come in and collapse in my blogging chair.

  21. So sorry you’re still feeling yucky, Claudia. It’s kind of a “Duh” statement but I hate being sick too. I live alone and usually don’t mind it one bit. But when sick, I THINK I feel worse than I really am due to isolation. Am always elated when I start feeling better. Now I find myself taking extra care to avoid cooties wherever possible – just to reduce the likelihood of a period of miserable sickness. PS – it’s OK for you to have a sick day from the blog occasionally, you know. Give yourself a break – or two or three even. And feel better ASAP! :>)

    • Thanks, Janet. I have a question. Which Rochester do you reside in? I was near Rochester, NY when I was in Chautauqua and thought of you. But then I realized that might not be where you live?

      • Yep, Rochester NY is right. There are a bunch of Rochesters in the US, for sure. 14 in all I think. We’re named after an American Revolutionary War veteran, Nathaniel Rochester, who bought land here near the river [Genesee] and started milling flour.

  22. So sorry you’re feeling so lousy Claudia! Hoping you turn the corner very soon and start feeling like your perky self.

    (Adore Lawrence of Arabia! I probably catch at least some part of it every time they air it.)

    Glad you’ve got the excellent medical team of Drs. Don and Scout to administer TLC. xo

    • Dr. Don just made me a great omelet. I excused him from duty for a while so that he can go hear one of his musician friends perform at a nearby street fair. Scout is on duty now. In the tunnel.

  23. I hate that you’re sick. And I know why: It’s all that damn snow you had to shovel and that miserable cold you suffered through last winter!
    I REALLY enjoyed “The Cupcakes” and Don is just such a talent!! Why, oh why, can’t I hear good music on the radio?!? Radio in America, except for NPR and very few exceptions, is a vast wasteland.
    Surely hope you fell better real soon!!
    jane-in-tx

    • All that snow, all that shoveling, the blog/hacker/crap, you name it.

      You’re right about the state of radio in America. It ain’t what it used to be, that’s for sure. You have to seek out independent local radio stations that play some diverse music. Not always easy to find!

  24. Sorry you’re not feeling well. I hate it when I get one of those nasty bugs, especially as I’ve gotten older. They seem to linger longer. Hope you’re on the mend soon. I also love Lawrence of Arabia. It’s a beautiful film!

  26. So sorry you’re not feeling well…on top of having tech problems. Hope you feel better soon!
    We are in the Berkshires now for my “birthday week”! Love it here so much. Wish I had a cottage. …

  28. Get well wishes from me! Thank God this was after you got home! It is not nice to feel sick, but worse when you are away from home and HAVE to work. I know nothing about growing zinnias, but put a small one in my garden this year. Did you plant seeds from a packet? / gather seeds from a plant last year? They are not perennials here in NYS are they? They are so beautiful.

    Re: deer issue eating daylilies. I had a bottle of spray last year that was anti-deer (coyote urine, or some-such thing), way too expensive! so this year I mixed up a potion of water with a bit of canola oil, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. It, of course, clogged up 2 different spray bottles so I finally strained it through a small piece of cloth. It took a long time, and I had to wash out the cloth multiple times, but I ended up with a mixture that goes through my spray bottle now. (Dear God! it would be nice to have enough money to do things the easy way.) I know that you do not want to use chemicals, but might this be an alternative?

    • I plant them from a packet. I have a natural spray that keeps deer away, but I left it too late this year because I was away. But it’s a really good recipe that I got from another blogger – same issue you had. It clogs the spray bottles! That’s a pain, isn’t it?

  29. Do you live near MEredith? I want to bring her a homemade meatloaf and potato dinner with dessert. She sounds so tired. Like a new mom always is. I live in Chicago..this makes it difficult!!
    LOVE your new book blog! Feel better !

    • No, I live in NY State and Mer lives in Florida. She’s tired but she’s happy.

      Thanks, Kathy!

  30. sorry to feel you aren’t feeling well. Please take good care of yourself. Glad Don isn’t away for this.
    Suezk

  33. I think zinnias are myfavorite flower to plant . I used toa t the every year with my daughter ands average seeds for the following year . One year the seeds were accidentally tossed and I haven’t ever planted any in a few years now. There was just something special about planting seeds from that very first package year after year from the time she was 2 To about 14 yeas old!
    I should plant some a Again . Zinnias make you smile.
    Drink lots of fluids my friend
    And do get well.
    Pat

  35. Claudia, Please don’t think I am an alarmist…but pay close attention to your health…you mentioned last week about being bitten by mosquitoes. They are carrying viruses. I do not want you sick. You have a big blog family, that cares about you. xoxo,Susie

  36. I wasn’t sick at all this past dreadful winter, but today I have the beginnings of a cold…. sore throat, cough, stuffy nose. Yuk! I guess it doesn’t matter the season, we can still get sick.

    I planted zinnia seeds this year for the first time in about 20+ years. I usually am too impatient for planting seeds and waiting for them to grow, but I did it, and mine have been blooming for about 3 weeks now. I planted some in a large old galvanized tub, and they are just beautiful and the colors are SO vivid!! They make me happy each time I go out to water. Plus, I forgot the rewarding feeling of planting from seed!

    I hope you feel better, kiddo. Take care!! (Hot tea in 87* weather seems wrong somehow, but it does feel good going down!!)

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