Gardening: Good for What Ails You

Hippeastrum/Amaryllis 'Gervase'

If you'd asked me Friday night what I'd be doing the next day, I imagine my reply would have included something about pain and suffering.   As I was attempting to inflate my balance ball, I made a wrong move and set off another riot in my lower back.  Once the pain was down to a dull roar, I alternated between a chair with a hard seat and good lumbar support, and the floor.  Hissssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ... that's me in Cobra position.  

Winter damage at Wit's End

If you'd asked me Saturday morning what I'd be doing that day, my reply would have been something about attempting to avoid doing anything that might set off further discomania.  My chiropractor having assured me that walking would be beneficial, I put on a light jacket and strolled around the front gardens in the sunshine. Despite the scenes of carnage and devastation that greeted me everywhere I looked, it was good to be up and about on such a beautiful day.  But what to do about the plants that were still sporting their motley assortment of sheets, towels and frost cloth?  I had no intention of aggravating my back further by bending over to lift them off ... the Executive Producer wasn't home to help ... and the HG refused to do it.  So I got creative: I grabbed a hoe from its rack in the garage and used it to lift the covers off the plants.  I managed to get all of them uncovered without incident: in fact, it seemed to help my back to keep moving.  So I used the hoe to remove a few pesky Oxalis and chickweed I spotted while ferrying the covers back to their basket.   
Since walking was recommended and my usual Starbucks is not all that far from my house, I deemed myself in need of a therapeutic dose of iced green tea.  I had a lovely walk there and back and came inside to check e-mail and see what was going on.  Just a few minutes in the chair, though, and my back was stiff again.  Only one thing to do: head outside and keep moving!  I spent much of the afternoon doing light pruning on plants I could reach easily: no bending, twisting or stretching allowed!  

Phlox pilosa 'Forest Frost' ... undaunted by winter

If you asked me this morning what I'd be doing today, I'd reply that it would be a shame not to spend such a beautiful springlike day inside, and to look for me out in the garden, exercising my back and my imagination.  I have renewed hope that both my garden and my back will recover in time for spring.