It's happening.
The Crippling of 2013.
It happens every year about this time as I start garden work for the first time.
How is it that I can lift weights and do cardio nearly daily - and yet one day's work in the garden and I'm all up in the Ibuprofen and heating pads!?
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| Here's a candid shot of me on the way to make coffee this morning.... |
I'm interspersing glorious shots of my garden here for inspiration today.
The next two days will be spent crawling around on my knees here and toiling away.
Gardening - it's such a labor of love - isn't it?
Does anyone know how much 20 yards of mulch is? Is it like a HUGE pile?
Cause that's what I've got coming, and I'm wondering if I will need help moving it.
Oh - and today I start the exercise program 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels.
Really Jayme?
I should be at St. Anthony's hospital no later than Wednesday evening.
Cards and calls appreciated.
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| Pre-weight loss. Ok...I feel better about me today. My garden really is fabulous - it's worth the crippling. |
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| Sprinklers. They are on of my favorite things in the world. I really do love gardening...no - really - I do. : -) Since this photo was taken, I've taken out some of these yellow daylilies - they were a bit much. |
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| Can't you just smell the grass and soil? |
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| The Squirrel awaits! |
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| Green beans mixed in with the flowers - still my favorite way to garden - every square inch filled with food or flowers. |
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| My hand is stuck in this position - as it will be until November. |
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| My babies from McMurray Hatchery are due to arrive on May 20th...: -) |
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| A Lovely combo |
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| I can't wait to stage the porch this year! |
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| Raspberries and Coneflowers |
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| My Happy Place |
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| A lovely place to spend the last golden moments of a summer's night. |
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| Serious happiness, right here. |
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| Limelight Hydrangeas |
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| So much goodness : -) |
Here's what I'll look like by Summer's end...it's what I feel like now.
Get out there today and dig!
It's good for the soul, and the body - I think - I mean - I'll let you know by the weekend.
I love your blog! I wish you were my neighbor....but I'd have garden envy. I'm crippled too. I started last week and now I'm stuck in a chair with rotating ice packs and heat pads on my neck and shoulder.....for the love of gardening. I LOVE your pictures:)
ReplyDeleteI am jealous of the way you garden and your perfect end results as each plant matures and blooms. Just a little cold and rain like yesterday is enough to cripple me. We are putting in a garden this year though... Fist time for me evah!
ReplyDeleteEvery aspect of your garden is totally divine....I'm green with envy. Want to swop houses?
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean ..one day of bending down and working in the garden works so many muscles that normal exercise does not touch! LOL..out...HOWEVER, My God your garden is BEAUTIFUL. I love the view from the house to the "squirrel" The sun setting...I could definately garden and enjoy life there Jayme. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteYour garden is just absolutely gorgeous! Worth all the hard work!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite thing to do is look at photos of your yard! I am also a yard cripple but I love it so! Every time I see your yard I am inspired so get the Bengay out I'm goin' diggin'!
ReplyDeleteI totally get it! This is the difference between gardening and landscaping ... landscaping is a relatively static thing, and a garden is ever-changing, growing, and evolving. Gardens require the soul and sweat of their gardener (and sometimes pain) to become their best. As a result, every garden is a reflection of its gardener. I often tell people that we never really know someone until we have visited their garden.
ReplyDeleteChicks in a box? How adorable!!
I love your distinction between landscaping and a garden. I have the former, which I will maintain in order to sell my house so that I can buy one where I can Garden! (Make no mistake, however, landscaping also requires pain to maintain. Not to mention $$$)
DeleteAbsolutely gorgeous Jayme!
ReplyDeleteI think I might check into buying some stock in Ibuprofin, lol!
There's nothing better than days spent outdoors playing in dirt surrounded by chickens! (I'm going to miss that this year :(. I'll have to be satisfied with planting peppers and tomatoes in empty kitty litter buckets. sigh.)
Jayme, no wonder you love to be home! You have created a small piece of Paradise. It is all lovely. Such work. But Jillian?. Really? You are just wrong in the head, Girl, glutton for punishment. So proud of you. The lady beside the mailbox is long gone!
ReplyDeleteI love the way you garden . . . mixing up food and flower. And like the deep magenta ish purple with green . . . Cora Bells? I am leaning a bit far to the right these days with sore fingers and knees. I find I get the most accomplished crawling like a babe through the gardens.
ReplyDeleteYour garden creations are the best . . . truly!
Wow! Your gardens are wonderful---so inspiring! We have been wanting to do more with the front our house and I love yours. Guess I need to buck up and go out and get busy--even with a little rain. Understand the pain too--even when you are in good shape there is something that happens when you pull out trees and are crawling all over the place. Excited about your chickens! I am hoping you tell about every minute since I don't think I am going to get them this year---so sad, but I hope to enjoy yours! Thanks for your blog, Jayme!
ReplyDeleteI spent an hour Saturday pulling weeds and "tilling" a teensy spot of dirt along the garage for my itty bitty herb garden...and today my hands don't work. No, really.....they quit working proper some time Saturday late.
ReplyDeleteHoping they return to "normal" before the week is out.
Cause there's some herbs that need planting, and another teensy patch of dirt along the fence that needs work.
What beautiful photos! You can do it again...I so envy you...the wind is blowing like a banshee...so tired of not being outside in the yard.
ReplyDeleteI love you and your stories Jayme. Glad you still have the picture I sent to you of you in the kitchen with your chickens and wearing your best dress. ha, ha. Going to Joplin soon, always think of you as a fellow, former, South West Missourian. Take care, bee stings hurt like crazy, one about did me in last year.
ReplyDeletePeg from Decatur
what a great hideaway - to just chill & relax a day away. awesome!! relax those fingers. i love that you can get to work in the earth. rain here today - but i will be back out there soon. i love it. enjoy!! have a great week. ( :
ReplyDeleteYour garden & house are so lovely Jayne, the crippling posture is worth it :D xxxx
ReplyDeleteOh my... your gardens are so very beautiful. Can I come over and just sit? (I drink mostly water, but ice tea or lemonade or half n half would work!) Seriously, just beautiful. A wee bit of heaven, I do believe.
ReplyDeletePam (from Colorado)
I can sympathize, with back problems and fibromyalgia I get crippled up too but OH the joy of gardening:) Your gardens and flowers are breath-taking!
ReplyDeleteSo funny!!! I feel your pain as the weeding and wedding prep has begun. I wonder what the neighbors think as I rise from on my knees to standing, which takes a good 2 minutes, upon which I begin to hobble around until feeling in my legs kicks back in!
ReplyDeleteWish I could have snagged your day lilies...yellow is the color of the wedding. I have quite a few, but could use quite a few more!!!
Love the squirrel...still looking for a rodent of my own.
Maybe I'll start the dvd with you...got to do something!
Jayme, I promise that 30-day shred isn't too bad! You can DO it! I'm trying out P90X this week (for me, that might just be the most stoopid thing ever). Sounds like we'll both be admitted about the same time - will you be my roomie?? :) Love love love your gardens. -Tammy
ReplyDeleteYour garden is going to have Martha Stewart jealous. Me for sure.
ReplyDeleteThe ridiculous chickens have found themselves quite the home. On my Oma's (grandma's) recliner having themselves some tea in the living room. They are too cute. Thanks again for making them :)
Amanda
I love the hands of a real gardener...short nails and the dirt stains in the cracks on the side of fingers! No one except a gardener understands how wearing gloves makes naught a difference. At some point we all bend over gloveless to grab a weed or two and destroy whatever manicure we might have had. I have a small flower garden (nothing even approaching the size of any of yours) and it kicks my fanny. This year I have some nasty week with roots that run under every blasted bit of the garden. It looked like I was pulling pythons out of the ground. Gardening is NOT for sissies!!
ReplyDeleteI can so totally relate to this post. Let the yard work begin. My mind is young,my body is telling me differnt. I was muttering quite a few omg's, not from aches and pains but from scrolling down and seeing all of your beautiful pictures. Your squirrel is so adorable. Tin Can envy. I still would love to have one. Now that Aaron is in the city, I just know he must love coming home all the more. Your home just speaks "Home Sweet Home".
ReplyDeleteI have been itching to dig in and get dirty. This weekend was the first with decent temps to clean out winters garden and start sprucing up as the daffodils have just opened and the hostas have strong shoots coming up. My anticipated pain comes from raking all the dirt and gravel thrown up in the yard from the snow plows; I look forward to that torturous chore each spring. Happy gardening and rest easy.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous, awesome garden-- jealous, jealous, jealous! And I share your pain. I spent 2 hours today just raking in preparation for the weeding. I'm afraid to lie down; I may not be able to move tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteMan that's some gorgeous inspiration! We've been working away for weeks but it seems like it's never ending and I just want to get to planting some pretty things but the hard stuff must be done first. I'm trying to pace myself so I don't end up where I was last year with serious back issues. Don't push yourself too hard!
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ReplyDeleteBee venom must act like Botox because you don't look like yourself in the first picture posted. Not sure I like it :) Au natural is much more your style! Happy digging.
ReplyDeleteLove your garden! Thanks for sharing such beautiful photos!
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ReplyDelete20 yards of mulch? Yep, get yourself a helper! Although I have no doubt that you could do it alone ;-)
ReplyDeletePlease tell me you're joking about working out on top of all the work you are doing in your yard?! I think all that yard work sounds like enough of a work out already!
ReplyDeleteI am so jealous. I live in Texas and the summers will kill pretty much anything they just literally cook. I would live outside in that garden it is gorgeous
ReplyDeleteI so admire your gardening style! We've gone from living in town, to loving the country life. I, however, have been a bit overwhelmed with so much space! What plants do you suggest for filling beds quickly? I have a large shaded flowerbed that really needs some love.
ReplyDeleteGlorious garden! Great photos! Just beautiful and yes it is worth all the pain. You will have the summer to enjoy all your hard work. That lovely garden is hard won... doesn't just happen... you get all the credit, Jayme! I'm trying out planting veggies and flowers all mixed up this year. I have most of the starter plants planted, but still need to plant seeds. I just have two tiny spots to plant in the woods... glad I can enjoy your garden... thanks, Jayme
ReplyDeleteI haven't done a dingdang thing in the garden. The house trauma has consumed my days. I have done nothing but do insurance logs of ruined toilet paper and copious amounts of perishables. How many bags of beans does one woman need? According to my cabinet 6. And I have to write down every replaceable value. I beginning to think since I hoarded them, they may be irreplaceable!! I miss thee my sweet Honey Boo Boo. xoxo
ReplyDeleteYour garden puts mine to shame. Where do you get your zinnia seeds to get so many? Wildseed Farms? I plan to order a pound of them. I am consumed with taking care of my lame chicken. She is so sweet and lively except for the fact she cannot walk. Gave her a soak in Epsom salt and she loved it and the blow drying afterward.
ReplyDeleteWish I had an ounce of whatever you've got that makes your garden so lush. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteYou would adore my Mom's garden...seriously.
ReplyDeleteI am just in awe of your garden Jayme, I am going to use the inspiration of your garden to help me do one for myself. I am in the middle of a life change right now for the good and I love it and I think a little dirt under the nails again will just help me enjoy it a little more. I am staying at a friends house right nwo til I can get back on my own and I have been out working in her small garden area right outside her front door while she is off doing her job and what she does. Been loving every minute of it. Right now here in Weatherford Texas we are having a bit of a cold spell so I need to wait till it warms up a bit before I can get back out there. I have a nice area where I want to plant soem more cactus to go with the one she has already there, add some pretty flowers and some gardening plants as well. I have already started her a small garden off to the other side of her front door and found a few more spots where I can add some more plants. We do her gardening in the front sense her dog kennels for her Kennel business are in the back and would not be a good Idea. Love how you have your small trailer off the back of the yard and it just blends in and really fits the enviroment. What type of trailer is it? I have been thinking of getting me one.
ReplyDeleteI love your gardens!! Please come tell me how do it and organize it all!! :) We have been seriously working on our garden this year but it's all raised bed veggie gardens. I'm ready to get in and around the trees with flower. I need color! Very pretty.
ReplyDeleteLove the pictures of your house, garden, and the Squirrel. Tom has been working in our yard, but I haven't caught the bug yet. These pictures should help. One thing for sure that I picked up from your pictures is that we need a lot more flowers, ours are to few and far apart. Love your home and am looking forward to another trip to visit you this summer!
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