{Our Oregold Roses and AARS Winner}

On April 12, our new yellow Oregold roses and AARS winners, were blooming! What a joy and they performed rather quick, considering that we bought them at Costco on February 16. They were in the ground just before we flew to Curaçao. It makes me very happy for being able to fill vases with ROSES!

Yellow Oregold roses and more yellow gold tones. Our Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold, golden live oak, makes a perfect back drop. 

Coffee will be served in Pieter's special 1960s cup & saucers from Potterie de Driehoek in Huizen, North Holland (NH) The Netherlands.

Of course, coffee with chocolates...

Pieter did snip off these white Kalanchoe blossoms from a plant that lived inside the greenhouse during winter. Fits perfect in my tiny Silver Roses bud vase!

Oregold is a perfect rose. One can tell why it was one of the AARS winners!

Okay, have to rush inside as the dark chocolate covered pomegranate seeds from Costco start melting...

They are one of my favorites and I allow myself 3, and that will certainly not spike up my blood sugar levels too much.

Do you enjoy fresh roses from your garden as much as I  do?

Tell me if you too find roses a romantic mood setter, combined with chocolates...

Related articles:
{Our New Roses from Costco} | previous post by me

{Usually we celebrate Dutch Queen's Day in Atlanta}

On April 30 is official Dutch Queen's Day and it will be celebrated not only in The Netherlands, as an official holiday, but also International. Just like to share some Dutch Queen's Day celebrations in Atlanta, with our guests from abroad. In 2008 we even were with 3 ladies from my hometown of Horst, The Netherlands. One visiting dear friend of mine and the other lady resides near Atlanta. If we go to Atlanta, it is still a 2½ hour drive (one way) so we stay at a hotel.

To the left is my dear friend Mariëlle from The Netherlands. I do MISS her and look forward to her next visit with us. To the right is Ellen, she resides near Atlanta and me in the center; all from the same hometown Horst. Small world! 

Of course, in honor of the House of Orange, we all did wear some orange!

For me an outfit from Escada with my white Chanel bag.

In 2009, husband Pieter's niece and Goddaughter Myriam visited us for his Birthday. 

Very happy Queen's Day for both of us.

Me with short hair in 2009...

Happy together; Myriam and Toine.

Marc Cain pants with Escada top and Chanel bag.

Have you been to a Dutch Queen's Day celebration somewhere in the USA?

{My Hand and Dupuytren's Contracture}

• While on vacation at the Hyatt Regency in Curaçao I did discover two lumps in my left palm... 
• Very strange and it did worry me of course. 
• After coming home I did check in with my internal medicine doctor and he put me on Mobic, against the inflammation as it felt hot too. But it didn't do anything. 
• Next was a visit to my specialist, the one who has been treating me since I got paralyzed ←(click it) almost completely from a rare auto immune disease, early January 2010. 
• They diagnosed me with Polymyalgia Rheumatica and treated it with Prednisone and I also have to take weekly the Atelvia for preventing bone loss (side affect from the Prednisone). 
• Got so happy for being completely off the Prednisone in November of last year. 
• But now I got a new dose of Steroids injected into one of the lumps. 
• It didn't go away though, it slightly hardened. My specialist suggested to monitor it as the x-rays didn't show him anything that would make him nervous. 
• But it started to bother me more and more and not knowing what it actually is, created a knot in my stomach. 
• So this Thursday I did go to see a hand surgeon at the Orthopedic Center in the next city. 
• Well, as it turned out there is NO cure for the condition that I have and it is called Dupuytren's Contracture. ←(click it) Named after French surgeon Guillaume Dupuytren (1777-1835) ←(click it) who discovered it.

• It seems to be rare for having those lumps in the palm of the hand, not directly under the little or ring finger. 
• Maybe I'm lucky?

• This is how it looks when those nodules are formed under the little and ring fingers.
• We do know one gentleman who has this problem in his right hand, exactly like on the photo to the left in this brochure that I received.
• Well, there is no cure and I don't need treatment as long as I can place my hand flat on a surface.
• Let's hope it will stay that way for a long time to come!

Former President Ronald Reagan is among 5 Famous People With Dupuytren's Contracture ←click it -
I also shared my Birthday with him!

• By checking the Internet on the Causes, ←(click it) I also learned that it may be associated with an autoimmune reaction, where a person's immune system attacks its own body tissues. 
• That happened in January 2010 when I ran a high fever and had a SED rate as high as it possibly could get, due to inflammation somewhere in my body. The Prednisone performed miracles for me.
• A body is a tricky machine!

• Risk factors... People from Northern European descent, they call it even the Viking Disease.
• Diabetes also seems to be a risk factor. I do did have Diabetes Mellitus, or Type 2 but keep it under control by diet. 

• Here they again list that it occurs more frequently in patients with diabetes mellitus←(click it).

• How it is diagnosed? ←(click it)
• Good to read that it may be painful in the beginning... so I might get rid of that after a while.
• I also have noticed that with rainy weather it will be felt more. 
• Not a real pain but some nagging feeling.
• Well, it is nothing to applaud about but I thought it might be helpful for sharing this with others.

As is evident, lots of people have read here...

♥♥

Let's enjoy the weekend as it will be my husband Pieter's Birthday on the 29th! 

Related link:

{Fighting the Water + Scanning Slides} | other post by me showing my hand

A quick fix for 'claw hand': New injection gives hope to millions of sufferers article in the Daily Mail.com

{My Hand with Dupuytren's Contracture - Update} | newer post by me