In the Garden

Time to tour the yard again.

Porcelain poppies and pods.

 Rhodie Unique Marmalade. One of the three I relocated last fall because they were suffering from mildew. Looks like I found a good spot for them. They are all growing happily.

Rhodie Unique. Opens pretty pink and cream, then turns white. 

Tomatoes, herbs, fennel, kohlrabi and cipollini onions in the greenhouse.

The purple trillium will open soon. I was delighted to find a second growing along side it, hidden by the fern frond in this picture. Beautiful heart shaped epimedium leaves fill the upper left corner. I've been collecting various epimediums with different color flowers and leaf shapes to grow with the hellebores on the shaded north side of the house. I love the combination.

Purple alliums growing with lupine, iris, columbine, etc.

I planted three different mini bearded iris last fall. One was trampled by the ducks. I hope it will have a better chance next year. The one blooming now is just an inch or two wide and very delicate. The third one is pearly pink with purple beards but bloomed earlier and I didn't get a photo.

A new rhodie we just planted, Anna Rose Whitney. This is supposed to grow up to a foot a year with flowers that are huge and showy, eventually reaching seven to eight feet tall.

One last thing of color. This is my new peacock colored hair! 

Two Months After - Total Knee Replacement Surgery

Here is my knee today and it is looking a little puffy but good. Scab is gone. There is still quite a bit of swelling to deal with but I am cycling (indoor) and walking without a cane so things are looking up. Pain is minimal to none. You can see how the kneecap isn't centered on the right knee but the left one is now proper. They were both shifted off to the side with no cartilage under them. I really don't recall a time when they weren't offset, and the right one is going to stay that way a while longer as I'm not going through another surgery any time soon. The last picture was taken at the one month mark, peeling skin, green shin and all, so you can see the improvement in the last four weeks.

Some flowers

Yard is needing a lot of weeding and I can only devote an hour or two a day to it, but flowers aren't deterred.

Tulips, beat up from all the rain and the ducks walking on them, but still lovely color. I don't look forward to cleaning them up.

The rhododendrons are blooming nicely this year. I'm going to try pinching back the new growth on President Roosevelt to see if that sprawling legginess can be filled in a bit.

Unique

Unique

President Roosevelt starting to open

An azalea that survived last years move

More tulips in yellow and orange.

Some blues, too

Lithodera I think

Pt Reyes ceanothus

Wool

The crows found a use for some of the wool our boys have been shedding everywhere. Here they are picking out the best pieces of fluff. I suspect it will be used to line their nests. Smart little birds.

Bad Cold

I've been blowing my brains out with this cold, but I took a short walk around the house today because it is warmer and dry. Tomorrow the rain returns. Excuse me while I fetch some tissues.

Beautiful bulbs in front of the house

Flowers on new rhody

It's small now, but someday it will be a mighty rhody

Shedding

Apparently the boys are convinced spring is here despite the cold weather and they are losing their wool coats to prove it. They'll look nice and white once it's gone. For a while anyway.

Back to the beginning

Started outpatient physical therapy yesterday and we’re wiping the slate clean. I had been doing a couple dozen exercises every day - no more! Now only two, focusing on range of motion. No walking with cane, no clomping around on my own, must continue to use the walker for now. I can relax and elevate my leg most of the time, just getting up to move around for five minutes every hour to prevent blood clots, and doing three sets of these two exercises three times a day. More vigorous exercise will be done at therapy. We have to get my leg straightened out without causing inflammation and scarring. As swelling recedes this will improve, but right now all the walking with a slight bend in my knee is causing a nagging lower back pain. I’m relieved to finally be working with this therapist. He lays out a clear plan, makes sure I am doing the work properly, and isn’t a “no pain no gain” nazi. My biggest complaint with this whole process has been the inconsistent recovery plan. I left the hospital with a sheet of exercises and instructions from a physical therapist there. Then the home care therapist showed up and had me doing something different, then a different home care therapist showed up with her own ideas. I finally let the home care go for a week until I could start outpatient. So it means I must stop my wanderings around the yard for a while, but all I was doing was setting back my progress anyway. Must. Have. Patience.

A Stroll in the Yard

Damn the clunky walker! Today I ventured out for a walk with nothing but a cane. It was faster but I had to be careful not to trip in the lumpy yard. The boys were grazing and came right over fully expecting to get some treats. Of course I couldn't disappoint them. Notice their wool all around the pen, dripping from the fence and hanging from them in ropes. It's a messy time of year.

So this picture is out of alignment and I can't figure out why. Let's live with it. The boys are hanging out by the gate in case I come back with more treats. I think they need a rubbing post but not sure what to get. 

Something that will make the hummingbirds happy: red flowering currant.

Duckies came by to say hello. Emmy was suspicious of the cane so there was no petting today.

Hattie got back from her walk and was delighted to find me outside. Things will get back to normal some day.

Hellebores in bloom! These are a pretty pink but I have them in various shades from deep purple to white.

Daffodils are popping up everywhere, even the compost pile. There is no getting rid of them.

Here's my girl Emerald. We thought she was going to die from some respiratory problem but she pulled through with a little extra loving care and is my best layer.

The yard is really looking ragged and I'm afraid it will have to wait until I am able to work again. Another few weeks at least. 

Outside again

Took a short walk around the yard. Worms for the ducks. Treats for the sheep. They have all nearly forgotten me. Daffodils blooming. So pretty. Cold wind coming off the water so couldn't stay out long. Back to my cave.

Two Knees

Overlook the goose flesh but look at the size of my left knee. Holy cow. And that's much improved from a few days ago. Hurts just to look at it.

One Week Post Surgery

Just revealed, my new knee.

Visit with primary care today revealed some concerns with me. Waiting on results from blood work.