Hello Folks ~ Here we are into a new week. My heart and prayers go out for all those in TX that have had to deal with historical weather that has done so much damage, and taken lives as well. When you are NOT expecting that kind of weather as normal seasonal patterns it would be shocking and something you're not prepared for. Now there are those dealing with flooding in TN and KY. Actually, my prayers are for the whole world, landslides, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, etc.
Today, Tuesday, 2 March it is very warm and humid. At 10:57 a.m. EST it is 81 but the real feel is 89. Yikes! I was working outside, but am done for today. I wanted to get a post up sometime today.
Well, I now have a hardworking younger man here clearing the 'junk yard' and taking scrap iron/metal. He has been clearing out overgrowth as well so that I am kept busy with hauling brush out to curbside. He has been here 8 or 9 times now and I can hardly believe how much he has hauled away to the scrap yard. He gets the $$. It isn't much these days for iron, but there has been some aluminum also. I had asked him how much in the beginning and he said no charge, as he is getting the $ from scrap. He speaks a little English and I speak a little Spanish. When I text him. I look up a translation page online to get what I want to say in Spanish. It's working.
Sean was here again last Friday to trim another tree, a strangler fig, which I may have cut down completely one of these days. He got it trimmed before it leafed out with spring growth and birds made any nests. I made a large sheet pizza from scratch, 1/2 with Italian sausage and cheese and the other with pepperoni, artichokes and cheese, what he likes. I baked it, cut it in half, then froze it until he came.
With all of this tree trimming I've had a LOT to haul out front. Each Saturday the brush truck comes around to pick up piles with it's scooper. I wave and give the man a thumbs up. I'm appreciative. I make sure my pile is neat and cut to a good size that is recommended or smaller and bag the small stuff.
I've been exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally. Decorative iron pieces have been uncovered which I am keeping. All of this metal makes me think of my dear husband and how he hated to see anything useful going to the dump if he saw it on the side of the road. We sold some, used some. We found good things dumped, not just scrap metal bits. Some things are in this little cottage, some we sold in our antique shop years ago, and other things he used with his antique restoration jobs for us and other antique dealers.
Now, let me take a break and edit some photos to share here. I'll be back later.
Later is now the 5th, I wrote the above on the 2nd. Juvenal came Monday morning but has taken the rest of the week off as his upper back shoulder area was in pain. I guess so, with all that he has been doing. He will be back next week. I am thankful for the time off, it has given me time to myself, and I puttered yesterday in the 'secret garden', not done but making forward progress. That is what the property is in right now, a state of forward progress. I will be glad when the fencing, trees being trimmed, and clearing property of overgrowth and metal is over.
Below are some wrought iron chairs that I kept. ;-)
Well, here it is the 8th, Monday a few minutes after noon. Juvenal was here this morning and worked for around 3 hours, filling his truck bed with more scrap iron and he did some tree trimming and clearing vines off the barn's big awning, which I want to park under once again when everything is cleared out of the space.
Found some more decorative iron pieces that I'm keeping.
Saturday Sean and Stan were here to take down old fencing, and replacing with the new sections, 4 1/2 of them, so the west side of property is done. I know the neighbors are happy about that. I am thankful for their contributing $$ for the panels. Prices had gone up since the last time I bought fencing and that was quite the shock, I used gift $$ to make up the difference. That fencing job was about 5 hours with maybe 30 minutes for lunch, which Stan got for us at Wendy's which was just up the road. Cheese burgers, fries and cokes. Hit the spot. We were all beat when they left around 2ish.
This week I made something sweet for the guys to take home, peanut butter, oatmeal, chocolate chip bars. I also gave some to Juvenal this morning. He brought me coffee, a hash brown patty and chicken on a biscuit from McD's.
Saturday evening I was having horrible sciatic pain right rear cheek and down leg. I've not had anything like that before and am pretty sure it is from all of the bending, hauling, and walking cut limbs, etc. out to the street, for the past few weeks, hours at a time. Plus, Saturday I had been on my feet for over 5 hours. I broke down crying and took an ibuprophen, just sat and tried to relax, used a heating pad and a pain cream too. Yesterday morning it was better, and this morning I took an ibu before Juvenal got here. It's bad when I get up after sitting or laying down for awhile.
I'll share more pics later. I've got to download, edit and sort them. I'm about ready to go get horizontal for a nap. I have PILES of brush to cut smaller to carry out front and some to cut up and bag. NOT looking forward to it but it needs doing and I'm a grateful FlowerLady. I'll get pictures of the different projects together for different posts for later dates.
With that, I'll close. If you don't see another post for awhile, you'll know why.
Love, hugs and prayers,
FlowerLady
Here's a photo of one of my very favorite flowering plants.
Eranthemum - Blue Sage
I got the original plant from the flea market over 30 years ago.
It is easy to propagate from cuttings.
Here are a couple more pics of blooms here at Plum Cottage.
17 comments:
Iyiiyii! Your work load is incredible! Nice to hear how you have had
the help with fence and clearing, but now the leg/nerve pain has flared up.
I hope you can get some relief from it. I am sure your yard will look
so different to you with all this accomplished. Please try to rest when
you can. I know the men enjoyed the food you have made them as they work.
Prayers for you and all that you are trying to finish. Lynn and Precious XX
It’s hard to accept that our bodies will not do what they used to isn’t it ? Good job done though all that clearing. Lovely pics as usual, hope you are ok otherwise.
Briony
X
So glad you have help with all that work
Wow, you are really working hard, but getting a lot done. I love your flower pictures. You always have such beautiful plants. If I lived near you, I would get a start of that Blue Sage from you. It is stunning! Have a good week. Take it easy and feel better soon.
With aging 'tired' becomes the default mode! Sciatica is a nasty pain--I find it grabs at me when I'm least expecting it--and then I try to recall what I did to bring it on.
Gardening is heavy work and nothing more so than having to clear out junk and weeds. As long as the rewards stay ahead of the effort I think most dedicated gardeners will keep at it until we absolutely can do no more.
With all the heavy work you do, no wonder you have pain. I do hope you can keep it down with pills. Being in pain is very hard.
You are working so hard to get your yard tidy. In Florida and along the Gulf Coast, that is almost a fulltime job for a young person. People just don't realize how fast and thick things grow in the South. Watch out and baby that sciatica leg, please!
Oh, my goodness -- that is SO much work.
I'm sure you are right about it being the cause of your sciatica. I have had a problem with that a lot, my whole adult life, and I finally overcame it with these exercises which are really just positions. https://www.healthline.com/health/mckenzie-exercises#What-are-McKenzie-exercises?
It helps if, when you are doing a lot of bending and twisting, to take a break and lie on the floor on your back to let it relax, and then do these stretches lying on your front, which take the pressure off your sciatic nerve.
It really works! Heat can sometimes make it worse, because it spreads the inflammation. Ice is good, but I know, ice is not convenient or cozy. I hope you heal fast.
Hi Lorraine. I can relate to most of the things you mentioned in this blog post. My sister and I have done a lot of clearing on my property. I had someone come and take some iron and put some at the roadside which was picked up. There was a lot of garage at the back of my lawn and it took us 3 yrs. off and on to clean it all up. You can't imagine what we put in the garbage. When it was all cleaned, we dug trenches to clear some water off. Plus we did a lot of wood staining, the deck and things around. This year, we will have it more easy, we hope. Although trees and bushes grow so fast and always need trimming. We still have snow on the ground. Winter gives us a break and a rest. We do enjoy being outside.
Your flowers looks gorgeous. I'm anxious to see some of mine.
Take care. Thelma.
Wow, so much work to be done at your cottage. I'm glad you have that young man helping you clear out all the scraps and brush, etc. Your property must look so much nicer now. But I'm so sorry to hear you have sciatica. That is such terrible pain. I was plagued by it a couple of years ago. When it first hit me, my leg collapsed and I couldn't even walk. I had to crawl to get into bed that night. I ended up going through physical therapy and she used the exercises what's called the McKenzie Method. Start with the press-ups. You can find more info online. They really did work. {{hugs}}
Wow! That's a lot of work for sure. I hope by now your sciatica pain has gone away. It really is good that you have help that comes by and hauls stuff for you. Those iron chairs are so interesting. It's also nice that the city or county or whoever hauls away brush for you. Hope the rest of your week is restful for your muscles and joints!!
You are having so much work done, and joining in to help. It is like you are moving a mountain or at least a hill. I hope you rest your leg from pain and that it heals. The iron chairs were like a treasure you found, and the blue flower is wonderful.
Oh, you're smart to rest and refrain from work that is just too much. I hope you're better soon!
You and your friends have been quite busy, Lorraine! It is easy to see how you are tired in every way, including emotionally. You have done some hard work and accomplished much. Hope you are able to take a bit of time to rest and heal!
Hello my friend!! So amazing the amount of work you are getting done. Good for you! I am glad you have people to help you. Have a great weekend! Love, KK
Oh, how I enjoyed hearing about all the progress and HELP you're making/getting!
The wrought iron chairs are so beautiful - and the blue bottles...
For the last several years now, my husband and I have known we need to cut back on our flower beds, etc. but we just haven't done it. He has to do more and more of the work as my hip really troubles me along ith one of my shoulders.
Today I went out with the hedge shears and cut back the sedum to the ground where the green is just beginning to show. We raked a lot of leaves and debris. Actually, one of the large piles of snow finally melted in the last day or so...
I am eager for spring. The birds have begun waking up at 6:00 to greet the dawn. Monday, however, it is possible we'll have some snow. :(
I have cut back on my blogging - currently only blog on the lifeandgodliness one. I hope to post now and then on the gardening one this spring-summer. I tend to do more on facebook these days. Have I seen you there?
Have a peaceful rest-of-the-weekend, Lorraine.
Wow, FL - what a huge lot of work that sounds like, both for the men and for you! You must be exhausted. You sound a bit overwhelmed. Those chairs are elegant and stunning - glad you kept them. It's so so hard to turn up old memories. You are a strong lady! Don't overdo!
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