Can we handle this?

11 years ago

I'm going to try not to whimper and cry here but the two of us who have been farmers and gardners since day one are going to need to hang up the hoes. We have both been in the hospital and hubby still is and they tell us it will a number of weeks before either of us are totally well. this is diffcult to handle. I had pneumonia and EArl has had and does have cellulitus in his leg. Thank goodness we were visiting a daughter in Minnneapolis and she got him to the hospital in time or he would have died as his leg went septic. So we have a row to hoe ahead of us. They tell us the gardens will need to do without us this Summer. I'm a strong person but this has really knocked both of us for a mental and physical loop.

Comments (8)

agnespuffin
11 years ago
One day at a time! The more you take it easy and heal well NOW, the sooner you will be able to return to doing the things you love.

Don't try to do anything for a while. You'll hate it, but it will help you get better sooner.

I finally got through with my husband that the old man inside that body could only do some of the work that he used to do. It might take a week or more to get the leaves raked or the weeds pulled, but that was ok! He no longer had to get it all done at once.

Soooo, both of you.....take it slow and easy. Good things happen to those who wait patiently.
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
11 years ago
Get well soon!
Related Professionals
70037 Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Forest Park Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Saint Louis Park Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Wilmington Landscape Contractors · Deer Park Landscape Contractors · El Reno Landscape Contractors · Fort Mill Landscape Contractors · Gloucester Landscape Contractors · Nanuet Landscape Contractors · Solana Beach Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Pittsburgh Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Verona Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Hutchinson General Contractors · Norman General Contractors · West Whittier-Los Nietos General Contractors
lilosophie
11 years ago
Oh, I can imagine how you feel! I broke my hip in July '10 and I am just now getting almost as mobile as I used to be.
Graduated from walker to quad cane and now have a light cane to keep balance, I live in rough terrain.
Garden was totally ignored in '10 and not much was done in '11 and now I can do a bit more and enjoy such as is blooming, and what isn't - oh well.
My advise is to find something you can do and emjoy and not get bored.
You are in this together, so you have mutual support, that will help.
Wishing you the best.
rob333 (zone 7b)
11 years ago
Lilo said what I was thinking, find something you enjoy to avoid boredom.

You'll just have to modify gardening for a while. Can you have two or three containers that you get to tend, up close and personal? It'd have to be your very most special plants, but it'd give you a chance to "get your hands dirty" and to see something blooming.
anneliese_32
11 years ago
Yes, one day at a time and take time. I was the idiot that thought I knew better and then suffered for it and had no garden for two years.

To both of you a steady recovery, sit down and let the world pass by and enjoy watching it.
mawheel
11 years ago
Posie, sending good thoughts and prayers your way for recovery and patience, too, for you and your DH. The real gardeners on the GP have given you good advice; listen -- and remember, too. :>)
meldy_nva
11 years ago
I'm so sorry that either of you have health issues. It's frustrating when one has problems, but when it's both it probably seems twenty times worse.

I agree with all of above. Do *not* rush in the attempt to get back to 'normal'; doing so will cause the healing time to take far, far longer.

Some 5-gallon buckets (with holey bottoms) really will make you feel better, go for a tomato or two, bush-type squash and cucumbers. A 1-gallon bucket will hold a bunch of carrots and/or radishes, beets, a cabbage or bok choy, and/or a lettuce mix. Practice succession planting for carrots and beans. The local dollar store has buckets at $1 each, so no guilt at poking holes in the bottoms. Have someone set up a drip irrigation system and use an automatic timer so that you don't have to deal with watering issues. In a month you can be having your own homestyle salads. I know that isn't as good as a regular garden, but it sure beats the store-bought stuff. A friend did this while inconvenienced with a broken leg; he liked the easy growing so much that he still has a big "patio garden" even though his leg has been healed for about ten years. Last I looked, he had about 50 buckets, lol.
west_gardener
11 years ago
Oh yes, take it easy and let the body heal. I know it is easier to say than to do, especially in the spring when the gardenening bug hits. I wish both of you the best of luck and happy gardening when you get back to it.