stubbed toes and mud pies

[flowerbug]

lol, at the moment, I feel like I am still spending too much time running around in circles. I did get the first lot of seeds sown- doing the planting by the moon, or trying to.
that was last week, so far 4 different things have already sprouted, so maybe it does work.

i think soil temperature and mosture and other conditions are going to be a bigger factor.

more rain yesterday/last night/today. at least 6cm, but i'd say more than that since it was raining every time i woke up last night.

hard frost two nights ago. gardens all done now other than trying to get them put up for the winter and harvesting whatever i can find if it is worth it (i.e. not rotten) as i'm going through them. not sure the peppers had much on them worth picking or seeing if they were damaged or not.

have to feed some scraps to the worms and get some garlic bulbs taken apart to see what i can replant. good inside chores for the rest of the day.

 

[flowerbug]

full on morning ramble zone...

ok, all garlic taken apart, garlic planted. the first package of garlic sent out to a business nearby which is growing local discoveries. i told them at the past seed swap that i would send them enough to help them get this garlic established. it is well worth the effort and i wish them well with it and it will be interesting to see how it goes through the years. they have about a pound and a half of nice sized (thumb sized cloves) seed garlic to plant and then i also gave them a lot of smaller bulbs that i weeded out of another garden to give them more to work with for future crops along with some scapes from this season to give them even more. even if they don't choose to plant it all it solved a normal problem for me which is having a lot of garlic that i sometimes do use in the middle of winter but if i know someone wants it i'd rather give it away for planting. saved me a few hours of future effort.

with those done i can move on down the list of requests now that it is cooler enough to not worry about packages frying as they are shipped.

the weather is looking to be reasonable the next three days and that works out well for getting gardens finished up and put away for the winter inside the fence. i have around 16 gardens inside the fence of which a few are perennial gardens so those don't need much done now other than some weeding here or there to get ready for winter.

Mom has already helped some in getting gardens weeded and piles of things gathered together so that all i have to do is dig enough of a trench to bury them and those will be done. i have a few gardens yet to check completely for beans i'd want to keep if they are in good enough condition. so if i bury a few gardens each day and also check one garden then i can get six to nine more gardens done. i've already done most of two of the largest areas completely and also finished up a project that has been waiting for years so that is a nice and unexpected bonus for the coming year, and having the garlic planted solved that problem too. it is nice when plans can work out that ways.

the onion patch, cucumber patch and one of the tomato gardens are already done. i will do the other tomato garden today

i have a large garden (usually i grow beans there) that will get torn up a bit and that is mostly ready to go as soon as i can get back to that project. it has drain tubes in it i need for that other ditch/pallet removal project and also a lot of tulips in there that would be nice to move. the neighboring lily garden did get some daffodils taken out of it and a top layer of wood chips put over it this season - moving those daffodils was a project i wanted to do for about seven years. felt good to get that done.

there are also some pathways i'm removing from around another garden, but i'm not too likely to get into that until next year (if i can get them done they would save hours of weeding time as each pathway now has enough dirt in the gravel that they grow a lot of weeds) - unless the weather is very forgiving for another month. sometimes we do get a nice late fall where i can get a lot done and other times where winter sets right in. we'll see... the frequent rains of this fall have so far set me back by several weeks from "normal" (whatever that is )...

i never have a problem finding things to do. if my body could handle it i'd be outside from dawn to dusk but i have to be careful and work as i can and take breaks to get things done here. i'm glad that Mom doesn't complain too much about how it goes (but she was getting on the north garden because it looked pretty bad for several years - i got major bonus points for finishing that up at last and keeping it up as i have since then) - she understands. back injuries from teen years and other things haven't left me with 100% capacity. more like 50% so i try to make that 50% go as far as i can along with working smarter and trying to simplify so it isn't so hard to keep up around here. little by little progress is being made.

i'm always excited too for the coming spring and the flowers. with everything we moved and replanted it will be interesting to see what i've missed along with how the gardens will look - thousands of daffodils were moved. i really need to thin out some of them to give the less common ones more room. i haven't taken inventory of how many we have in years (20-30 types i think). i wonder how many are lost and which ones we've gained...

same with the tulips. i used to have about 90 different kinds of tulips, but diseases/predators and less than optimal conditions in the largest tulip patch have thinned them out. the whole front border that i'd planted with daffodils and tulips alternating for over 160ft has mostly been reduced to just daffodils because the deer and rabbits feasted on the tulips. had some really pretty ones in there... i'm glad i got pictures when i did. the daffodils in there all need to be thinned out they've gotten so thick now. they do keep flowering though so it isn't a priority. Mom has been filling in any empty spots with all the daffodils i've been moving.

still haven't gotten a new camera.

 

[digitS']

I have some understanding of working at 50%, or is it Steve's 30%?

Really, I don't know. Limped out of my teen years with the doctor telling me that I had erosion of a hip joint and a dermatologist treating me for skin rashes. It was all worse 10 years later and after the rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis.

Time was kind but not before I was dragging one foot. Those RA symptoms are minor trouble, now ... that osteoarthritis is a reality. Still, joint problems that aren't from earlier times seem to come and go. Cycles! Maybe I just don't understand but I can be troubled by a thumb and wrist for several weeks, maybe, it's all the way up in the elbow and shoulder! Then, I slowly improve. Next, it's the other arm .

The most recent recovery was the right leg. Not just weeks but over a year, that leg had more pain than the wrecked left leg. So bad, I was seriously seriously thinking that I should be using a walker upon rising from the bed.

Off I go! Moving improves movement and I'd be at 50%Steve by afternoon ! And, this summer - the right leg improved dramatically.

Steve
recently began walking the "indoor mile" on a windy day outdoors and has plans for striding the sidewalks, today

 

[flowerbug]

@digitS' i also had a twisted hip and lower back which was uncorrected for close to 40yrs on top of damage from the job as a teen hauling stuff and desk job for many years. the doctors never picked up on the twisted part including three chiropractors - until about 5yrs ago i finally was on what you would call a down cycle where the pain was coming back and i was having some sciatica in my left leg. i was contemplating surgery and a friend mentioned that they were happy with their chiropractor and that they would work with me on a tight budget so i was good to try again. within a few months of visits a few times a week or so i was able to then go once a week and then once every other week and then once a month, etc to where no i go as needed (twice a year seems about right). i can feel when my lower back and hip start getting tight again and stop moving correctly and i go visit the chiro and i'm in and out of there in about 10 minutes for $20. so i can afford that and absolutely no pain or meds needed. i have other back issues which come and go from motorcycle accident and old work related things, but i can live with those most of the time they are not a problem and when they are i can get a massage or work with some bean bags that i can lay on and let gravity apply pressure to the muscle knots.

i smashed my thumb with a rock a few weeks ago so that wasn't happy making and it was red and inflamed so i did finally resort to some ibuprofen to see if i could bring the swelling down. it is much better this week.

once i get done with the season's digging i'll visit the chiropractor. moving and digging is really the best thing for my body. i can feel the difference from just a few hours of gardening. much prefer that to physical therapy or walking indoors or on a treadmill. i always miss gardening through the winter months - shovelling snow isn't quite enough exercise. i used to practice Tai Chi and that was good for me but it is hard for me to get back into it. basic callistenics also would be good for me to do all winter. i try and then get out of the habit and forget and then before i know it spring is back and i can start getting outside again.

um, yes, i know how it goes, early spring it takes me a while to get back and moving again enough, but by mid-to-late June i'm usually doing ok - as i keep losing some weight it has helped me a great deal this summer. only 4 more lbs to get to the intermediate goal i set for myself this year. i can probably lose at least one or two of those in the next week.

are you on meds for the arthritis? i keep reading about advances and changes as they are coming along in the medical community but so far i'm not in enough pain consistently to where i want to even try meds other than the once in a while use of ibuprofen. i don't like the potential damage or side-effects so once i can get off them i do. i like that they do work when i need them and that they are not addictive (but i do get a withdrawal headache when i quit them if i've been on them for longer than a day or two).

well, we amble on as we can and i'm glad to have you metaphorically along with me on this journey. (and anyone else too who likes to garden ).

 

[digitS']

are you on meds for the arthritis?

No.

I was on anti-inflammatory meds for years, various ones. Ruined my stomach and that began with self-medicating with aspirin. Maybe "ruined" is too strong of a word but the stomach gave me plenty of discomfort and still does, some. Doctor took me off all anti-inflammatories years ago and I just use acetaminophen (Tylenol), once in awhile and usually for headaches.

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

No.

I was on anti-inflammatory meds for years, various ones. Ruined my stomach and that began with self-medicating with aspirin. Maybe "ruined" is too strong of a word but the stomach gave me plenty of discomfort and still does, some. Doctor took me off all anti-inflammatories years ago and I just use acetaminophen (Tylenol), once in awhile and usually for headaches.

Steve

i won't touch that stuff as it seems implicated in some liver problems and i don't want to mess up that! i rarely take anything at all. only when needed as i want it to work and for me to not be acclimated to it or to build up resistence. my limit seems to be when things start to affect my sleep too much.

yesterday was a good afternoon in the gardens getting some put up for winter. i had to take a few days off to recover from pulling rocks out of the ditch - i was twisting as i was throwing them while sitting in the ditch a lot of odd muscle use that they sure were not used to - always an iffy thing with lighter weights let alone 40-60lb rocks. make them muddy/slippery rocks and that was like the icing on the cake... no permanent damage by the feel of it but i sure won't be doing any more of that any time soon! i was good and warmed up and it was a warm enough day so much less risk of pulling something. when it starts getting colder we call it turtle weather because you want to pull your arms/legs/head inwards to avoid the cold...

more of the same today, more gardens to put up and will check for useable beans.

 

[flowerbug]

making progress on getting gardens put up. digging holes and burying garden debris and any other surrounding organic materials to provide worm food and to help out the clay. it does make a large difference over the longer term. i do enjoy seeing how that longer term is working out. my previous additions of materials and how it remains and for how long or what the worms do to it or what pressure and lack of air will do for things buried down deeper (leaves and mixed organic materials turn into peat moss like stuff, it's a great stash to have for the future years when i dig through that spot again i'll mix it in with the surface soil).

rains forecast this afternoon and evening so i will be trying to get as many done today as i can. once it warms up a bit more. we had enough of a frost last night that looking out my window at the north garden the edge plants of creeping thyme look like they have a layer of snow on top.

there is a chance i will get a camera tomorrow. at least will start looking and see what the stores have. if i go the budget route i still want to get one that will be decent enough for beanie close up pictures, i am hoping though to step up a bit from the budget camera and get something a bit more flexible for what i want to do. we'll see what is being offered and for what prices...

 

[valley ranch]

flowerbug ~ is this a monastery ~ Orthodox Christian ~ where you spend a bit of time ```

 

[flowerbug]

flowerbug ~ is this a monastery ~ Orthodox Christian ~ where you spend a bit of time ```

Richard, i noticed you liking my posts way back in the beginning of this thread just a few minutes ago. i'm glad to have you along so please continue asking questions about anything.

the link provided in that first post should give you the details of their establishment and practices and also where it is at.

oh, ok, i see, they've moved their website a bit. will fix the link in a moment [edit, i can't edit old posts! arg!] here it is in this context:

Home | Michigan | Holy Protection Monastery

We are Holy Protection Monastery, a Catholic Monastery of the Byzantine rite, under the jurisdiction of The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Nicholas in Chicago. We belong to the US Metropoly of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church which is in union with the Pope of Rome, supreme pastor of the...

www.societystjohn.com

i no longer get up there that often to visit, but when we do go that far i am sure to stop in and say hello to the remaining member who goes by the name Father Basil (yes, the herb ). i knew him originally as Peter [edit, he's the guy with the long white beard in the back left of the picture of them as you scroll down], at some time he may have told me his last name but i have no memory of it now. i'm sure he'd answer if you asked nicely. he has a great sense of humor. as did his good friend and co-founder Father Nicholas who i knew as Steve, but we rarely used names at all, we just talked and since we were facing each other we knew who we were talking to/at.

as far as what i know off the top of my head from way back then they were originally Catholic in nature but the bishops of that area did not support them much at all because they were doing something different in wanting to have a monastery being built to work with the arts. that was their thing. so the Society of St. John started with that aim. after many years of trying they finally found a monastery in California that would work with them to get them trained and ordained. some kind of Eastern Orthodox but like i say i am not specific enough on the details there. much has changed since i was staying with them.

it is about a 10-12hr drive from here in good weather (i am in mid-Michigan now, they are up in the Keweenaw Peninsula on the shore of Lake Superior).

many many fond memories.

 

[valley ranch]

Thank you ~ I have gotten in contact and will receive newsletter ```