For me gardening has always been a wonderful outlet. Since the RA
though digging in the soil is just out of the question for me.
About this time of year all the gardening catalogs stuff my mailbox
full. I spend hours looking at them. Only problem is, now I
can't really plan and do what I would like.
Two years ago, I got containers and grew some things in there.
Hubby has been nice and sets those out for me in the Spring and puts
them away in the Fall. It is nice to be able to do that but
pardon me for a little whine....I WANT TO DO SO MUCH MORE!
We moved into this house a little over 5 years ago, the landscape quite
neglected. I really didn't have the funds (or energy) to work on
the landscape, lots of life events prevented what I wanted to do.
Now that those things have resolved, RA hits me.
These are the sorts of things that first make me blue, then angry, then
blue again. I know I should count my blessings....I'm just so
frustrated.
So, as winter begins to wind down, when the stark landscape of VT
beings to green up, when everyone seems happy with a little warmth, I
feel like something large is missing from my life, my gardening.
We still have another month or two of winter here in the north country
left to go.
The other Spring event for me each year relates to astronomy. It
is the time of year that you can see so much in the night sky. It
is one of the best times of the year. Crazy people do this thing
called the Messier Marathon, over 101 objects that can all be seen in
one long night. I haven't been able to pick up my telescope for
over 2 years now.
So there is another Spring event missing that makes me sad, then angry, then sad again.
Sorry, what started out as a little whine turned into a big pity party
but perhaps some of you can relate with the seasonal changes and what
that means. Each season brings things I wish I could do but
can't, at least right now.
So, I'll hope for better days and try to make some lemonade out of
these lemons. Gawd help me I'm gonna need a lot of sugar.
Hi VTmtngirl,
My heart goes out to you. Your husband is a angel to help you with the containers. It's so nice to watch the things that you have planted grow. I miss my gardening and I now have to settle for the silk flowers and plants. My landlord made me get rid of all of my plants that I had outside.
Now about the telescope. The lady who lives in back of me has this telescope and she had the case placed on wheels to make it easier to take it up the stairs. As far as the scope it's self, she puts that on this little dolly and rolls the thing around. She gets the kids in the complex to help her with the setting up of the scope and then lets them look through it. She has tried to get me to join in but the timing hasn't been right. She will spend hours looking through that thing.
Hope that this helps.
Marisa
It snowed today, I was in the "spring" mode with planting seeds in inside pots and many of them have sprouted. We had a few days of warm...above 30ish here so that was quite a relief but then the weather changed and I have been resting adn sleeping on and off in between running errands and getting all the basement stuff done for my daughter.
She is having several classmates from her old school in Indiana coming to visit for the weekend so I have been planning a HUGE party for all of them and it used to be so much easier. There is so much to do and little energy to get it all accomplished, but for my daughter I will do just about anything, especially these days ( anothe rpost another day).
It is difficult not being able to do the activities you used to be able to do especially things like gardening and being more active.
bb
Hi Nanette,
I too love gardening. We live in Northern Monterey, CA close to the ocean and next to a green belt. For years I've wanted to landscape and never gotten around to it. Now with RA I don't have the strenght for much outside work. I do have a few outlets though. I have one greenhouse window in a bathroom that is my pride and joy. The pots are all fairly small so I can lift them without too much trouble to water them. They're right next to the shower so If I'm really lazy I just water them with the shower. In my upstairs bath I am lucky enough to have a sky light. Underneath I have a whole collection of orchids. They are a little harder to take care of because the pots are fairly big and I have to lift them to drain the saucers. Again, they're right next to the shower so I could put them all in the tub to water them. I have containers on my upstairs deck including some dwarf trees and strawberries in cascading pots. I make my husband take down two hanging planters in the kitchen to hang outside at eye level so I can tend to them. He waters and fertilizes them. The outside I've pretty much given up on. Maybe another time.
AAAhhh yes, spring time. It was 80 degrees in Houston today. The birds are chirping and the flowers in the neighbors yards are starting to bloom. So in the spirit of springtime, I put some new artificial flowers in my froggy flower pot and then I went inside and dusted the leaves on my plastic plant. For an added touch I sprayed lavender scented Glade throughout the house. So now that the gardening is done, I guess it will be time for spring cleaning; any one wanna guess what that will be like???
Sadly enough my ability and work ethic doesnt carry over when it comes to gardening or housework. I cant keep a plant alive for anything, I have even killed aloe vera plants and a cactus. At work I am neat and efficiant. At home I let the house get totally messy all day and then do a 30 min run through before anyone comes homeOh did you have to mention Spring cleaning???? After 6 months of
winter in Northern VT, you want to just hose down the whole
interior of the house. My curtains need washing and I won't go
into all that other stuff too. I have to go up and down two long
flights of stairs to do laundry, needless to say, I'm constantly behind
on that. VT~Gardening has always been more than a chore to me....I've always thought of it as a hobby. I still love it but can't do it like I use to. I very much understand your heartbreak at this point. Our friend Meme had her husband create planter boxes for her so she could still be able to manage. She grows beautiful flowers every year. I'm sure she'll post some pictures for us as soon as possible. You do have to adjust as you already have done with your container gardening. Try to keep things simple and choose plants that don'w require too much work. That way on the days you don't feel like doing anything you can just sit and enjoy. A helpful husband makes it easier for me tooHey VT - it's almost spring here, too. Gardening is what got me into this
After a month on Enbrel, my heart sang when I worked in the yard for an hour! Raked leaves and planted tulips (that sat out all winter since I didn't have it in me to plant them last fall). I used to be able to work all day in the garden but now, like everything else, it is doing it in small batches. I used to look out with visions of what could be, now it is maintaining. Watch some of the catalogs, I saw hanging pots with a pull down so you can water them at waist height and then would go back up. Susan I might get some of those gardening magazines myself...I could cut out the pictures and paste them around the edges of my windows so when I open my blinds all I see are pretty flowers! If any of you ever get your strength and energy back and you run out of yard...I have a big blank slate behind my house. Actually I did have some of those big puffy flowers growing on top of some 3ft tall weeds, but the lawn cutters mowed them down. I will never have a lush garden unless I move into a forest or pay someone else to do it. Or maybe the idea about the magaine cut outs...
Yet another Springtime thing except this time, I'm going to act like
the government and farm it out. It kills me but I'm going to hire
a housekeeper to at least do Spring and Fall cleanups in the
house. As much as I don't like housework, I've always done
it.
I've never been a good housekeeper, I can always find something better to do
But even for me, things are bad. I do keep things 'clean', just
not organized, tidy and nice. I need to seriously go through all
my closets and reorganize my kitchen too. UGH.
spot. I bought 100 bulbs last year, and when planting them, my hands &
feet swelled up. I got 'em in, and I haven't given up on it. I'm doing spring
cleanup in 10 minute bursts, because that's what I can do right now, I'm
the one who wanted the big yard & garden, & there's no one else who can
do it. Started a BIG landscaping project, and somehow, I'm going to finish
it this year!!
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