Sunday, October 18, 2015

It happend at lunchtime on Thursday

Some of you may have read that I am taking care of my friend Sally who had a recent operation and is preparing to have another one just as soon as her blood pressure and heart rate have stabilized.

Normally right after lunch, Sally naps or watches TV (which she does most of the day) while I work in her basement, moving her huge amounts of "stuff" around or to her car so things can go to the thrift store or the trash.  I say trash because she is convinced everything in the basement is moldy and wants some of it gone or sanitized.

Unfortunately, there is not much she wants to get rid of, even after saying she did.  To add to the problem, there is no water in Sally's basement, so I have to carry buckets filled with water and bleach down there.  However, on Thursday, instead of the usual routine, I hurt my shoulder and decided to give it a bit of a rest by putting my flower bed to bed for the winter.

Many of you who have visited here before know what my flower bed looks like.  I keep saying it's looking shabby and needs to go. 

So, I got out my mower and gas can and prepared to spend the afternoon getting rid of the mess while the weather was still HOT.

For many of my European friends, autumn has appeared in full bloom.  Some have experienced a lot of rain, while parts of Germany have been blanketed with snow.   Not so here, as you can see that many of the leaves on my one and only deciduous tree still has most of its leaves.

After about two hours, I was finished with the part I could get with the mower and weed eater.  The rest of the plants sit among many rocks I put down when I originally designed the garden.  These will have to be removed by hand (or more specifically clippers).

At least you can see why I call it a flower bed.

Although I purposely left a few plants around the outside perimeter,

the same can't be said

for the area at the front of the house that I can't get my lawn mower into.  For now, though, the gardening will have to wait.  At least until my shoulder is better.

Several years ago, a neighbor asked me why I do this, and I said because it's so good for the soil and it spreads seeds (some of which I should not be spreading, I'm sure).  The same person suggested I bag everything up, rather than grinding it into itsy-bitsy pieces.  That same lady bags all her garden and lawn clippings into black plastic bags and the trash people take them away each week.   I reminded her that by taking time to put this bed to rest each autumn, I have mulched my yard and don't have to buy, then spread purchased mulch, so my soil is happy, my trash collector is happy, my wallet is happy, and I am happy.  Just look at this lovely dirt that is so soft, fluffy, and loose, I don't need to aerate it.

Unfortunately, I didn't help my shoulder, and now I'm having trouble lifting it .  Even typing is a chore.   However, I appreciate your continued visits and your lovely comments.  My shoulder thanks you, too.

18 thoughtful remarks:

Darla said...

Sounds like you have been working hard both at Sally's and in your garden. We pretty much turn everything into mulch too. We don't have any lawn - takes too much water here. We have a nice sized veggie garden instead. That takes water too but at least we can eat the end results. Hope your shoulder gets better soon.

Divers and Sundry said...

I always leave my plants to winter as they are and don't cut anything back. This year, though, I'm planning on cutting back the plants like bee balm to see if they grow out bushier in the spring. I agree with you about how wasteful it is to bag up perfectly good yard clippings as "waste". What a waste indeed!

I hope your shoulder is better soon!

JoZart Designs said...

Well done to you and the job certainly has been done really well but how about that shoulder now. You must now also think of yourself or you will not be able to help yourself, let alone your dear friend. Take care and let it recover.
At the back of my house is a school playing field and just over my wall there are 8 huge mature chestnut trees ready and waiting to drop their beautiful golden leaves all over my garden. The flower beds get well mulched but we bag up and recycle the ones that fall on the grass via our council's collection scheme. What a job. DH now has a garden vacuum which helps our poor old backs!
Take care, Jo x

pearshapedcrafting said...

Oh dear! I am lucky to have hubby around to tell me to stop - he isn't a gardener, although he is becoming quite good at pruning, watering and taking bags to the compost bag! I get carried away once I get started in the garden (at the caravan of course - communal gardens here at the apartment ) Do take care - it sounds as though Sally is going to want you around for a while! Do you have those Hoarder programmes on TV? Perhaps if you do you should sit with Sally and watch some!! Hope things go well this week, Hugs, Chrisx

Rita said...

Good luck getting to the rest of the flower bed and I certainly hope your shoulder gets better! Doing all that wrk I don't know how it can without you giving it a break? I think Sally's basement can wait a while. Be kind to yourself!!

Nancy said...

Be as kind to yourself as you are being to Sally! That's a lot of work you've gotten up to. Hope all goes well for you both.

Carol said...

Sounds like you have a bad case of overuse going on. You need to slow down and rest a bit :) I know, I know it's the pot calling kettle black.:) I haven't gotten any of my flowerbed cleaned up and only about a third of the veggie garden. I've spent most of the last month in bed...with either my back, a sinus infection,or a UTI and sometimes a combination of all three. I'm on my third round of antibiotics and I'm not sure they are doing much for me either. I'm just going to bury myself under my pillow and not come out until spring :/

Helen said...

you need to rest a while! Sally's basement will still be there, so take it easy.

Viktoria Berg said...

Be careful with that shoulder. It can so easily get chronic, and so unnecessarily. I know it´s hard to sit still, though, when one is used to being up and about.

dawn said...

Hello Elizabeth! Sorry to hear about your shoulder, do take time to let it heal properly. You have been using your arms for so much, I'm sure it needs a good rest. We also mow down our flowerbeds and the garden, works for us each year so good to know you do the same.

I just posted for my T Day, YAY! Squeezed it in before the rush of my day starts. Link it up if you have time if not I will tomorrow when the kids are gone.

Take care and see you again tomorrow. xo

Anonymous said...

Oh feel better. As someone who overdoes it alot and has shoulder issues, rest and ice. Buckets are not good, they pull you all to one side with too much weight, ugh. Garden looks great. We've not got alot of leaves here now so I will be on the hunt for paper bags full off leaves to shred and get composting. Got two new raised beds made out of leftovers off the deck for my new kitchen garden next year. 30" x 48", should have a nice place to plant herb and veg. Your yard is getting all the benefits of your recycling efforts. Bravo. I never could figure out why folks don't mulch everything up. Keeps it all so much healthier, not to mention it's FREE. Hope you are all better soon...xox

froebelsternchen said...

Yuu made it so pretty - but now you should rest Elizabeth! Be kind to yourself and please not too much work -- also Sally's basement can wait !
Get well soon with your shoulder Sweetie!
oxo
Susi

Valerie-Jael said...

Sorry to hear you have hurt your shoulder, take care and rest, and leave the gardening till it feels better! Hugs, Valerie

TwinkleToes2day said...

Oh dear; it sounds mucho ouchy :(
Sending heaps of positive vibes to aid in quick healing of said painful shoulder.
I do hope you are giving it lots of rest. Looking forward to seeing you for Tea this week :o))

Craftymoose Crafts said...

Oh boy, I hope you did not seriously injure your shoulder! Rest, if you can, at least from Sally's basement!

Your yard always looks fantastic to me.

Dreaming of Vintage said...

Oh I love your house! So cute! I hope your shoulder feels better!

Monica said...

Time to saok in a hot tub and let that shoulder rest.

Linda Manning Findley said...

This is wonderful "E" .... so good for your yard and you and the planet .... you should be rewarded