Traveling, Blueberries & Texas Sunshine

So you'd think that after moving just about once a year for the last couple years, I'd learn my lesson and just pick a spot to settle down. Yeah...about that.

It all started about 1.5 years ago when I decided I needed to start looking for a new job (preferably in the medical field or related to it)--one I could spend a career doing. More complex applications than I wanted to count later, I finally got a job offer late last year. Catch was that I had to relocate... Again. I thought about it, but decided to take the job anyway and haven't regretted it yet.

Minerva is helping me pack the Uhaul to move.

So this past month, I got a trailer hitch for my car and installed it with a large amount of help from one of my rescue squad coworkers (for whose help I'm incredibly grateful!). I packed as much of my things as I could fit in a 4'x 8' Uhaul trailer, hitched it up, stuffed my cat into her carrier, and headed down the road. I didn't have much room left for my potted garden.

Minerva all buckled in and ready to travel.

But I managed to find space for my patio blueberry bush and one shamrock. Minerva promptly started trimming the leaves off the shamrock (of course). 

This is Minerva getting to stretch her legs at a rest stop. She obviously was more interested in the outside world than the important business of the litter box.

We saw some truly gorgeous scenery along the way and met up with friends for dinner in Nashville one evening. 

View of the western Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. So pretty, right?

Minerva has to go live with my brother for awhile, since my new housemate is allergic. So we stopped at his place to drop her off and I finally arrived at my new place late that night. She seems to be getting along well with my brother. Her new discovery is the ceiling fan which she hasn't figured out how to swat... Yet.

I love her pose and the look on her face! "It's... It... It MOVES!!!!"

I managed to get in a few shifts at the rescue squad and fire company during the chaos of getting ready to move. 

I didn't get as many calls as I wanted, but that was probably a good thing. The only noteworthy one happened when I was riding backwards on the engine and it was a mess. It was dispatched as a motorcycle vs. car wreck. The first-arriving unit didn't know where they were, so everyone was driving around trying to find the location. We finally arrived to find that a motorcyclist had run into the center of the trunk of a stopped car, throwing the rider through the air to land about 20' in front of the stopped car. The rider managed to get up and make it to the shoulder of the road. Upon arrival, I went to take over patient care, since I was the first medic on scene. Two minutes later, two more medics materialized and assumed patient care without so much as asking who was in charge or what was going on. "Karma" has a way of exacting it's own revenge though. The usurping medics initially made the wrong transport decision, then omitted a key piece of information during their report to medical control and got a verbal (and public) put down over the airwaves from the doc. But "karma" wasn't done yet. Their unit broke down enroute to the trauma center. Yep.

So, Lesson #1-- Know where you are. Keep aware of your surroundings so you can accurately describe your location so help can get to you. It does no good whatsoever if you're screaming for a medic over the radio but the medic has no idea where to find you!

Lesson #2--Don't be rude! When you roll up to a situation (regardless of whether it's fire/EMS related), have the courtesy to find out who is in charge and what is going on. Professionalism is expected of you regardless of whether you're working in your chosen career field or volunteering. Don't act the way the second arriving medics did on my call. I was there, handling the situation just fine, and they brushed me aside without even asking me who I was or what I had. 

Since there's a distinct possibility one of the calls I ran that week involved an impaired driver, let me reiterate another lesson you should already know. **climbs on soapbox**

Lesson #3--Don't drive if you're impaired--exhausted or even mildly intoxicated, it doesn't matter. This past Monday was July 4th, and a lot of people like to kick back, have some fun and drink alcohol of some sort. Or are traveling long distances after a long busy day of celebration. If you're impaired, don't drive. If you're tired, pull over and take a nap--because it's not worth falling asleep at the wheel. Yeah... Which means that your friendly neighborhood medic has mixed feelings about your trip home or wherever you're headed. You could injure or kill an innocent person or yourself. Bad. You could also provide said medic with an exciting new story and opportunity to practice rare skills. I'll be shaking my head at your idiocy and probably your antics. Makes for fantastic stories. But I'd rather not have to scrape anyone off the pavement. So stay safe, take a nap if you need it, stay off the roads, and yeah, stay out of the Emergency Room. **climbs off soapbox and walks into the garden**

That lonely blueberry bush I dragged with me all the way from Virginia has done very well, all things considered. I got it at a nursery sale last year half dead. It survived the winter, and has about three times the amount of berries on it this year as it did last year. And it did all this with me neglecting it all year. I think if I'd pruned and fertilized it, it would have produced more. 

Considering how many miles this blueberry bush has traveled, it looks really good!

I think it has about 6-7 berries left on it because I've been picking them as they get ripe. They were good! 

Blueberry bushes can manage very well in containers on a patio--they do best in bigger containers. They like acidic (pH 4.5-5.5), well-draining soil, and they need lots of water and lots of sun. One article I read was saying that you should regularly monitor the pH of soil in the pot and give a little bit of acidic fertilizer as needed to maintain a low pH and happy plant. They should be heavily pruned each year. Letting the bush grow without pruning tends to result in it overproducing smaller berries. When I was researching how to care for my blueberry bush, most of the instructions I read said to be careful to not over fertilize and use an acidic fertilizer such as one for rhododendrons. 

As far as pruning goes, the consensus seems to be that you need to prune them in the winter or early spring when they first start to bud. First, take out any dead wood. Second, take out any light-colored, less healthy branches in the center all the way down at their base. Third, trim off branches with little to no fruit buds or long with few leaves or branches before the ends. The following article I found was particularly helpful:

http://www.fallcreeknursery.com/gardeners/gardeners_tips

While I'm excited about my new job and new state and all, it's kind of sad having to start from scratch on my garden again.  But, it means I can get creative, and work on quality rather than quantity. Speaking of which, I have a new planter to plan right about now.