This trade is done in volleys, so this is just the first group. I've got more to send off on the 10th and the last bunch will go out on the 12th. When it's all said and done, 47 packages will be going out for this trade. I don't expect to get that many in return (though it would be a pleasant surprise). This is a Secret Santa trade, so everyone posted a "wish list" and these were the people who had asked for something I have enough of to trade.
I got my package back from the other big group trade. I don't want to complain, because I do love trades and getting new seeds, and I anticipate lots of repeats due to the emense size of our collection. I must admit that I was a little diappointed when 32 of the 75 seed packets I sent came back in my own package... That's 30 of the 40 tomato seed packets, and two of my trade packets. But it's not all bad... I had five one-on-one trades in that package too and I got all kinds of fun new seeds... cucumbers and eggplants, beans and squash, and some new flowers too! And hey, even if I got repeats of vareties I already have (which is to be expected with a collection like ours), I can use the extra seeds for future swaps!
Yesterday I got another package from a company I ordered seeds from a while ago. That added some more squash, carrots, mint, lettuce, and mustard to the seed collection. I'm still waiting on a bunch of seeds I ordered from eBay that are coming in from China. Yes, I know, it's always a gamble with seeds from overseas, but they're cheap and I love growing my collection.
I have updated the Seed Stash page accordingly, as well as the Seed Wish List.
I had my big triple-doctor appointment on Tuesday. To sum it all up as briefly as I can, the physical therapist said it wasn't a pelvic floor problem and that she couldn't help me any farther. The ultrassound lady said everything looked normal, but that the scan would be read the following day and then be presented to the referring doctor, and they'd call me. The new primary care doctor seems to think it's a hernia, despite the fact that she was unable to find any anomolies to my muscle, and there is no hernia visible on the CT scan from Halloween. I am currently awaiting the call back with the official results of the ultrasound to see where we might go from here. Exploratory surgery to look for a hernia doesn't sound very appealing, especially when I am still fairly certain this is intermittent ovarian torsion. The bills are already piling up. Before the Tuesday appointments we're already nearing $3,000 in medical bills. Even though insurance pays for some, this is getting stressful. We'll easily be over $3,000 after the Tuesday appointment bills are added in, and we still have no definitive answers, which means no options for a solution.
If nothing else, I have been feeling better and the worst my pain has gotten lately is about a 5-6 (out of 10), which is a great improvement! The problem is, to maintain that low-pain level, I also have to confine myself to bed, which doesn't help me at all with being a mom! I need to do dishes, and laundry, and I am dying to cook a meal instead of being at the mercy of what the kids come up with. No complaints on the white chicken chili from the can, but one can only eat so many tortilla sandwiches with melted cheese and bacon crumbles.
I'm down a couple more pounds. Though this sounds like a good thing, my doctors warn me that it isn't. Well, I'm not eating nearly as much as I used to. One can of white chicken chili is too much for me. I eat about 3/4 of it and then give the rest to one of the kids. A cup of my chai tea fills me up for hours. When I'm hurting, I feel sick, so if I'm in pain, I don't eat. Add in that more and more processed foods are simply becoming completely unappealing to me as I try to eat healthier, and it leaves me with few snack options. If I'm largely bed-bound, I can't have anything that requires being in the refrigerator or freezer, and nothing that leaves behind a core or pit or messy garbage. If I were hungry or starving or lacking in the ability to have access to food, that would be another thing entirely. I'm simply not interested in eating as much, and my stomach capacity has shrunk to a more manageable size as a result. Now if only I could get more active to start building more muscles!
Next time I have a "good day" and can get up and be active for a little while, I'm hoping to get my first winter sowing containers prepped, planted, and outside. I want to start some fruit trees, and I know apples require cold stratification before they'll germinate. The earlier I get them in, the longer they can stratify, and (hopefully) the better my chance at successfully germinating them.