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What activity do you refuse to give up? How do you adapt to age?
I spent the afternoon in my favorite place - my yard and garden. I have gardened since the age of 9, had my own gardens for 54 years, been a Master Gardener volunteer for over 20 years and in two very different climates. I'm not "old" at 74 but I have a lot challenges with arthritis, bad shoulders, bad lungs, occasional vertigo...
While "removing winter" and preparing for the new season, I thought a lot about how to simplify 8 very different garden beds so I can manage them going forward.
Here are my ideas so far:
Simplify:
Replace annuals with tough perennials and attractive ground covers. Replace aggressive perennials with low-care shrubs.
Replace high-maintenance plants like roses with natives and other easy-care plants.
Use natural mulch and ground covers to keep weeds down, instead of wood chips that need to be replaced often.
Adapt:
Use mulch, Preen and ground cover to reduce weeds.
Hire help for the heavy work, and for intense seasonal tasks like "putting the gardens to bed." Even once or twice a year is a big help.
Put heavy patio pots on wheels for ease in moving.
Reduce:
Smaller gardens. A few vegetables in pots instead of a big garden (after all, you can get produce to can or freeze at the local Farmers' Market and support small businesses.)
Shrubs, decorations and landscape rocks in place of dozens or hundreds of plants.
Plant an "esy care" lawn rich in native clover or other ground cover and tough low-need, low-growing grasses.
Automate:
Irrigate with drip lines set on timers, or and irrigation system. The initial investment pays off over time.
What is your favorite activity, and how can you adapt as you go forward?
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Here it is forbidden to use a chair higher than a sand chair, one about 4 inches off the grass to avoid blocking the view of those sitting behind you. There is a small section roped off for wheel chairs.
Please let us know how using your new chair worked out. I could go to outdoor concerts again if a chair like the one you got were allowed here.
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1 ReactionHi, Joan
You make a good point. I, too,am concerned about not blocking anyone's view. When I get to use the chair, I'll take steps––like ariving early, setting up near the back or off to one side––so as not to become an obstruction.
Ray
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4 ReactionsHi Ray,
Thank you for making your very good point - that by arriving early and setting up at what will probably be the back of the audience, we can use a higher chair and not obstruct anyone's view. Next Thursday is our next free concert in the park; I'd better get that chair ordered! Now if only I can get there early enough to get a parking place within my walking distance. (Not too many years ago, I was riding my bike to these concerts!)
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2 ReactionsI love these suggestions! I'm 84 with peripheral neuropathy and arthritis in my hands. If I have a busy weekend, I take a day off (like today) to recuperate and laze around. I've cut way back on my gardening and I have a wonderful house cleaner who comes every month or so. I go to the gym 3 days a week and I've cut down on my driving. I don't fly anymore, so I'll skip a trip to Virginia with my wonderful husband. I don't go on our boat anymore. It's hard to say No to so many activities, but I have to feel safe and comfortable. And yes, I have a special deck chair that I can get out of off without falling over!
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7 ReactionsPerhaps I am not as "polite" as others..but I can't imagine them having a lawn concert and "not allowing" older persons to have whatever chair they needed so they don't have to get down on the ground!
Perhaps find an organizer - whatever venue puts this on, and tell them they need to be more flexible and figure out more than a "roped off area for wheel chairs"? Perhaps every other even "section" be for chairs and those odd sections be for those who choose to sit on a lawn?
If I sat down on a lawn through a concert of more than 20 minutes I'd have to stand up and stretch...good grief.
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2 ReactionsHello, @jillb329 ~
That's my criterion as well, SAFE and comfortable. I found that I could not carry a chair that was stable enough to be safe (too cumbersome and heavy) so I, too, have to decline many activities, including the wedding of a grandson who is getting married next month outdoors in Door Co., WI on the banks of Lake Michigan. Too many unknowns - no parking lots so have to walk on unpaved road, distance unknown, to the park; don't know how bumpy or smooth the grassy area is, how far it is to walk to a restroom, etc. My family, fortunately, totally "gets" it! And most importantly, I want the day to be about the wonderful young couple getting married and their families having the freedom to celebrate without having to attend to my needs. I will totally enjoy any photos and videos and will certainly be there in spirit, and they know that. I feel so blessed to be living in my own home, driving, and enjoy being able to live my own routine and make my own decisions, that nothing else can steal that peace.
Blessings to you,
Barb
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8 ReactionsMy husband and I have Kijaro folding camp chairs. They're sturdy and comfortable and the armrests help me stand up safely. We went to a picnic on Sunday - the ground was uneven and sloped down a hill. I was frankly terrified. My husband and my cane helped me find place to sit. I don't like feeling so wobbly and nervous. It's hard to give up things you enjoy.
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3 ReactionsHi Barb -
With the proliferation of "destination" weddings, sometimes all it takes is a quick call to the bride, groom or a family member.
When my daughter got married on the lakeshore at the groom's family property, about a mile from parking, they provided transportation via two ATV's for those who could not make the walk. It was lovely. And at the end of the evening they were able to transport members of the wedding party to rural their lakefront motel a couple miles away, safely and with no worries about if anyone over-imbibed. Having lived with many people with mobility issues for most of our lives, we try to be inclusive - and it doesn't hurt to remind anyone that "their" day was only made possible by the family who came before.
Another note about outdoor concerts - a call directly to the venue ahead of time often resolves that issue as well. People are nice if you give them the chance! Just don't wait to approach the Event Security near opening time - their job is usually to enforce the rules, not make exceptions.
Last Spring we went to see Willy Nelson, it had rained hard for days before, the open ground was soft, and the venue (which did not allow chairs) made sure those who needed a place to sit solidly on a chair could find a spot for it, and even came up with folding chairs. One of our local parks, if they have to move the concert from the amphitheater, offers rides up a fairly long hill, for those who cannot make the trek.
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7 ReactionsI love your attitude!
How wonderful that you did not make the event about you and your needs…to many times seniors do to the point of making everyone else feel bad. I hope as I get older and less able to be out and about on unsure footing that I will remember your note.
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3 Reactions