We have a great prize offered from HIDHUT this month.
The winner will receive a Propagation tray with plugs and Humidity Dome,along with a 65 watt 6500K CFL Veg Bulb(the base is the same as a regular light bulb)

Now for the contest:
This month we would like to know:
1) Why you started growing your own
2)What strain you are growing
3)And how is this strain working for you

We want Members to Vote on their favorite story by a show of THANKS to the entry of their choice.
The entry with the most thanks on it wins.

GOOD LUCK
and
MAY THE BEST STORY WIN

do i enter it in here? this prize would save my crop this year lol

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they call me ishmael, and mobys music sucks. smile if you get it.

I'm Sure That Will Be Fine, They Are Working On A Poll For Voting, & I'm Sure All The Stories Will Be Moved To There.

So Get It Rolling!!EH!!

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ok so here goes my story.

ive been smoking the herb since i was 14. not that long ago but long for me. i started because a freind of mine said it could help get rid of my headaches and also to get to sleep. Well he was right it did help with that, and so much more, it made me more social, took care of my depression symptoms, and two years later helped me kick my addiction to opiates and heroin. so thats my story of how i started. well i didnt have a job and i was tired of paying up to ten dollars a gram for dirt weed. my grandfather taught me how to grow my own food so i figured why not grow my own soul food? so i planted a seed in the dirt and there bloomed a beautiful 5 ft tall plant that i got close to 2 ounces off of. thats how it started.

the strain im growing is a blend of purps some local grown hippie brand that i have dubbed dragons blood due to the bright red of the fan leaf stems. im also growing a bag seed ive dubbed snickelfritz due to the serious case of laughing fits it gave us.

dragons blood is in its 3rd year of production, it produces a pleasant uplifting feeling, while giving you a mild case of couchlock. not too powerful not too weak. just right.

crossing my fingers ftw.
and thanks to everyone who votes me.

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they call me ishmael, and mobys music sucks. smile if you get it.

Great Story, Thank's For Entering & Sharing.

Why I started growing, What strain did I use and how is that strain working for you..

Well my story with smoking all started when I was a very young teen and have loved it ever since.

I remember clearly the first time I started growing, I think I could recall each time I grew. My first was almost 25-30 years ago. My seeds were of no special strain, they just came from some friends that had their garden inside of their home. It was in Florida that I lived back then. I was married with four children. We bought some land that was an old orange grove, way in the country surrounded by cow fields. The perfect place to be. I at the time had my veggie gardens, so what I did was I grew my special plants around the already veggie garden under the orange trees. I had no idea what I was doing, only knew of the few things my friend had told me. I already knew what cow compost would do for a veggie garden and I was also told that worm dirt would be good. So with this little bit of information I went on with my desire to see what I could do with these seeds. I didn’t even germinate, I just stuck them in the sand and cow compost mix..

As time whet by I built a fence around my little seedlings. They began to grow much quicker then I had imagined them to. It was beautiful but how was I going to hide the fast growing darlings from the helicopters and the neighbors across the road. I was so young and nieve that honestly it didn’t worry me too much at the time. What I did come up with was, I put up poles at each corner of the garden, put a cloth tarp up above my special plants with the thought that this would hide from above and also I was afraid of too much hot Florida sun burning them up. Thinking back I have to laugh at my way of protecting my crop. I had more plants growing then I should of, I know the neighbors must of known what I was up to, it was crazy what and how I did my first crop. Of course the kids wanted to know about what I was growing, they knew the tomatoes and the cucumbers and so on, but how was I going to explain the pot plants,, Because the boys were so young I knew they would believe what ever I would come up with. I didn’t tell them what my plants were but what I did do is direct their attention to other things by saying to them, Well boys lets have a special garden for yourself. I let them plant corn around my special garden with the thought that it would satisfy their sweet little minds and I also thought , gee maybe the corn will help hide my crop. Lol My mind just kept creating these things to do, remember I was young and an inexperienced newbie.

All went well with my ideas, My kids were happy with their corn, I protected my crop from the sun and up above copters with the blanket that I would put over them each afternoon. And the kids corn mixed right in with it all while protecting my plants from the neighbors. UNTIL omg, the special plants that I so protecting was growing out of hand, They grew way past the corn and was getting to tall to cover with the blankets. What was I going to do. So I came up with the idea of tying them down a bit. Yup learned that one on my own. So with that I was able to continue with the blankets covering them and no one found out what I was doing. At least I don’t think they did.

Just before what I thought was time to pull them up I untied one of the plants so’s to take a picture of my husband standing next to it. I don’t have the picture now but I can still see it clearly in my mind, My special plants were so tall that we had to get a chair to stand on and they still went up over our heads.. It was great and it was beautiful.. I not knowing what I was doing, I pulled them up way too soon. I hung them from the roots in my shed to dry. Because I pulled them to soon the strain wasn’t that good of course. But the memories of my first garden is priceless.. To this day the kids will laugh and talk about how mom gave them their own little corn garden to satisfy them and to shield my own little crop…..

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Thanks for sharing that Deb, my first grows used corn as camouflage also, those were the good ole days.

The reason I started growing pot is it is the only thing that has given me any real relief in my entire lifetime from all kinds of pain and suffering, and I had NO money to buy stuff with, but I guess the intention was to deal mainly with symptoms relating to Fibromyalgia, which I believe I have had all my life. I do not remember a time when I wasn't always hurting and depressed.

Until, a few years ago when my 30 year old daughter talked me into smoking some weed. I hadn't smoked since I got pregnant with her 31 years earlier. Wanted to be a good mother first for her, than her brother and sister and then for my grandchildren, so NO DRUGS for me!

She sent me home from a visit with a little bag and told me to go to a "smoke shop" and buy a pipe, so I did. Having smoked back in the 70s, yeah I'm a "Flower Child" or whatever I was kinda familiar but it had been a really long time and it I was afraid because it was a bad drug an all...

So, I brought it home, got the pipe and put it in my pipe and smoked it and that is all she wrote! lol NO WAIT!

SHIT! My heart was pumping and racing and I though OMGSS this was LACED with something! I called her all anxious and said, "what was in this stuff?" So, anyway, she convinced me it was fine, and then I hung up the phone and relaxed...

For the first time since I could remember, I laid my head down to rest and felt NO PAIN!

I got myself up in the morning by looking forward to getting high and i still do! It is my friend and salvation peace. That's when my research began. I asked the internet to prove me wrong. Show me that this is unsafe or dangerous. Show me the evidence that I should not do this.

It couldn't.

My Fibro symptoms have been preventing me from working as a librarian for several years by this time and I have a very small pention that doesn't ever cov
So, I discover that there is a guy down the street that has a dispensary in Hollywood and can get meds for me and I can get a doctor's note and be legal to "buy" meds from him. I was right on his way home from work and I would call him and have my last $80 in my tight little fist and he would say he'll bring it by on the way home from work. from 10pm till 12 midnight and I go to bed at 8pm! So, I would literally wait up several nights in a row while this "caring dispensary?" would "forget" to show up, until I would have to resort to going down the hill going through a "friend" and getting crap, smoking it with in a few days and begging family and friends the rest of the month...

So, I save some seeds and put them in little pots and set them in the sunlight of my north window and watered them and sang and prayed to them...

I told the universe I wanted to grow and help other sick people, so I checked to see what the laws were and how to go about doing it. Imagine my surprise when all my answers were a BIG FAT YES!

So, the next spring I planted a whole bunch of seeds of all kinds in little styrofoam cups and a bag of potting soil I found in the garage and started posting my little gorw at rip.

"Till the one day when the lady me this fella" ...

This guy pm'd me and said that "he thought we could help each other out". I was alarmed and asked my kid, "what's that mean"? She said, "Mom, I think he wants to "franchise". I'm all, "well, I don't think I want to do that" The whole thing just sounded scary!

But who knew, when you are LEGAL all kinds of wonderful things can happen! So, I researched some more. UEA! #215 AND #420! So, armed with, "No, I am NOT breaking the law... I am NOT breaking the law.. No, really, it's NOT illegal running through my head I went ahead and met this young man at the little coffee shop around the corner and sat at a little table and afterwards I had this wonderful NEW experience call having ENOUGH meds! The "Sweet God" he brought us helped releive the suffering of several folks up here as well.

I decided after a couple of trips to the coffee shop, I trusted him enough to come to the house. It might be good to have him look at my plants... So, he shows up with bags of stuff for the soil, drives directly around to the back, dumps out the bags and starts digging holes! I had mentioned that they needed to go into the ground and... And that's how most of them got planted outside. Patients started chipping in with plants and seeds (Satori, White Satin, and "kush" plant and some "kush" seeds), and labor and time...

So, it turns out that every time this guy makes the 3 hours tour to bring us some meds he comes with a trunk full of stuff for the garden and drives straight to the back and digs in.. Well, isn't that just the sweetest thing... hmmmm?

Good thing too, because I stuck my foot into my shoe that had been sitting outside all night to go out and work in the garden and when I came back inside I felt something wriggleing inside my shoe. A BROWN RECLUSE had been trapped in there the whole time ning his venom into my foot the whole time. They produce a anesthetic that causes you NOT to feel the sting! The whole right side of my body went numb and tingly and itchy and burning. The docs said I was fine. After an incredible battle of saving my foot and tremendous pain, DURING and THROUGHOUT harvest, And now, it is so painful to walk... BUT, whatev

The "Sweet God" served us well and is still one of our favorites. I and most of my patients like the "Bubblelicious" the best for both our pain and fatigue and depression. It is our "happy strain" that really helps us feel GOOD! To tell you the truth, the bud he's been bringing is kicking mine and everyone elses you know what. The roadkill and the magnum and the chunky cheese are all VERY well liked by our patients!

Now that I am familiar with the different effects of the different strains, I actually mix up "coctails" depending on my pain and mood that treat my symptoms most effectively for THAT day. I'm a little spoiled, but I'll take it!

I've gone through exploitation, had to ward off creeps and criminals and live through a jealous petty "we-tip" call event that involved 3 big armed county sherriffs in my house and yard countin and taking notes and going through my paperwork and walking though the house! They had guns and I knew I was going to die. But, the biggest one bends down to me where I was sitting in the middle of the floor begging them not to hurt me and pleading that I am not a criminal and says to me, "Mam, its OK you can do this, here is my number, if you have any trouble or need anything, just call me, OK? So I said, "Well, could you guys drive by at night and check and make sure were alright?" AND he said, "Sure, we will do that for you"!

So, I carry on.

I don't know what else to say except that I get up every morning and do everything that I can. Some days it's not very much, some days its nothing at all, but some days its amazing!

I hope the individual that "wins" this contest receives many wonderful blessings from the equipment and attention.

All my love

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Dictionary definitions:

Faith
–noun 1. belief that is not based on proof
Belief
-noun 1. confidence in the truth or facts

My name is Tish, and I live in the mid-south... where there is NO available help for people in need of medical grade marijuana, and the options for acquiring any decent marijuana are very slim. I was raised in a kind, open minded, and peace loving environment, where marijuana was always present for family unity, quality of life, and spiritual purposes. My father was busted for a large marijuana crop when was I was younger, a Reagan POW until a few years ago. This had a terrible effect on my family, and being so young and naive, gave me a lasting wrong impression on marijuana. He was a long-time hippie-believer in the positive effects of marijuana, and had always stated it could be improved to really help those in need. “Have some faith Tisha” he would say, “the universe takes care of its children”... “Hogwash!” I said, “it was an easy way out to easy money at OUR expense!”. The convictions of a pre-teen know-it-all….. Until now.

Several years ago I was diagnosed with SLE (systemic lupus). This has been a struggle for me, but I have managed with very little medical treatment, relying mostly on homeopathic care. The medications they use to treat SLE are awful, only treating certain symptoms, not the disease, and inevitably causing the need for more medication to treat the side effects that those medications cause. *sigh* My husband has been a great rock for me, always offering care that not all men may extend… and always greeting my needs with a smile and understanding. It will all be ok…. I can do this as long as he is by my side… Right……?

And then came August of 2007. We had just moved to Texas, as my husband was getting ready to start a new job that we were both excited about. We had a brief window of “time” before he started work, and after taking our own beach trollop, he decides to take a fishing trip to SanFran with “the guys”. I waved him off about mid-day, wishing him good fortune and lecturing him about not driving strait through. He was so happy, life seemed to be finally coming together for us…

8:00am the next morning I get “the call”.

Imagine heading out on a once a year road trip with "the guys" to see SanFran for the first time. Excited about the cultural options (and maybe even some bay fishing), you are laughing and joking while each of you take your turn driving throughout the night. It is dawn, and after finishing your 8 hours of driving you stop for some breakfast, gas, and to take a few beautiful desert pics on I-10 in Arizona. Everyone gets back in the car, your driving duties are done, and you go to sleep in the back seat... to then awaken in the hospital in Tuscan. Not knowing where you are or what has happened, you are hurriedly being told you are being whisked into surgery from the accident you don't remember being in. “Surgery! For what? Can I call my wife?” You are missing your right hand and part of your forearm (but they won’t let you see it before the amputation), your ribs are broken, one of your lungs is punctured, you have a hemorraging brain injury (that they want to operate on) and road rash from the very top of your head to the bottoms of your feet. “Tisha, baby, they are going to take my hand! They want to cut my head open Tisha, where are you? Please don’t let them cut into my head! I’ve never been so scared, and they won’t give me any water. What happened to me?” Speaking via my cell phone at the airport, “I am already on my way my love! You are the strongest man I know; you are going to be ok!!” After surgery and a quick 72 hour stay in the trauma ward, you are "kicked out" for lack of insurance, and told to resume care at home (more than 1000 miles away). This is the very thing that happened to my husband.

Though I have tried, I know that I can't really imagine what he must feel. This has been the hardest thing either of us has ever dealt with, and for the most part, have had no help in doing so. Garrett now suffers from PTSD as well, due to the fact he was sleeping when the event occurred, which is coupled with the minor traumatic brain injury, both aggravating each other. He is in constant pain. Phantom pains in his arm, where he feels he has electricity running through it or says he feels as if his hand is still there and constantly opening and closing. Constant headaches. Pain in his back, his side, and legs. Terrible trouble sleeping and reoccurring night terrors when he does sleep. Depression. Anxiety. Yet... somehow... he goes on each day, and tries to hold onto the hope of one day things getting better. I am humbled by his perseverance in the darkest of hours, and the absolute love of life that he so terribly wants to be able to act on once again.

After the first year, having no insurance, we had used all of our savings and extended ourselves financially to try to get him the minimum medical care needed. We were exasperated from being denied all help from Medicaid, Social Security Disability, and government programs. To our dismay, we had to make the difficult choice to move away from our home and closer to his family for help. Since that point, the only medical treatment my husband has gotten has been for his blood pressure. No prosthetic. No therapy. No pain management. No neurologist. Due to our financial devastation resulting from the thousands of dollars spent medically, we had to make due.

Thankfully, one of my family friends got back in touch with me by chance. They told me they were growing medical-grade hydro, a strain called Dr. Atomic, and offered to sell to us at a low cost. I dunno, but really, what could it hurt for Garrett to get high and forget about things for a while…. Right? This was a godsend! Amazingly, his panic attacks almost completely ceased. He could sleep again. His headaches diminished. His pain was MUCH more manageable, especially the phantom pains, which were a constant reminder that he no longer had a hand. In some miraculous way, within having this relief, he made leaps and bound with accepting what had happened to him and "going on". I finally felt as if I could leave him home alone on a daily basis to work again. For the five months we had this option, life was just better. Both our attitudes and ability to maintain hope was greatly improved, even under our current circumstances. I participated with him, and found that not only did it relieve my stress and depression, but it also helped the intense joint pain I have suffered under for so long! Wow! My stupid conclusions as a child couldn’t have been more inaccurate.

Well... then came the DEA. Off went our friend, and with him all options we had for what I consider to be our medicine.

I so wish we had the means to move to a medical-marijuana friendly state, and be able to sustain ourselves, but at the moment we don't. I am keeping the hope that soon that will change, but right now life is kind of difficult again. It is astounding the impact that the lack of marijuana has on our everyday life.

Regardless, I no longer need to rely on the “faith” my father suggested… I am a believer. So much so that I am a willing to risk a personal medicinal garden until we can move…. And hopefully grow into helping others!

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Live well, Love much, and Laugh often...

From your keyboard to God's ears, honey.

You are home, we will teach you how to grow.

....this is why we do what we do.

Peace

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Life,
j-angel

aka GP purrie kittie attack cat!


My Little Grow LST'ing w/Hardware

My Outdoor Odyssey 2008 BONSAI MUMS

My Little Grow Indoor To Outdoor 2009

You story overwhelms me. Your strength and courage amazes me. Your relationship is truly something for us all to strive for. Other than that, I am without words...

I know some folks that are thinking of setting up a halfway house for patients from non-medical states.

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Man its been what a day and a half or so and already we have some great stories. This one is gonna be hard to decide a winner on for sure.

and a competition is born lol

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they call me ishmael, and mobys music sucks. smile if you get it.

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There are some really nice, really smart and very generous folks here. We are very happy you have come to join us.

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A Halfway house? OMG, what an idea... if that endeavor bears fruit, PLEASE let us know!!

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Live well, Love much, and Laugh often...

I wanted to post my reactions.... All the tales are excellant! For flow, content, and meeting the requirements of the contest, my vote went to Tish. "sniff" Lady, you hang in there, My prayers are with you and yours. Standing by those you love is no less noble a cause/reason can be. You deserve more than my vote. Peace
Nim

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GEORGE WASHINGTON

Thank you so much. Standing by those you love is no effort, it is only the problems created by "the system of things" that makes it hard... again, I appreciate your comments and vote!

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Live well, Love much, and Laugh often...

I'd like to see DOC write a story, he's had it pretty rough.

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The bus makes it's rounds.
http://www.greenpassion.org/f24/hi-dez-perpet-9020/