Neuropathy & Exercise

Jane, I know to count myself very fortunate indeed to still be gardening as I can on my rump. Each year becomes more of a challenge. My kitty, Precious, loves to perch on the floor to ceiling tree stand I installed for her in front of a picture window. From her perch and my recliner, we enjoy sitting together watching the birds come to birdfeeders on a large tree near the window. Today a vibrantly colored Colorado cardinal took turns with a few sparrows and pidgeons sampling the birdseed. Cocky little fella' but also gallant for sharing space. Smiles

Yes, Rachel, I blame it on our concrete hard clay soil. However, I've added so many amendments...compost bought and homemade, nutrients, rich potting soil...maybe the added nutrients are the draw and like all good critters, the hostas serve as their daily "veggies"? I'm spoofing but regardless of location, sun, shade 1/2 & 1/2, hostas remain a challenge.

@fiesty76 Yes! Another faux exercise moving horse manure from the stalls to an out of sight spot. I'm using last year's on my garden. I have designated spots for tomatoes, cucumber, crookneck & delicata & winter squash, mini pumpkins and asparagus. Those spots are reserved for vegetables, so I don't plant other things there. Every other day I take the peelings from the kitchen to those garden spots. Not much exercise but I guess I could count the number of steps. I have to put the kitchen compost on the garden, which is fenced, because the dogs were eating it.

I just finished my days work and am sitting in a chair on the back lawn, admiring what's done, and deciding what to do tomorrow. There's a corner of the garden that still needs some attention. I have a big pile of weeds and deadheading stuff to move to the opposite corner of our place, but I'm putting it off until I get tires repaired and put on the riding mower and trailer. I could wheelbarrow it, but that's a lot of walking. The mower trailer is bigger than the wheelbarrow and I can save my feet for other things.

Happy Easter.

Jim

Ohhh, Jim, I think ahm' in luv!!! Your garden sounds like veggie heaven!! and then you have horses Too???? Just my very humble opinion but whether moving horse manure or walking veggie peelings to the garden, each step counts...especially with troublesome ailments, like neuropathic feet that slow us down and make us pay an extra price later for our efforts.

Gardening for me must be something like what is called a "runner's high". Once started, I lose all sense of time and thoughts of anything else. I do find myself taking more sitting down breaks but those also give me an opportunity to view progress and like you, plan the next most needed yard task.

Before having my yards professionally landscaped and reducing lawn to a much smaller patch in the back, I bought an electric mower as my retirement gift-to-self. Now with less physical stamina, that mower has been a Godsend for me. Whatever tools we have that can be used, like repaired tires for the your riding mower and trailer, are prized because they enable us to keep doing what we love. ...Sigh, and you have horses, too???? How many?

I used to have six cats, all rescue, living at my former home in Palm Springs, California. They kept me amused for hours on end and slept with me at night. I loved their chattering noise that they made whenever they saw a bird from our window. But they were conspicuously silent when the local roadrunner came into our yard and pecked at the window.

@fiesty76

I don't own any horses. We have irrigation rights for 7 of our 10 acres, so in exchange for handling the water, friends kept their 2 horses on it until a year ago. After they sold one of them they moved Lloyd, our neighbors asked if they could lease our pasture for their cattle and horses in exchange for handling the irrigation and upgrading the pasture. I did water the last month of last year's season and knew that I couldn't do it long term, hard exercise though it was. I have a manual water line - 30' pipes that are connected, 7 or 8 in a line. It takes 6 settings to water the pasture. So, while their small herd grazes we enjoy watching them. After the cows graze the grass down, they move them and let their 5 horses supplement their hay by grazing the pasture.

Whatever animals are on the pasture, my service dog's Border Collie instincts kick in, so whenever she's outside she thinks it's her duty to keep the animals in a group. It's interesting to watch.

So, to tie my comments to the heading of this group, Neuropathy and Exercise, without my riding mower I have to walk a lot when I go around our ten acres digging up thistles. To get rid of thistles you have to dig up the taproot. More exercise. So, from April through November my exercise routine is productive.

A long, roundabout answer to your question about the number of horses we have.

Jim

That's ok that you have no horses of your own,Jim. I can imagine the pleasure you receive watching them and the cows grazing and the antics of your Border Collie at her herding "job". Certainly you have rigorous workouts digging us those thistles and keeping the water lines working. And after your labors with your large garden, I'll be thinking of your wonderful harvest. I'm missing fresh veggies but enjoy having Swiss Chard and green onions, which lived throughout our winter. My 1st food delivery is scheduled for Wed, 4/15th and I can hardly wait to walk what comes from the front door to the garage "preppiing center". After 30+ days of self-quarantine, fresh veggies and fruit topped the list. I dreamed of radishes last night. Who woulda' thought radishes??? Smiles

Jane, each of my cats has adopted me as well. At one time, I had three. Two were best friends and the third, closest to my dog, snuggled with her each night. I am laughing that the roadrunner pecking at the window silenced your felines...too funny!

That roadrunner totally freaked out the cats. I loved to watch him go into my flower beds and then he would freeze until an unsuspecting lizard moved nearby. Then he would pick up the lizard in his beak, toss it high in the air, and then open his beak and swallow it whole. There were a lot of coyotes that came by at night and one huge male came by our front door every morning. So I had the roadrunner and Wile E Coyote come by my house every day. I was living in cartoon land.

@darlingdoll: Laughing at the comic mind pictures you paint of your feathered and furry visitors!