Mid-June

Oh what progress I have made!  In the past couple of weeks I have become more mobile and stronger every day.  I have laid my crutches aside here in the house, and use them only when I am out and about.  I have been to a small grocery store (still not up to roaming around the big supermarkets) and helped more with the laundry now that I can get up and down stairs better... at least in the upright position!  It amazes me how much muscle strength I had lost in 6 weeks of being unable to use one leg!  The other leg is quite strong - to the point of being over worked - but the rest of me is pretty flabby.

Doctor appointment yesterday was all good news.  He is very surprised at how well I have recovered, and gave me permission to not only leave the crutches behind, but to leave the boot-cast off when I am at home!  I am still to use it when I go out of the house for at least the next 2 weeks, and start physical therapy to regain strength and functionality.  But the end is in sight and I feel like dancing!  After my appointment I ran three errands - getting in and out of the car and going into stores (not really big ones) and it was so good to feel .... capable... again.  For the past two and a half months, Dear Husband has had to do all the shopping and errand running, and it has been hard on both of us... for me to make complete lists, and for him to find the time and energy to get things done.

Today I started Physical Therapy, and after taking my history and making her examination, the Therapist was really impressed with how well I had recovered and how much progress I had already made on my own. She recommended the minimum visits that the Dr. prescribed, and thought that if I continued as I have begun, I will be back in shape very soon!  Hurrah!!!!!  None of the exercises were painful or horrible, I just have to set aside time and get them done!

Okay, enough of the foot business... on to celebrating LIFE!

Even though I am not yet able to garden, there is still growth and now BLOOMS to see in my front gardens. I am ever so glad that I have a thing for perennials! With NO help from me, the iris has bloomed in the Postbox garden (they are gone now) and now the Coreopsis are blooming.  The front border is pictured here, and I am especially pleased with the 'Pincushion Plant'... is is blooming profusely!  The Coreopsis next to it is a division of the one in the postbox garden, from a couple of years ago.

 

Winter was hard on the herb garden, which is supposed to be on the right side of the walkway, so DH started digging it up and we tore out bags full of mint... note to self.... If you MUST have mint, plant it in a container set in the ground!!!  I have a few replacement herbs to stick back in, but that will have to wait a bit.  I was pleased to be able to get some blooming annuals in the containers that are on the left side of the walkway - just to add some color.  They are not blooming in this photo, but each container has one of the geraniums that I grew from seed and kept in the house over winter.  Two of them have bloomed, so I hope as soon as they recover from the transplanting, they will bloom again.

  

Farther away from the front entrance is my current rendition of a vegetable garden....  Tomato plants in pots.  There are also some annual herbs and a pepper plant stuck in with them!  And still on the ground is one of the new window boxes.  They are now all planted and ready to set in the window, but I need help stringing some wire to secure them on the window ledge.  Even though these are in containers and should be easy to care for, the ground is cluttered and there is no clear walkway across or through the garden border, so watering everything with my wonky leg is still a bit perilous.....

And YES, I do have a vegetable garden, but it is not looking very good....  The "early Broccoli" that Aaron planted for me was hit by some warm weather and bolted.  The not-so-early broccoli seems to be doing well, as are the onion sets.  I need to get out the hoe and see if I can cut out some of the weeds...

And much to my relief, the cherries DID pollinate and I have a nice crop coming on:

Not gallons, but considering the age of this tree and the terrible winter that it has survived, I am quite pleased!  I am counting the days until I can have cherry pie!

Just this past weekend, DH took me to the garden center and followed me around with a wagon to collect bunches of annuals to plant in containers in the back yard and deck.  I had not done anything in the back yard last year, as we were planning to replace the deck... but that didn't get done, so I had a boring deck last summer.  We still intend to replace the deck, but I figure I am going to enjoy flowers anyway.  Containers can be moved!  I got everything planted up.  I will take photos when they recover from transplanting and fill in nicely.....

On family news, everyone is well.  DH is taking me down to see my Dad for Father's Day this Sunday, so I am making a picnic lunch for us to enjoy out on their patio. Then next weekend is one of the boy's friend's wedding, so both of my kids are coming home to attend that.  So nice of Tim to find a girl to marry that is from just down the road from us!  It will be just a weekend, and lots of that time will be shared with other people, but it will be SO NICE to have all our kids home!

Time to go... Elvis is telling me that he is BORED and I am just SITTING here, doing nothing that he sees as valuable, so GET UP and PLAY with me!

Until next time....