garden workout

One of the best side effects of having a personal trainer is that I'm too exhausted to stay up very late, and then I sleep like a rock. Last night I was tucked into bed at 10:00 p.m. ON A SATURDAY because my legs & abs session had wiped me out. Oh, Branden, how you push me to my limits.



But anyway, that means I was up at 7 a.m. ON A SUNDAY without setting my alarm. It's all very strange. After lingering over coffee and blogs, I got dressed and headed to Home Depot to buy a new clamp for my broken driveway gate, paper yard waste bags, weedwacker string, and a stash of new perennials.



I planted, weeded, moved some perennials to new locations, mowed, weedwacked, and filled seven yard bags with grass clippings, leaves, and twigs.



For dinner, I ate turkey meatloaf and a glorious roasted eggplant from a recipe found here. I seasoned my eggplant with fresh minced garlic, basil, and a touch of red pepper flakes. If you've never eaten eggplant this way, I highly suggest you try it - I can see this recipe becoming one of my favorites.



I am tired, achey, and filled with vitamin D after a full day in the yard. I love spring.

new face in the garden

Happy Friday!

last day of august

It's so hard to capture just how gorgeous my garden is at the moment. The zinnias are blazing right now, a whole corner of them in full bloom. Along the driveway are more zinnias, a different variety called "green envy". And I love the ruffly cosmos I planted this year with their hot pink, red, light pink, and white colors, like candy.

I let the dogs out at 9 a.m. this morning and the light was so perfect I had to run back inside for my camera. Here are my favorite photos.

lazy days

When I told people about my two weeks of medical leave, most said, "oh, you'll be bored. You'll be ready to go back to work." Well, I'm not. I never am. I love being home, I enjoy my own company, and I don't get bored. And I really don't want to go back to work on Tuesday!

Now that my foot is feeling better, I've been spending tons of time in my yard. I have two little brick patios that I made myself, one under my gigantic black walnut tree, and the other behind my garage (above) where I have bonfires. I alternate between both - they're shady at different times of the day. Sophie and Sadie are having a blast, too. They run around, sniff out interesting things, have adventures hiding in the garden (which is like a jungle to their little selves), bark happily at the neighbor dogs, and take naps by my feet.

Before I go out, I pack a bag with my Blackberry, my phone, my Kindle, paper and pens, and a bottle of water. And I'm pretty well set for the afternoon. I just wish I could pack a bathroom - I hate having to limp all the way into the house!

We've been having just wonderful weather - low 80's, sunny, breezy, and bright. Everything in my garden is in full bloom right now: echinacea, black-eyed susans, zinnias, hydrangeas, lilies, nigella, butterfly bush, goldenrod, veronica, daisies . . . with ferns, hostas, chocolate joe pye weed, and lady's mantle filling in the spaces between. It's truly relaxing. I feel I'm in a very good space right now, mentally, and I'm so happy I have the surgery behind me.

I went outside yesterday and sat in a chair, and dozed on and off. I was sure I hadn't fallen completely asleep, but when I checked my phone, I saw that two hours had passed. Good grief! I'm sleepy all the time now. I think it's nature's way of forcing you to stop moving around - while you're sleeping, your body can focus all its energy on healing.

My foot is even less swollen and painful now. I'm continuing to hobble around the house without my crutches, but use them outside. My doctor has me hold my toe and bend it back, holding it for 30 seconds after I can feel the muscle pull a bit. Then I push it back in the other direction and hold it for 30 seconds again. This will keep it from stiffening up. He also has me put vitamin E on my incision once a day. I just break open a capsule, squeeze the oil on the incision, and then wrap it in gauze. This helps the skin heal faster with less scarring. My toes are still puffy, and I still have bruising all over my foot, but every day it's a little better.

Tomorrow my parents are coming down to help me get situated for going back to work. We'll be doing laundry, food shopping, minor repairs around the house, etc. I'll have their two pomeranians and chihuahua here, too. A very full house!

almost perfect

Hydrangea in my garden, just beginning to bloom.

Today was outstanding. First of all, it's Friday, which is good no matter what. Then, my boss left at noon today, giving me the afternoon to clean my cubicle and organize my computer files so he can find things while I'm off on medical leave. Lunch was relaxing. The afternoon flew by, and I came home to the happiness of an Amazon box propped against my door. Yay! A Friday with presents. Book presents!

I spent the evening in the yard with Sophie and Sadie, weeding the flower beds and then taking photos. I swear, I can entertain myself for hours in my little yard with my camera.

Sadie, who always looks like she's smiling.

Sophie, who always looks a bit worried.

Then I sat under the walnut tree and started reading my new book from Amazon, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, a young adult book that people of all ages seem to be reading right now. I kept hearing the buzz about the series and seeing it in stores, so I'm plunging in. It's really good so far. Plus, it's being made into a movie, coming out in December.

Now I'm about to soak in a nice long jacuzzi bath and use my new bar of lemongrass Zum soap, then put on my jammies and read more in bed. Tomorrow I can sleep in before cleaning my house. I am in one of those rare, relaxed, happy states of mind and I plan to enjoy it for as long as I can!

peonies

Rainy Sunday in the garden.