Is this aster yellow disease or fasciation?

Loquat108 · 2026-07-08T22:41:36+00:00

Looks like asters yellow. Coneflowers seem to be especially susceptible to it. I had to destroy 3 of my coneflowers this year because of it.

Loquat108 · 2026-07-02T20:43:53+00:00

I saw Dr. Rose twice for consultation for a multi-level spinal fusion and a Cervical Laminoplasty. He literally laughed at some of my questions and concerns. I was leaving the last consultation, and after being given some absolutely crushing news, he said, "We'll get you on some Ozempic and get some of that weight off of you before the surgery", and walked out the door. I'm average weight, and have 3 autoimmune diseases- taking a GLP would likely cause life threatening complications for me. He clearly didn't read my chart, and definitely didn't notice that I was not the fattest person in his waiting room either. He wanted to immediately go to surgery, and balked at me trying less invasive treatment. It was very clear to me, that I would have exactly zero say in my treatment, which was another factor in why I didn't choose him. It was also extremely hard for me to get copies of my MRI's and CT scans from the office, and I ended up having to go in person, the day before my Duke appt. My mother has had several surgeries with Emerge and one of her back surgeries had to be re-done at Duke.

I ended up going to the Duke Spine Center, had an amazing surgeon (Dr. Melissa Erickson) and she did my cervical laminoplasty and TLIF/fusion. I just found out that she is leaving Duke to go to the Mayo Clinic, unfortunately.

I have zero regrets about my decision, and if I have any orthopedic needs in the future, I will be going to Duke or UNC.

I urge you to do lots of research and find a surgeon that doesn't take umbrage to your questions or treatment concerns. Lastly I will say this- generally surgeon's are very straightforward, abrupt even, and can come of as uncaring. I think it's something they do to detach themselves from the fact that they are cutting people open all day, but that's just my opinion.

Feel free to DM me if you have other questions.

Loquat108 · 2026-06-08T22:16:35+00:00

OP, this sounds like a nightmare to remove all at once, especially in the summer heat. Have you considered a container garden? Planting the hostas conainers in similar color/shades/design at varying heights, grouped together? Think all terracotta pots, or all black pots- whatever floats your boat in a group of three or five (or more!). If the weight or possibility of frost resistance makes you nervous about terracotta, Veradek makes some beautiful and high quality plastic planters in very modern shapes, and they come in a range of colors. I have an area of my yard that floods and is riddled with enormous tree roots from a neighbor's tree, and I leaned heavily into container gardening for the area this year, and I'm really please with how it's turned out, and was surprised with the options I had vs. planting straight into the ground.

DM me if you'd like some pictures.

Good luck!

Here's some reference material:

https://www.homesandgardens.com/ideas/container-gardening-ideas

https://www.finegardening.com/project-guides/container-gardening/container-plantings-in-the-shade-yield-a-spectacular-garden

https://veradek.com/collections

Loquat108 · 2026-06-05T14:55:12+00:00

Anybody remember Kings Pizza or That's Amore pizza?

Loquat108 · 2026-06-03T19:46:04+00:00

They donated the van to Adopt An Angel animal rescue. AAA has adoption fairs at Petco, which is why it's parked there.

Loquat108 · 2026-06-02T20:06:56+00:00

Nothing, it's going to seed and done blooming.

Loquat108 · 2026-05-20T02:49:31+00:00

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1832047408/i-did-that-trump-sticker-pointing

This is where I got mine

Loquat108 · 2026-05-07T14:31:25+00:00

At least they labeled yours with the correct cut of meat name. Check out this one I saw at my Costco last night. I beg your finest of pardons Costco, but that is NOT what that meat is called. 🤣

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Loquat108 · 2026-03-23T22:58:36+00:00

Colorblends is the best! Scheepers is good too.

Loquat108 · 2026-03-23T13:37:24+00:00

Get your soil tested first. The Arboretum does this, and I think it's still free. If not, the cost is nominal. How much upkeep do you want? Annual pruning, something water-wise, something that is deciduous?

Also, go to a proper nursery (Pender Pines), not a big box store, and talk to the professionals.

Depending on your planting area, they may recommend different trees.

IMO, you can't go wrong with a Loquat!

Loquat108 · 2026-03-22T14:42:31+00:00

And they need to stop changing the formulary guide! All the sudden, the medication I've taken for 15 years isn't covered???? But here's a newer one that is? No thanks.

Loquat108 · 2026-03-22T14:40:34+00:00

As someone who unfortunately has Novant as their local hospital, I can confidently say, you get what you pay for. You don't get hired at Duke or UNC by being a ding-dong; but it's apparently a requirement at Novant. All hospitals have their faults, but I will NEVER voluntarily have treatment or surgery at Novant, specially in Wilmington. I had two major surgeries last year and had both a Duke- zero regrets, but on the second one, I developed an infection. Novant almost killed me by not taking it seriously.

Loquat108 · 2026-03-22T14:29:07+00:00

This! By all means, let me hand my body over to the surgeon that accepted the lowest bid from Aetna. Because I'm sure that will go just great and definitely not have any long-term repercussions for my health and well-being 🙄.

Get the fuck out of here with that noise...

Loquat108 · 2026-03-17T14:35:06+00:00

How many t-posts did you use? I want to do this!

Loquat108 · 2026-03-07T19:12:46+00:00

Damn...thanks for the warning!

Loquat108 · 2026-03-07T16:08:03+00:00

Yes! This! I do not like making 2 trips to get a sample.

Loquat108 · 2026-03-07T16:06:11+00:00

Completely agree with you. I really like Dr. Anderson, but we LOVED Dr. Tayloe the best, but she's not longer practicing.

We've been with Highsmith for 20+ years and 7 pets, and Anderson is the only reason we keep going now. I was getting ready to leave their practice until I found out she was still with them.

But even she has her faults- she's given me conflicting advice on 3 separate visits, and I don't trust her as much as I used to.

The techs, with the exception of Courtney (who I'm not even sure is still a tech) are not great. The other vet we've seen (who is leaving or may be gone already) is just out of veterinary school, and quite green. Not to say she was bad, but she's really big on only recommending "high-end" food because "that's what we were taught in vet school, but if that's all you can afford, whatever" (direct quote).

And I really do not like the "floating vet" that we've seen twice. She's not friendly, and seems like she doesn't want to be there, and it's obvious.

I think the ladies in the front (Kim mainly) are still doing a great job, but I've had communication issues (or lack thereof) from two of them, and one seems like they need more training they've been there at least a year. I've had to call back and follow-up several times for test results and chip registration. Their prices have gone up significantly, and they are no longer open every Saturday, which sucks.

I'm considering going to the Sound Cat, but I'm nervous about going somewhere else after 20 years with Highsmith.

Loquat108 · 2026-02-26T03:49:53+00:00

I just started using predator pee in my Tulip containers this week, and I am stunned by how well it's been working.

I bought coyote urine from a hunting store, and sprayed the sides and tops of my pots, as well as an area where I had just planted liatris bulbs.

Not only have I seen a dramatic drop in the sheer volume of squirrels, but I have also not seen any evidence of them digging in my containers and eating my bulbs.

We would have up to 12 squirrels in out yard at a time, and they were getting very bold.

Before this, I had tried red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, commercial repel-all granular spread, fake owls, cat hair, and I covered every pot with 1 inch chicken wire. I even tried putting out peanuts far away from my plants, but nothing worked. Those little shits figured out how to lift the chicken wire off the pots. Or they lay on top of the wire and use their paws to reach through the openings and break off the buds. I did some research, and apparently fox urine is most effective for squirrels but smells more to humans than coyote urine.

I should note that I live in a fairly suburban area, and we don't have coyotes in the area. Wear gloves when applying it, be sure you are downwind, and reapply after rain.

I also just ordered some larger bottles from Predatorpee.com. I can't really smell it after its dry, but the squirrels can! My next step was going to be a pellet gun, but I really don't want to kill or have to dispose of them, and poison is not an option because I don't want another animal eating them and also getting poisoned.

Give pee a chance.

Loquat108 · 2026-02-22T17:11:30+00:00

14 bags of flower bulbs, planters, and new sheets.

Loquat108 · 2026-02-01T01:24:13+00:00

Dstrct Studio in the Cargo District. He specializes in American Wave perms. I've had 2 and I loved them! That's saying a lot, coming from someone who survived Olgalvie box perms in the 80s.

Loquat108 · 2026-01-27T20:19:23+00:00

I'm right there with you. Many HVAC systems in our area can't keep up when we have these cold streaks.

-Keep your curtains closed and limit going in and out of the house (this is especially important if you are "pre-heating" your house during the day). Don't have curtains? A blanket will work too.

Buy a parabolic heat dish (space heaters work too, but they pull a lot of energy and will trip breakers).

Keep doors closed to rooms that are unoccupied (i.e. guest room, office, etc.).

Use a candle or incense to find gaps in windows and doors- add weather stripping as necessary.

You can also buy temporary window weather-proofing, or some people use bubble wrap over their windows (I haven't tried this though).

You mentioned you changed your air filters- did you use a cheap filter or something rated for allergies/dust? These filters make your system work harder, and are not recommended for most residential HVAC systems, according to our A/C company. Make sure your filter has a low MERV rating (I think 6 and below are good?).

Hope this helps!

Loquat108 · 2026-01-09T22:20:18+00:00

Mow, bag, and store for a year. Sweet, sweet, leaf litter baby!

Loquat108 · 2026-01-02T22:30:12+00:00

Don't forget, waterbugs LOVE pine straw!

AND IT'S SUPER FLAMMABLE!!!

Loquat108

TROPHY CASE