This last week saw me unable to ride my bike outdoors as I attempted to regrow some skin. This meant I had to take the bus every day because the train was not going all the way into downtown due to road construction that affected the tracks. And because road construction season is in full swing, the bus route is also detoured in numerous places and what would normally be a 40-minute ride often took 60-90 minutes depending on whether it was morning or afternoon. Brutal. And so I was late home and exhausted every single day.
The week ahead looks only slightly better. While my knee is healing up quite nicely and does not prevent me from cycling, my left hand is still quite a mess. The fingers and palm of my hand are blue and purple from bruising and the backside of my hand is yellow from bruising. But the worst part remains the missing skin, the largest patch is about the size of a quarter and is a solid scab. It is healing, but slowly and the opening and closing of my hand pulls the skin and makes me say, ouch!
Unable to bike and unable to garden either. I can’t get a glove on my hand to protect it and I can’t use it so I’ve been telling Bookman to do things like add mulch to the potatoes. If I am careful, I am able to pick the black raspberries that are suddenly coming ripe. Oh, are these delicious! We have some red raspberries too but I love the black ones so much more. I worried in the spring since we hacked back the patch quite a lot that we wouldn’t get many this year. Ha! I was so wrong and I have never been happier about not being right.The currants are also getting ripe. We have black currants and red. Both are still small so the black currants will probably be added to baked things and the red will be a very small batch of jelly that will likely be gone after a couple pieces of toast. But that’s ok, still something to look forward to!
The Dashwoods have been fairly well behaved this week. Though we had planted a few new things in the chicken garden this spring and had thought we protected them, we didn’t do a good enough job of it and this week the remaining plant was demolished by oblivious hens.
I am also growing scarlet runner beans up the side of the shed in the chicken garden again this year since they were such a success last year. They were doing great. Were. I had them protected by row cover fabric but an extra breezy day and some lucky scratching by a chicken, created an opening to get behind the fabric. By the time I discovered it, there was only one runner bean left. I have to come up with some better, more secure barriers.
Bookman took a good look at the garden gate we temporarily repaired to keep Marianne out. When we moved in to the house 15 years ago we built this gate, a little arbor and trellis fencing along the back of the garden. Well in addition to the slats on the lattice gate coming loose, we’ve been noticing some of the fence posts had developed a wobble. We figured we just had to add some concrete to secure the posts. Bookman’s inspection revealed that one of the posts, an older one that was part of a fence that was there when we moved in, is actually rotted at the bottom and if a good hard wind hit it just right he is certain it would take the whole arbor down.
This is not a project we have been happily planning on doing, but now that we have to we are taking the opportunity to rethink the whole fence/gate situation. We built the arbor originally to grow grapes on but the grape thing didn’t pan out as the grapes kept dying over the winter. We tried a rose with no luck. For about five years we had a gorgeous honeysuckle climbing the arbor and then for no apparent reason the whole thing just died. After that we tried a trumpet vine with no luck and a number of other perennial vines that all died as well. So we planted morning glories and they did magnificently. They did so well they spread themselves throughout the entire garden and have now become a noxious annual weed we can’t seem to get rid of.Today I have been scrolling through Google images looking for ideas and found so many creative gates that are absolutely gorgeous and completely wrong for my garden however much I might wish I had the space and the style that fit them. I did find a few with great potential. What it will eventually come out looking like is anybody’s guess at this point. It will either end up really plain and unassuming, or some crazy DIY gate from salvaged materials that we cobble together.
Bookman and I both have Tuesday off for Independence Day and while we already have a bunch of other things planned, I think we have to try and squeeze in at least getting started on this project. No doubt it will involve swearing, some bickering disagreements, and a number of trips to the hardware store, if it is even open. Wish us luck!
I know what it’s like to garden (and cook, and pretty much organize a household) by proxy, and will be doing it again starting on July 13, when I get home with my new knee. By then I hope you’ll be healed up.
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Thanks Jeanne! It’s hard when you are used to being able to do all these things. I hope your surgery goes well and you are back on your feet again in no time!
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Sorry to hear about your injuries.Life forces us to stop sometimes. I gave up on grapes too because the birds kept stealing them and then we had a very wet year and I think the vine got water logged. Temperamental things.
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Thanks Kathryn! One of the risks of cycling. I planted a grape against the south side of my house last spring because I thought maybe it needed a warmer more protected place and it is doing really well. It looks like I might even get some grapes this year! I am happily surprised and keeping my fingers crossed for it to keep doing well!
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I hope you are better soon. I’m healing too -stitches out tomorrow! But still stiff and sore. It’s frustrating to not be able to do your normal activities. Your garden looks to be in a lot better shape with some neglect, than mine!
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Thanks Jeane! Stitches! Ouch! I hope you get better soon too! We’ve been lucky to have a lot of rain and warmth. Unfortunately, the weeds are doing as well as the vegetables!
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Sending you a lot of love, and good vibes, Stefanie! ❤
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Thanks Deepika! Healing slowly but surely 🙂
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Get well soon Stefanie! I know all this is very painful! Also hoping you reach an amicable decision regarding the gate! 😉
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Thanks cirtnecce! I am healing slowly and things are starting to itch! So hard not to scratch. We are getting close to figuring out the gate. I think 🙂
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I hope you heal very soon! It must be very frustrating! Maybe you can get some reading done instead while you heal? So glad your raspberries are working out!
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Thanks Laila! Getting better! The raspberries are sooo good!
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It’s so annoying when you plant something that turns into an absolute thug and tries to take over the garden – why did I plant ajuga?!
I made my first batch of wild raspberry jam last night, so much better than shop bought jam.
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pining, right? I’ve grown morning glories for years and they have been well behaved and then they turned on me! Yum, wild raspberry jam, definitely better than store-bought!
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Stefanie, I’m sorry to hear you’re injured, having to take the bus instead just makes it so much worse, ugh. Maybe you got to catch up on reading a bit? I’ve taken to listening to podcasts when I have to bus it, and it makes it much more enjoyable.
A bit late, but try some arnica salve on the bruising, works amazingly well. Or arnica tablets just after the incident can prevent the bruises happening in the first place. I’ve seen some great results.
At least you have raspberries to keep you happy! We are enjoying blackberries from the garden, though I think the strawberries are over now. I’m thinking of putting some raspberries in a shady patch, apparently there are some varieties that love shade.
Best of luck with the gate! I think you could both just chill out and have a read instead. Get Bookman to make a cake!
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Thanks Maggie! I had a few podcasts to listen to at first but then I got caught up. I tried reading and could do it in the mornings but coming home the bus was too packed and loud and there was so much starting and stopping it made my head swim.
Thanks for the advice about arnica! I will keep it in mind for next time because no doubt there will be a next time at least for bruises.
The raspberries are sooo good! I love blackberries too but they are not hardy here. My poor strawberry patch ran out of steam a couple years ago and I have been trying to start a new on in a different part of the garden but haven’t had much luck. I love strawberries and it made me sad I had to buy some at the store this year.
Nothing happened with the gate but Bookman did make a cherry pie from what we got from our tree this year 🙂
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I hope the healing process has sped up a little bit since you wrote this post. I had a pretty bad fall at the end of May (skinned and bruised my knees), and it didn’t completely heal until last week. I couldn’t believe how long it took.
Were you and Bookman able to work on the gate?
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AMB, thanks! Healing pretty well. I can do things with my hand again though I still have to be careful. Oh your poor knees! I am glad they are healed now. We did not work on the gate because it ended up being hot and uncomfortable humid so we had homemade ice cream and from scratch cherry pie with our own cherries 🙂
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Ah yes, construction season. I know it well. The one up side to your long commute is that hopefully you can spend it reading?! I hope all the bruises are gone now and the rest of your cuts and scrapes are well near mended!
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