Thursday, January 18, 2018

Grounded


I couldn't go for my exercise walk today because I had a bit of a mishap yesterday.  But since we had a gap between rain storms I took my camera out into the yard instead. 

Ironically, yesterday Facebook reminded me that it was just four years ago on that day that I slipped and fell while out walking and face planted on the blacktop with a well placed piece of gravel that created a bloody lump right in the middle of my forehead. The resultant black eyes were quite dramatic, and it took months for the lump to go away. 

Well, yesterday I got an early start on my floor exercise routine, and then Tom and I went for our walk. So far, so good. At 11:15 I was ready to go work in the yard until 1:00. Boots on, snippers and bin in hand, I started on the driveway, clipping crocosmia and picking up debris. 

Then I moved on to the back yard where Tom was pruning a shrub on the wall. 
Scene of the crime.
We still had some fencing wire on the lawn as raccoon defense and I stepped over the first section but didn't realize there was another hidden in the grass. I tripped and in what seemed like slow motion, descended to the ground, body first,  and motion propelled into another face plant into the grass. My glasses went flying, but remained intact, and my face survived with only a slight bruise from one of the nose pieces. But I apparently torqued my right thigh muscles and my arthritic hip. 

Tom noticed me from his step stool when he heard the "G.. D....t" I expressed from the ground. After letting him know in no uncertain terms that it was time to pick up that damn wire, I got up with a hand up from Tom, collected my glasses, sat for a few minutes and then went back to work. However I was hobbling pretty good by the time we quit for lunch at 1:00. I had to go grocery shopping in the afternoon, so I had Tom go with me so all I had to do was push the cart.

Today I am much better, but it will be a few days before I can set an aerobic pace for 3 plus miles. I might have to work back up to that gradually. 

One of you asked about our raccoon saga. They still come back, and I checked, and we still have live Japanese Beetle grubs that they are after. We will have to wait until the first of March to start another grub eradication campaign.  I don't know what we will do about the raccoons when we try to replant grass. 

 Others of you have made comments about " gardening now?!"  Yes, here in the mild climate of the coastal Pacific Northwest there is always something to do in the garden if you can get out on dry days. There is mulch to spread, beds to dig or clear of debris, or perennials to clip, or shrubs and trees to prune. 

And there is always color and something blooming. 


 The patio pots are dressed for winter, but that geranium still not yet destroyed is a surprise. 

Yesterday we got the beds around the upper lawn clipped and cleaned out.

 We found daffodils emerging, with fat buds. 

 In the secret garden the moss carpet has come back. 
 Rain drops from last night's drenching bejewel branches. 
 We do grow moss well here. 

 Evergreen ferns ring the secret garden. 


 Big fat leaves still linger on the oak leaf hydrangea. 

 Native mahonia (Oregon Grape), sword ferns, and acuba fill in under the fir and maple trees. 
And the native red flowering current buds are teasing us and the hummingbirds as they wait to burst. 
There are more photos, but those can wait for another post. This one is quite long enough.  I have plenty of time on my hands, since I am grounded. 

14 comments:

  1. I hope your grounding doesn't last too long. I hate falling -- although I do it so well and so often and have since I went tumbling down a full flight of cellar steps at the age of two.

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  2. Falling is never good but let’s hope for a short recovery on this one. I do so love the lichen and moss of the PNW but Oregon grape, not so much. Makes me sad to see what the raccoons have done to your lawn.

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  3. I read your opening paragraphs with hand to mouth covering a series of muffled "Oh Nos!" I hope you recover quickly.

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  4. So sorry about your tumble, glad you are okay. Your gardens are lovely... mine are buried under about a foot of snow right now, but they tell me spring is right around the corner!!

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  5. Ouch! I remember that fall, four years ago now? Mercy how time flies. I smiled from ear to ear when I saw those fat daffodil buds. I hope you'll be back to your old self before too long. It doesn't seem as bad as that earlier fall. I hope. :-)

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  6. Sorry to hear about the fall. I hope recuperation comes quickly. As seniors we seem to fall and are not able to break the fall in any way.

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  7. Can't believe it's time to work in your garden out there.

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  8. Too bad about your tumble. But it sure is good that you didn't break any bones.
    I can never get over how big a difference it makes from Abbotsford to Seattle. It's really not that far yet you are way ahead in terms of things growing. And blooming, too!!

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  9. Glad your fall wasn't worse and am glad to hear that you're on the mend. Your garden looks fabulous as always!

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  10. Your new header is very pretty. Oh, I will never forget your fall four years ago. That's how I found you. Looking at someone else's blog, I gasped when I saw your bruised face on the tiny little picture listing your blog post. I clicked on it, read about your fall, and have been a fan every since. You were so brave to post that picture, and I just wanted to tell you haw bad I felt about your hurt face. Your yard always had something pretty growing, no matter what season. Hope you feel better soon.

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  11. I hate to hear that you fell. I am glad that you weren't hurt any worse than happened. Your garden is already looking so neat. I am waiting for the snow to melt. It should be gone by this weekend and then maybe I can get out some before another arctic blast comes through. I love all that moss.

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  12. While I would love something blooming year around, I would not like to have to garden year round. I do like my months indoors to work on art and photography.

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  13. Sorry about your fall, at least you didn't break anything. Those raccoons are buggers. Is there a coon season there? Here it is in the fall I think...a neighbor used to hunt them and you could hear those coon hounds howling when they treed one. Daffodils already! You have something interesting in your gardens all year round:)

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  14. We had the same problem with raccoons chewing up the lawn looking for grubs in Illinois. It always amazes me how you can garden in January. We couldn’t garden in Illinois until April. And May is when we can safely put out summer plants. I was surprised you can leave our cyclamen. You were able to get up and move and do things after taking a fall? Wow! That’s really amazing. I would have been laid up for a month.

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