Slowly but surely (?)

This foto is from May, when I was still quite swollen and in a lot of pain.  Today, as August is turning into September, the swelling is gone and I only feel a little twitch of discomfort.

"Only a twitch" provided I avoid several types of movements that involve gripping and twisting, and lifting anything more than about 15lbs tops (the cat is 13!).  It's still quite easy to aggravate and takes a few days to settle back down if I do something stupid.

Sigh.

I don't know what this means for the garden next year (or, ever). I've had some ideas about how to manage my work differently, both in terms of time and tools -- but even that is contingent on me being well and with some strength returned.

Fingers crossed -- on my left hand.

Ow-ie

So... turns out you can get tennis elbow even if you don't play tennis. You can get it from doing a whole lotta yard work, especially with the repetitive motions involved in weeding, pulling up blackberries, and wielding hand shears like a ninja.

So... I'm not going to be working in the garden for two, possibly three weeks. And I need to rethink my work pattern so this doesn't happen again.

UPDATE May 29:  So, 3 weeks is looking more like 3 months. I'm in physical therapy now and making great progress, but I have to accept that the risk of re-injury will be great this year.  Gardenbooty has ceased for 2015.

I can still do a few things with my left hand only and my boyfriend is helping with the absolute necessities. My hope is that the fantastic progress I made this year will mostly hold and in 2016 I can pick up where I left off, but with a different work pattern. No more 3-day weekends.

Freeze!

Here in Portland we're on day 3 or so of what's probably going to be 10 days of below -- well below -- freezing weather. Clear, dry, windy. High around 30, low around 17.

I should have watered well before this happened. Hydrated plants have a much better chance of surviving this kind of weather. But, I didn't.

Now I wait. And hope.

Vacation

Back home from vacation in the North Cascades of Washington. Many thanks to the friend who watered my massive garden with two cranky/kinky hoses. All is well.

Except for the half dead apple. Now it's all dead. Looks like one of the neighbors' tabbies crash-landed on it coming over or falling off the fence. Oh well. Now I can blame the cat instead of whatever I did wrong.

A 3-day weekend is ahead of me, and good. The yard is out of control and a long weekend will give me a chance to wrestle it before the summer garden party season.

'L' is for Loser

It's that magical time when late Spring begins to turn into Summer and the early hard work begins to pay off. Vines climb to the sun, roses and peonies bloom, bees zip around honeysuckle and lavenders.

It's also the time when mistakes become obvious, plants put in the wrong spot, or at the wrong time, seeds that never germ, pests unchecked.

This past weekend I had the "I've done everything wrong and I'm a loser" moment or two (or 30) in my garden. Here's a list of the mistakes and what I'm going to do about them.

Chinese lantern. After planting this in turned soil I did not put skewers around it to protect it from the cats, and they killed it dead. I will save that spot for zinnias or sunflowers, which I typically plant later in the summer.

Muskmelon. The seeds never sprouted. Don't know why. I considered buying a start from the nursery but have instead decided this is the perfect spot for that third tomato I had no space for.

Sidewalk strip weeding. While I concentrated on the back yard, the weeds on the sidewalk strip have gotten out of control which was stressing me! Solution: I'm going to just relax about it. The garden should be at least as much fun as it is work. These weeds are not threatening any plants; it can wait.

Roses health. The mites and their corollary disease and pest issues could have killed my favorite plant. I should have taken that problem seriously, quickly. Bringing it back to health is now a top priority.

Jupiter's Beard. These seeds never sprouted either. The packet says it can take up to 24 days so I'm going to wait just a bit longer but will save some dwarf sunflower seeds for the spot if necessary. Next year, I should be more realistic about which things I have success with as starts vs. seeds.

Dahlia. Dahlias should be planted on Mother's Day, which means that duh I should have purchased the tubers before, *well* before Mother's Day. By the time I went shopping, everything was gone. No new dahlias in the garden this year, but I will look for Fall red tag sales and get on the ball earlier next year. The spot I had reserved for a new dahlia will instead be filled with annuals.

As June fades into July we'll see what else I've blown. ;)

Before & After - Ladybugs

Recent tasks lists mention a mite problem -- specifically a plague on my favorite plant, the Cafe Ole roses. The poor roses have a few other problems -- black spot and caterpillars -- all likely related to the mites weakening the plant's overall health. Are mites a cause or a symptom? Either way, I decided to tackle them first.

With ladybugs. Most nurseries sell them in a mesh bag, which can be stored in the frig for no more than 10 days, though it's best to use them as quickly as possible. Both for the ladybugs (how long have they already been sitting around the nursery?) and for the plant you're trying to save from the pest.

The mites got out of control because I attempted to kill them by blasting them with the hose. Does that method work for anyone?!? Seems like it just spreads them around to bother more plants.

At sunset, the ladybugs free because they are less likely to fly away -- you want them to stick around and the eat the mites. Do two things. First, water the plant well because the ladybugs will be thirsty. Second, lightly spray the ladybugs with a mixture of water and a sugary soda like Coke. That will make their wings stick for a day, again, encouraging them to stick around and gorge on mites.

Add a little rum & lime to the rest of that Coke and watch them do their work!

Took about 6 days for them to eat all the mites. With luck, they'll decide to make a home and create successive ladybug generations to keep pesty bugs under control.

Help ?!

Like with most things in life, when it comes to gardening, I know more than some people and less than others. With a few years and a lot of mistakes behind my gardenbooty, Trial and Error have been my mentors.

Wouldn't it be great if there was someone who knew everything, especially about the pecularities of this climate, that you could just ask? Forgo wading through the Interwebs, forgo messing it all up big time, forgo denying yourself the joy of growing some tricky plant (clematis, I'm looking at you).

I present you with such a someone, or someones:

OSU Extension Service Hotline 503-445-4608

Staffed by volunteer Master Gardenders Monday - Friday from 10 am - 2 pm. See the website for more information.

Now, about those black spots on my roses....

Ginger Rogers

"Anything Fred Astaire could do, Ginger Rogers did backwards and in high heels."

So the saying goes. I got a tremendous amount of work (cumulative task list posted tomorrow) done today, but at a price. I've given myself what I call a "lady" injury.

As in, I was doing what ladies shouldn't do -- namely carry something far too heavy for far too long to prove how strong and independent I am. Now it hurts, and I will stubbornly aggravate it while I manically gardenbooty the remainder of the weekend. Did the same damn thing two years. Guess I never learn.

I learned today. Just because I can do pretty much anything a man can do doesn't mean I should.

My strong male friends can expect requests for help from now on. Don't worry. I'll bribe generously in order to preserve my immense pride.

Best laid plans

As I left for work this morning I found two Pacific Power workers climbing the utility pole on my sidewalk strip. One fellow explained that they needed to restring the line to my house. Their placement of the line was too close to the roof and they had been cited by the PUC (Public Utilities Commission).

Good to know the PUC is looking out for me - now (I've been in this house since July 2003). The Power guys were nice too. My flirtatious attempts to get them to clean the gutters while they were on the roof were almost taken seriously, which reminded me a little of the flaming squirrel story from This American Life.

Then I came home. They restrung the line from a completely different angle!! Why do I care? Because the trees in the front yard were planted so that they would not grow up into the power lines. Now, at least two are directly under the new line.

Now what? I must puzzle on it.