I am trying to recover from yesterday’s gardening session. We did some heavy work yesterday in the corner of our yard where a few weeks back we had some extremely tall fungus infected hedge plants cut down and hauled away. The shrubs there had essentially turned into trees, which would have been fine had they grown tall and straight.

Unfortunately, they had grown at odd angles into our Yaupon Hollies on the other side of our rod iron fence and up into a couple of 2 story trees which cut off the sun supply to one side of them, so, when the hedge was cut down, we were left with warped dead looking backs of what remained. No leaves could grow where the shrub trees had invaded the space, so the backsides of remaining trees had bare branches. arggggh!

Yesterday, we attempted to fill in the area with some new plantings along with some dark rich mulch to cover the dead debris on the grounds. EVERYTHING was difficult to do, (no doubt due to my old age where I enter a new decade in a month’s time). Al’s job was to go to a local nursery ”Natural Gardener” and other nurseries to bring back plants and dark mulch material to enrich the look of that corner. While he was gone for the second time, I was trying to dig a hole in some root invaded soil and had to use loppers to cut roots, a pick ax to loosen the soil and a shovel to dig the hole.

With each motion of the shovel, I was getting progressively more tired, and at one point, I stumbled over a small sawed off stump and pitched forward into the garden. I tried to use my other leg to correct myself but stepped into the hole I just dug and then suddenly, there I was, face planted in a bed of very old, moist, and decaying garden matter. I had also landed on top of a 18” irrigation head with my wrist underneath me at an odd angle. (That irrigation spike could have done some serious damage to me, but I like to think that my angels were protecting me). I thought for sure I broke my wrist. I allowed myself to lay there in the undergrowth and proceeded to check all my parts to see if I was still o.k….Eyes? Check. Face? Check! Wrist? Maybe a check. I moved my wrist slowly and realized it wasn’t broken, but man oh man did it hurt. I think I sprained it. Today, I KNOW I sprained it. Oh my…it hurts!

Hauling those bags of mulch, Al says, is equal to dragging a dead body around the yard. (Obviously an assumption since neither of us has done this) I suspect he is right about that assumption. I did most of the dragging and dispersing while he did the purchasing of materials because he is even older than I am and he is SO DONE with all of this! He was appeasing me, and it helped me that he did all the driving and running.

We usually hire out most of what we want done, but there are some situations where I want to be “hands-on” because I am so particular. I think this will be our very last yard project. I have unwittingly proven to myself that I am NOT young and strong anymore, and besides, whoever cared that I was once young and strong in the first place? (ME…I cared!) I have always loved gardening and enjoyed feeling all of my muscles at work. I always sent up thoughts of gratitude for this most amazing human machine given to me. I have always loved cohabiting with nature, but THIS time Mother Nature gave me a STERN reprimand by letting me get slightly injured as a message to hang up those tools. It is one thing to plant a pansy in a pot and quite another to be digging holes in rock hard soil. I shall embrace my flower pots and be glad I can still do that!

Why is it so hard to admit that we cannot do some of the things we used to do? I don’t think I am trying to “prove” ANYTHING! Not really…..My mind simply doesn’t understand that my body isn’t keeping up with my mind which is as sharp and clear as it ever was. It is so true what my Step-Dad used to say….”The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”. He always made me laugh when he said that, but as it turns out, it is as true as it ever was!

So, I slept 12 hours last night…Yes! 12 hours! And when I got up, I really did not want to. My wrist is fussing at me today as I try to do the simplest things. Even lifting my coffee cup is a challenge. Yes, it is my right wrist which is my dominant hand.

Still, as I went outside this morning to look at what we accomplished, I feel proud. I like how it looks and I am so proud of myself that I was able to do it! I do wonder though, how Al would have felt when he got back from the nursery, if he found me unconscious on the threshold to eternity? Dust to dirt and all that?

Yes, I have promised him to behave in the future and tomorrow we are off to get flowers for my new garden which sits in a pot on my porch!

Jjb/5/14/2019