Still at a loss for Big Idea pieces, so I thought I’d just catch you up with how life is going lately. (Hints: Non-summer, pain ’n’ torture.)
Spring never did show up, and summer has been noticeably absent as well. We’ve had only a few days of true sun since mid-June. That’s frustrating, because spring and summer are what keep us going through the darkness and the crummy weather the rest of the year. After last year’s snowier-than-usual winter, I’d so looked forward to those endless summer days. Dang.
The lack of sun means a lack of heat. The garden is doing better than we could expect, but not nearly as well as last year. (Then again, last summer was a drought.) At the end of June 2022, we were eating strawberries and cucumbers. I wish. Meanwhile, the potatoes think they’re in Ireland and are exploding with growth. The peas and carrots, however, are complete laggards. I am very disappointed.
The strawberry plants are awash with blossoms, but only two berries have ripened – and they’d turned moldy by that time due to the frequent rains. That was disappointing, but we hold out hope for the rest of the blooms. It can’t rain forever, right? Right???
We will be eating one Chelsea Prize cuke this weekend, which I anticipate with great happiness. This English variety, courtesy of Renee’s Garden, is very sweet and almost melon-like. (As a Renee’s Garden affiliate, I receive a small fee for any orders made through my link.) More baby cukes are on the way, which is a good thing: Not only do we love to eat them, they make a terrific relish that makes burgers or hot dogs taste so much better than they are. Sometimes we eat this stuff by the forkful, without any meat involved.
On the bright side, we have eaten tomatoes! DF went off the rails this year and bought two mature plants that already had some green tomatoes on them. They were good, but we’re longing for our heirloom varieties (Cherokee Purple, Black Prince) and modern stalwarts (Stupice, Sweet 100) to come to fruition. Tough sledding for these guys, though, since daytime temps have mostly been in the 50s (sometimes in the low 60s) and at night it’s in the 40s. If we get enough sun, and the greenhouse heats up enough, the plants might produce. I sure hope so.
PT = pain ’n’ torture
I’ve been going to physical therapy twice a week and doing a raft of daily exercises at home. As predicted, I am hurtin’ for certain – but in a good way, as I keep telling myself. As in, “Thank God I have access to help for what’s ailing me.”
By the end of the second week, I noticed that I could easily walk up the greenhouse steps. Previously, I had to will my left leg to move upwards. Now I just ascend without thinking. Woot!
My balance has improved as well, which is a huge relief. I still have a long way to go in terms of overall health, but these changes have been a big boost to my state of mind.
Which is good, because PT is also wearing me out. When I get home, I just want to sit in the comfy chair and listen to classical music with my eyes closed. Or hop in a warm bath. Or lie on the bed and hope that the noises in the kitchen mean that DF is fixing dinner. I’ve been well-nigh useless on the domestic front lately, except for doing dishes and freezing rhubarb.
Mostly I’ve avoided taking analgesics. My diagnosis is something that will almost certainly get worse. Maybe much worse. Thus I avoid acetaminophen or ibuprofen on the theory that some day I really will need them, so why reduce their effectiveness at that time by taking them now?
Besides, this isn’t agonizing. Once in the emergency room I was asked if I were in pain. “No. It just hurts,” I replied. The doctor looked skeptical, until I explained that for me, being “in pain” means being in agony. If a leg or arm or ankle or head are griping me, that’s not true pain.
So that’s why I haven’t written lately. I’m glum about the weather, which doesn’t do much for creativity. I’m also tired, and hurting. In a good way.
Readers: How’s your summer going? Better than mine, I hope.
My summer hasn’t been so great. I had surgery at the end of June to remove my ascending colon and a small mesh patch for a long ago hernia repair. I had a huge polyp which resulted in the colon removal – thank God it was a polyp – and the surgeon also removed the scarred up mesh by taking it out of my small instestine and sewing that back up.
I’m 4 weeks post op and am feeling pretty good. Yesterday I had two stents put into my heart area. One area was 80% blocked the other 70%. I had gone in February for a stress test and there was a mysterious thing on the back wall of my heart. Turns out it was blocked arteries. Doctor wanted to blow it off as a shadow but I pressed. Fortunately I have good insurance so I could do this.
Finally hubby retired and had to turn in his company car. We are now sharing my 2010 Honda CRV with 66,000 miles on it. A new or new to us car may be in our future.
Hubby took advantage of an early retirement offer that included extending his salary until December 31 2023. Because he’s an “old timer” at the company he and I are covered under the company’s medical plan which is way cheaper than COBRA. We’ve got that til we hit 65 in 3 years. He also gets a pension (a what??) and he is thinking about when he will take that.
Hot and humid here with lots of rain. Haven’t sat out on the deck once this spring/summer.
Feel better!
That all sounds just awful. I hope you continue to improve; four weeks sounds pretty early to me!
Sorry to hear about your health, weather and garden struggles. Hopefully all will improve shortly! It is 67 degrees in Iowa, which is really unusual for July!! (But we have plenty of warmth here, so I don’t mind.)
Donna, so very sorry to hear about your pain, on top of the pain of a crappy summer. Fairbanks gardening is less rainy than what you are experiencing but June frosts killed off a lot. And it looks like I have onion maggots so that crop is basically lost. Hope you keep improving physically. Maybe we will have a magnificent fall!
I’ve been following the Alaska Gardening group on Facebook and onion/root maggots are being reported a lot. Some kind of flare-up, maybe?
June frosts, though? Ugh.
You are wise about the analgesics! A doctor once offered me pain meds for a bursitis flareup. I told him “it doesn’t hurt *that* bad” and he said, “i could hug you”.
Wish i could send y’all some of the 95 degree 90 percent humidity (but no rain) we’re habving in Georgia. It’s too hot for the tomatoes to set fruit!
My bursitis is chronic, as in every day of my life. I only take OTC meds for it, but my life is not what it once was.
typical S. Jersey summer. Lots of tourists and lots of heat and humidity … well once we got towards the end of June that is. We had the 3rd latest date recorded to hit 90 degrees. Not that I am complaining about a cool June. I hate the heat and humidity.
Sometimes I miss those South Jersey summers. At least I could go down the shore and also eat Silver Queen corn.
yum… that and real honest-to-goodness road stand local tomatoes.
In PA here, close to MD border. Plants are stunted and half dead due to drought and heat. One pepper plant is about six inches, with a pepper on it. A small stunted pepper. Tomato plants are hanging on, stunted and dry. One of them has a small marble sized tomato on it. Plants are 12 – 15 inches tall. When we came back from 10 days in Arizona, it must not have rained here the entire time. Squirrel dug up my three baby watermelon plants a day or two before our return, to bury a peanut. I rescued the plants and replanted them elsewhere. Two are doing well. Basil did not come up. Marigolds are hanging in. Think I am going to resort to daily watering, in increased amounts.
Pain – take the ibuprofen, or whatever. Because for years I did not, and then was told to take it, and take it sooner, and not allow the pain to get a grip and remain.
My husband has been going to PT for about 7 wks., he is walking straighter and without pain. He comes home and goes to bed, as he is exhausted. Our PT office works you for the entire hour, not 45 minutes as some others do, and prior to this (and probably after), he did no physical activity.
Bid dentist bill coming up for me; but I expected it and have been saving for 18 months. Knew my share after insurance would be $1200. Bridge needs to be replaced, along with new root canals and crowns related to it. Dentist could find nothing last time he looked at it, but I could feel it was not right, so started saving.
Hope you get to feeling better and your weather does not get you down. Your temps sound wonderful to me; been in the 90’s all week here. Between the excessive heat, high humidity, and the damn fireworks going off every day and night for the past ten days, even coffee won’t fix my bad mood.
Wish I could send some cool weather and low humidity down south. The rest of the country could sure use it.
Thanks for your kind wishes.
I hope you feel better soon Donna. You are in my prayers. I hope your lovely garden will be more bountiful. We have had an awful drought this summer, the grass looks like straw. Take Care.
I hope that Donna’s and everyone else’s health, weather, and gardens improve pronto. My own aren’t that bad by comparison, but I’m still figuring out how to cope with the DH-sized hole in my life.
Hugs to you.
So sorry Donna that you are having these troubles! Hope you are feeling better and weather improves.
Weather here in Metro Atlanta has as always heavy humidity . However, we have just recently turned our AC on. Usually we have it on before now. So that’s a good thing…save some on our power bill.
Summer is going ok though. We have had our adult grand daughter move in with us several weeks ago following a divorce. So that’s an adjustment for all of us but its all ok She’s easy and helpful and pays us “rent” because that’s the real world. Just different. As soon as she’s on her feet she will find her own place. Not easy with the price of housing though.
Feel better soon!
Donna, you’re right. PT is important.
I need to resume doing my home PT exercises to improve my flexibility. I’ve gotten busy with life and have let PT slide.
Also, if surgery is an option, don’t discount it. I went from constant level-4 pain, (and sometimes much worse), to level-0 pain after recovery. I am stunned by the improvement in quality-of-life.
I’m sorry to hear you have an issue that requires PT and crummy weather at the same time. As for your title Pain N’ Torture, after breaking an ankle in three places that required surgery and PT afterwards over twenty years ago, I specifically remember referring to the place I went for the PT as The Torture Chamber. It’s no fun but it did get me back to where I was physically before the break by about 99%. So yes, Pain N’ Torture is a good description. Best of luck with your healing process.
By the way, I see in my daily paper a list of weather conditions in the US and around the world and Anchorage has seen more than its fair share of rain, clouds and cool temps this Spring and Summer. I hope things change soon so your garden gets a fair shake.
Donna, PT is like what Hemingway said about writing. You like having done it, not doing it. I had it for nine weeks this summer to help with the arthritis in my knees and upper back, and bursitis in my hip. I feel so much better and am able to stand up straight and walk so easily. If only something could fix my hands, but the hand doc says not a lot can be done about the arthritis there.
My container garden did not flourish early in the spring because it was too chilly. When things warmed up, we had no rain, so I’ve carried lots of buckets of water and had to give the tomatoes extra fertilizer and calcium, but we are finally getting a handful of cherry toms twice a day, the basil looks good, and the big tomatoes are considering turning orange.
I hope you feel better soon and rest of July is warmer for you.
Sending positive thoughts directly to your tomatoes.
I’m so sorry to hear of your bummer summer, Donna. I’m glad, however, that you are being diligent about your physical therapy and not blowing it off. It’s wonderful that it’s making a difference.
I hear you about pain meds! The Better Half & I have had good luck with pain-relieving rubs like Topricin & arnica. Maybe those will help.
I told the doctor that I rate pain on a scale of 1 to 8, because 10 is childbirth and 9 is shingles.
Yikes! Never had shingles, hope never to have it. My mom had it and she said it was…painful.