The Aging Gardener

What is the weather like where you are at? Is your winter cold, snowy, windy…or is it wet, cold and dreary? Is your winter warm? For those of us dealing with the cold, wet, snowy version of winter, this is the time we gardeners, farmers and hobby growers sit around the the kitchen table, surrounded by seed catalogs and dream…plan…wish…

For us the seed catalog is like the ‘ol timey Sears and Roebuck catalog, Christmas Edition…the Wish Book! Oh, the pretty pictures! The vivid descriptions! As much as I enjoy the the current technology, nothing is quite like a paper catalog. It’s like an old book. Yeah, you have your Kindle but nothing smells like an old book, that’s why I still like going to the library, older libraries especially, the smell…they smell like history, they smell familiar, like your Grand Pa’s favorite shirt. Some of today’s seed catalogs are like works of art! There are those that even offer their illustrations as prints that one can buy and frame. Wow! So hey, gather your catalogs, make yourself some hot cocoa, coffee, tea, or cider. Find something warm and fuzzy to wrap up in and immerse yourself in your time of wishing and planning and dreaming…enjoy.

Well, made it to my visit on the 23rd, good visit, got the rest of the dressing off, removed the Steri-Strips, cleaned up the ends of the stitching that was sticking out of the ends of the stitched areas, looked things over…and removed, the pin…yep, the big ‘ol pin with the great big green ball on the end. It was quite a something, let me tell you. The Dr., had prepared me ahead of time…”When you come on the 23rd, take a pain pill about a hour before you get here.” That made me a little nervous, I won’t lie. My husband and I get there and get called back, we do all the stuff I mentioned earlier and then he asks if I’m ready, “Ready?”, “Yep, gonna take the pin out, you ready?”, says my Dr., “Nope…hold on a minute…Hon, come here.” He does and asks what I need from him…”I’m gonna put my arms around your neck and you’re gonna hug me tight and don’t let me go if he hurts me cause I might just take a swing at him.” We all laugh…don’t think they realized how serious I was, ha! My husband did as he was asked and as I am telling the Dr., I’m ready…snatch!! Gone!! OWWWWW! Over. Okie Dokie Doc, see you on Jan., 14…thanks! Whew!!

Well…it’s been four weeks today since my foot surgery and I’m happy to report that it hasn’t been that bad, comparatively speaking. I had a few painful days that required pain killers but they didn’t last long. Ice packs were my friends and I still use them in the evenings after I take off my ‘boot’. Lots of Aleve to keep down inflammation and the Scooter…love the Scooter, it was and still is a very important part of my mobility. Without the Scooter, I would have been practically bedridden the first two weeks. It has not been without its perils. Beginning the second week, I face-planted on the floor after getting a little too cocky with my friend the Scooter and turned the steering a little too sharp and tried to move forward at the same time…ha! That bad boy slipped backwards, I went forwards…wow! Just sorta laid there for a minute or two, you know, you become very still so you can access how badly you are damaged! Foot? Check. Arms? Check. Ribs? Check. Knee? Owiee…carpet burn…Pride? Bruised…Outside of that one occurrence, the Scooter has been my best buddy. I got the walking boot at my two week visit (and permission to drive again), it is designed to absorb shock and impact and to divert them away from the base of the foot, which is still non-weight bearing when not in the boot. It is big, heavy and cumbersome…which is where the Scooter saves the day, again. I wear the boot and take the Scooter whenever I go out so that when my leg and foot grow weary, I can default to the Scooter and take it easy for a bit. You would be amazed how quickly folks move to the side when they see me whizzing towards them at the Mall! My next visit is the 23rd, not sure what all will happen then, try and remove the rest of the surgical stuff, clean and trim things up and remove the pin from my toe…yes, pin. Looks like big ‘ol sewing pin with a big green ball on the end, thing goes straight down from the tip of my toe down into the joint to help stabilize the joint while the screw and bands do their thing…silly thing freaks me out, I can move it side to side or in a circle…yeah…pretty weird.

Yep, it seems I am looking at surgery #6, the day after Thanksgiving …rather ironic, it seems. No…my shoulder is fine, I have been SO VERY careful to not re-injure it. Do all my physical therapy, listen to my doctor and physical therapist, being a very good girl in that regard. No, this one will involve my feet, one this year, one next. Got my Granny’s feet. You can have the best of shoes, all your life, and still wind up with crappy feet. Genetics…

Will be trying out a new type of procedure, 3D Lapiplasty. Will keep all informed on how it goes, if it works well on the worse of the two feet, then the other should be a breeze. They claim a 8-10 week overall recovery time, well…to be back in regular shoes by 8-10 weeks. That would be heaven…a normal foot in a normal shoe, hadn’t had that since my 20’s, ha!

Have you ever seen a Maple tree covered in leaves, dry and crunchy, and snow? I have, quite the sight, let me tell you. This is what happens when ‘Ol Man Winter sneaks in early; plants are confused, animals bewildered and people downright angry! Ha! Northern Illinois had its first real snowfall the other day and people are still talking about it…

While we had warning, it didn’t seem to come in enough time for myself and others to get those last minute cleanups done in the garden. My iris, yarrow and hibiscus are still waiting to be cut back, three perennials need to be planted and two bags of mulch still need to be spread, good grief! I did not have time to cut all of the mint and spearmint that I wanted to hang to dry out, so there it is, peeking out from under the snow looking rather blackened and withered…Good news is, this shall soon pass and hopefully allow us all to quickly jump out and cut, rake and mulch what we can, salvage whatever cool crops are still hanging in there in the gardens and finally be able to say, done! Now we are ready for you ‘Ol Man!

We all have a favorite season, no matter the reason!

For me, it is the glorious rush of golds, reds, orange, browns, yellow, bronze, plum…crisp air, dry air, skies so blue they hurt your eyes. Apples, county fairs, big machinery harvesting the bounties from the fields…that first dusting of snow…all those fallen leaves. Goldfinches scouring the Coneflowers for seed, Junco’s arrival…Robin’s departure…

All this and more is Fall, the time of year that signals…Winter is soon upon us…are we ready? Ever notice how we all seem to move a little faster, with more purpose, as if to acknowledge that the lazy days of Summer are indeed over and we must make haste to prepare for the coming Winter. Rake and mow those leaves, get that last pruning done on the rose and ready it to be covered with it’s Styrofoam cap. Are the iris cut into their little fans? Have the last of the herbs been salvaged and prepped for drying? Roll up those garden hoses, get those spigots covered, get those soil-filled pots taken around back.

Wait…slow down, take a minute, look around, take a walk…know that nature is also preparing for the next season, and it is beautiful.

Umm…what is this, a combo? Sure! Why not, you see strange and unique combos everywhere these days. Combining some elements from my physical therapy sessions and some much needed fall clean-up in various garden beds around the house seems like a match made in heaven to me! Let’s see…if I’m on my knees and pull weeds straight up, keeping my arm at a right angle and remember to pinch the shoulder blade towards the spine , well now…that’s a therapy move! Win! Oh, and hey…’wall-washers’ can be modified to the ground and used to smooth dirt in a bed…

In all seriousness, got what I hope is my final doctor’s visit on Wednesday. I should also know more about how many more physical therapy sessions I can look forward to. Am I still in pain? You betcha…is it getting better? Yep! I anticipate being ready and rarin’ to go by this spring!

I have been able to do mild to moderate clean-up in my beds. Light weeding, disposal of dead material to my compost bin, last minute harvesting of remaining green tomatoes waiting to be fried and herbs that are to be dried and stored away. I am still harvesting from the community bed…Brussel sprouts have done wonderful for me this season, so yummy roasted in the oven with carrots! My patient and indulging husband is helping plant what few remaining perennials and small shrubs that remain. Helping to spread mulch and prune items that have to get ready to have insulative cones put on. He is a blessing!

It all begins slowly…

Twist this, bend that, hold this…2 reps of 10, 3 reps of 15, 2 reps of 20, 3 reps of 20…can you push a little harder, reach a little higher, stretch a little more?

We start each session with heat and end with ice…I take Naproxen before sessions and a half a pain pill afterwards…

Why does it still hurt so much? Will I ever be able to sleep right again? Why say I can drive when driving feels like physical therapy? My garden! I miss my garden!! Everything is still so one-handed, so many things I am happy I can do one-handed and yet there are so many things not getting done because they are simply two-handed tasks…sigh, soon…

Oh my gosh, I am so happy…second follow-up visit and lo and behold, the pillow part of my sling has been removed! Yeah! I can start driving, sleep without the sling, go for periods throughout the day without the sling and in two weeks no longer use the sling! Happy day! However…yes, there is always a ‘however’…I may not even so much as hold a cup of coffee in my right hand, or even hold a paper plate containing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. As long as I am able to not have the right hand bear weight or put the arm in a sideways ‘chicken-winged’ position, I can use it as I choose. Check out the Tips and Tricks tab to see how I modified the sling to help me with outside work in and around the yard and garden…

So, I knew I had my first follow-up visit today, but I just had to get some watering in, it’s been sooo dry these past few weeks! My recently planted hydrangeas were so sad looking and the plants foolishly purchased right before my surgery require water almost daily. So…I water. I am careful, so careful, all is going well, almost done…wait, what is that flying towards my face! Holy Toledo, it landed on my face! Crap crap crap!! Water wand goes one way, BOTH my hands fly to my face, luckily I am wearing the horrid sling. While I experience a few moments of severe pain, it goes away quickly with no lingering effects, whew! I pass along the story to the Surgeon’s PA, “That’s called a knee-jerk reaction, that’s why you wear the sling.” “Yes ma’am”, I reply.

Heading to the Physical Therapist tomorrow….