I’ve been laid up. I had knee substitute surgical procedure on Might nineteenth, and was ordered to maintain my foot 18” above my coronary heart as a lot as attainable. Apart from Tom taking me out for ‘airings’ (that’s me, well-wrapped up and comfortable watching the shorebirds at Pt. Pinole whereas Tom had an extended stroll), finishing my every day range-of-motion workout routines, and performing some rudimentary gardening, I’ve been following physician’s orders. I’m beginning to really feel higher, and am hoping that I will probably be cleared for some strolling at my subsequent PT appointment.
I don’t know if it was fully allowed (don’t inform my PT), however I did harvest the garlic and shallots originally of the month. Tom hung the garlic within the storage (our regular methodology), and unfold the shallots on the entrance porch bench to dry. It’s crucial, if you need alliums to final a very long time, to get them as dry as attainable (“cured”) earlier than hanging them inside the home. I count on they’ll be prepared for braiding by the top of this month.
This previous winter, we dug up the hops that we used to develop yearly in giant containers on our again patio, and donated them to my faculty backyard, the place they’re fortunately rising up the aspect of a delivery container. To interchange these, I ordered 4 new clematis vines from Brushwood Nursery, which Tom planted whereas I used to be in Georgia. They’ve begun blooming, and day by day I spend a couple of minutes simply admiring them. One is but to open (‘Emilia Plater’), however the different three are so pretty.
‘Arabella’
‘Blue Angel’
‘Black Prince’
We’ve got a household of Cooper’s Hawks within the neighborhood, that are protecting me entertained whereas I’m resting on the again patio. I’ve additionally delighted in watching the lizards searching honeybees beneath the hive, and swallowtail butterflies foraging within the pollinator gardens. It’s been fairly good to have a while to only sit nonetheless and watch, though my knee aches whereas I sit there.
All of the orchard timber have survived and are thriving. Lately, the persimmon bloomed. We’ve had some windy days and a number of the blossoms have blown off. I collected them and organized them on a desk, as a result of they’re so fantastically wing-shaped (photograph above). I’m unsure I’ve ever seen a persimmon blooming earlier than.
Rin drove me to the backyard middle (Rin is strolling and driving once more!) so I might get some bedding crops to refresh some containers. I hold making an attempt various things within the pallet planter, which is in a extremely popular and dry spot. Nothing ever lasts lengthy. I’ve determined to attempt portulaca (moss rose) this summer time and I hope it survives. I’ve made some fairly groupings of pots in several components of the yard, and I need to say they appear very nice. These are the kinds of issues I haven’t had time for, since I’ve been instructing. It feels good to spend time within the backyard and unfold some love. The blueberries and raspberries are coming in, and shortly we’ll have tomatoes and peppers and beans and cucumbers!
