Monday, 19 April 2021
At home
My left big toe had hurt all night, keeping me awake, or perhaps I was kept awake by the Sudafed I was taking for my ear and was thus aware of my toe. I wrapped a piece of bandana soaked in cold water around the toe (not the ear) and managed four hours of fitful sleep. Said toe had never misbehaved for twenty four full hours before. It has hurt intermittently during the day at work, always recovered in the evening after I sat down with slippers on, and often gave me weeks or months of no trouble at all.
When I woke up, I pondered the possibility of gout. Allan had an urgent domestic need for oven cleaner and I decided I must have some black cherry juice for possible gout, and we actually went to the grocery store and the lumber yard/hardware store when the grocery store had no oven cleaner. At home, I drank some cherry juice with high hopes that I wouldn’t have to see a doctor again and then turned to my important gardening mission, which of course involved being on my feet all afternoon.
I planted some potatoes in containers, which involved digging a new edge on a garden bed between the garage and Alicia’s driveway…
…and then turned to my mission of spreading the rest of the mulch, getting as much of the west bed mulched as possible.
I had used more mulch than I had expected on various other beds when I finally got around to the big west bed.
I have resolved to dig out this big area of elephant garlic that decided to colonize this area, as it just gets floppy in summer in this semi shade area.
Maybe this year I will actually get around to digging it out.
The new bench we got from the Boreas rocks a bit (on purpose) and looks most interesting bare…
…but is more comfy and less splintery with the cushion. Skooter agrees.
Meanwhile, Allan had put two more posts into our seasonal pond to mark our newly discovered property edge…
…and, because it has been so dry, he watered at the J Crew Cottage across the street…
..and at the Norwood garden two doors down, where he also mowed.
I could then hear him scraping the last of the mulch up with the flat shovel into a second wheelbarrow. He filled the last four wheelbarrows for me. I was so glad because my toe hurt like the blazes.
He got it all cleaned up and I put my three potato pots in pace (with tatties also in the big container).
I hadn’t had quite enough mulch for the west bed….
…but we will plan to get more on the next free mulch day, the weekend after next.
Some garden appreciation on the east side of the house:
I was awfully glad to get indoors and give my toe a rest, hoping for an easier day off tomorrow.
I noticed one of your plastic potato pots has been spray painted, would you recommend doing that? I have often wondered how lasting this would be, despite the verbiage on a can of krylon spray paint.
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It had been done by someone else, not sure when or how long it has lasted. A lot of people bring me assorted empty plastic pots now because of my plant sale!
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Thanks! From the photo the paint on your pot looked pretty good with just some wear on the rim. I might give it a go….only because I have the paint.
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Why not, let me know how it goes.
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This might help; krylon paint for plastic only lasts a year on plastic lawn chairs. Then it just gets patchy.
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Sometimes a good hot foot soak for 20 minutes in some Epsom salts with a little lavender oil can help the feet. I am sorry that toe hurts so much. You are on your feet a lot with your work.
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I tried an Epsom salt soak and my toe objected. It even objects when I do a plain water foot soak after work, which is odd.
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That is odd. I hope the toe issue resolves quickly. Nothing worse than sore feet, except sore hands.
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Gosh, I hope your toe gets better. That sounds painful. I love the kerria japonica. I may have to look for a spot to add one of those. Your ‘Spotty Dotty’ is a little treasure. Skooter approves of the new bench with cushion. Looks comfy.
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Remind me to give you a start of the Kerria when you can visit again.
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Thank you! I would love a start. When is your plant sale?
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I’m so sorry about your painful toe, and I hope you don’t have gout. My husband had it, and it made him miserable. It even hurt to have a sheet on top of his toes. Seriously.
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No gout thank goodness but I hear you about the sheet.
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I too sympathise regarding your toe. I hope that a miracle cure arrives promptly!
The mulching is very impressive.
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I thought of your friend Sandy and his foot problems. A bad foot can really slow a person down.
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It certainly can Look after it.
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I really really really want some of your Kerria japonica, the single flowered kind. Let me know when schedule your plant sale and I will make a long over due pilgrimage to see you wonderful garden. I hope you tie feels better soon. Have you ever tried a vinegar soak? Half vinegar and half water.
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I have not tried that but I will. I am planning my plant sale for the Saturday BEFORE Memorial Day depending on weather Last year weather was so bad I rescheduled it for Sunday at last minute. Then if I have a lot left over I’ll consider whether or not to brave the Memorial Day garage sale crowd, depending on what pandemic phase our county is in by then. It would be great to see you! You could also come later for personal visit time and I’d save you a Kerria. I actually don’t think I have any potted right now, I just realized, but they are super easy to get runners from, and yet I do not find it invasive.
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Damn typos! “Your toe…”
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🙂
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I’ll echo the others. Hope that toe feels better soon. At least that yellow is cheerful.
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Maianthemum dilatatum? Is that what that is? I just posted a picture of Maianthemum racemosum yesterday. I do not know much about it. It grows wild in the surrounding forest, but only appeared within one of the landscapes a few years ago. It does not seem to migrate too aggressively yet. It happened to land where the foliage and nicely fragrant bloom are assets to the landscape. I never noticed that it is aggressive in the wild either. I have never met the species in your garden.
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