Given the eclectic selection of topics I've been posting about -- foliage, houseplants, storms, etc. -- it may be obvious that I'm still not doing any real gardening. I tried, about a week ago, to do some weeding in the front bed. But I gave up after an hour, when my leg and my back both started hurting. When I stood up, my left leg was all tingly and my foot had a numb spot on it. I was actually afraid my leg would buckle under me.
These are not good signs of spinal health. I love my garden, and I love my plants, but the garden is not worth the risk of maybe having a permanent limp.
I'm going to take a long, long. Long. Rest from it. I'll still take pictures and post on my blog. But planting anything and re-arranging the bed I had plans for are pretty much out of the question for a few months. I'm going to take a zen approach to the many plants that are still not in the ground. Whatever lives, lives.
Maybe I'll do some crafts. Some constructive staring. Also, more walking and less sitting. My back feels best when I'm on my feet for long periods of time, so maybe I'll become one of those mall walkers, and get more exercise. I can stand to lose more weight.
Last time I injured my back, it got better on its own. I'm hoping this will get better on its own too. It should, it's not even as bad as that time. (Please don't tell me to go to the doctor.)
But you know... it is hard to resist doing just a little something. Pulling a weed here and there. Taking a short 15 minutes to just cut back something ugly.
So, here's a long good-bye to the garden. Its Last Hurrah for 2013.
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| I made a half-hearted attempt to push this fallen branch back into my neighbor's yard, but no success. I'm going to let Nigel deal with it. |
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| Same with this enormous fir bough hanging suspended above our fence |
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| I had to take a picture of the cute lichens on this twig before tossing it into the yard waste. |
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| This mum, which I'm pretty sure is 'Sheffield Pink,' was planted in the wrong spot, behind the taller Hydrangea and clumps of 'Golden Jubilee' Agastache -- just another "What was I thinking?" moment. (I stepped into the bed to get this picture.) |
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| Too pretty at this time of year to keep hidden. |
Here are a few more plants that are still flowering too.
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| The hummingbirds still come every day to this Fuchsia magellanica |
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| Like me, Penstemon doesn't want to say good-bye. |
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| Salvia 'Hot Lips' |
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| The Brug that I bought this summer at Means Nursery in Portland is still flowering. |
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| This annual Calendula 'Solar Flashback' is still flowering too, and I'm saving seeds from it to sow in my new beds in the front garden. |
I'm still planning to take out a lot of grass and put new beds and a greenhouse in the front, maybe over the winter. But fortunately, I can hire someone else to do that.
