Well, yesterday being the first really nice day since last fall, I got
serious in the garden. After, that is, taking care of a chore left from the
water in basement from the rain last week.

So, DD and I rinsed out the shop vac and left it to dry and grabbed the
electric hedge trimmer to cut back the big grasses. Works a treat every time
and I bless the husband for the extra long extension cord. I then turn my
attention to a juniper I've allowed to get out of hand and too close to the
house. It is 15 years old and quite slow and dense growing. And the needles
are very sharp and never really fall off. Hey - the shop vac could deal
with those needles and I can see where to prune. Grab the vac and lay the
hose down and hit the switch. It doesn't seem to be doing a thing. Thing
worked great on the hard floor, but doesn't seem to want to pick up the
needles. Sigh. There are a few bits in the tank, but not worth the effort.
So I go to clean up the shop vac one more time and let it dry.

What's with the hose - it weighs a TON. I look in and there is a wad of
needles. GREAT, how am I going to get them out. I try blasting them out with
a hose. I can't find anything quite long enough to poke them out from
"behind". Nothing works

So, with a 6 foot garden stake, pointy end down the hose, I stand on the
retaining wall with the hose and shake, rattle and roll and finally, many
minutes later, out pops a dense little cylinder of needles - 8 inches long.
OK - clean up again, dispose of all the branches to the woodpile and try
some where else in the garden. After all, there is LOTS of garden to clean
up even ignoring the spots that still squish. And I don't want to look at
the juniper again for a few days.


So, off to the long bed with lots of easy work to do. I easily fill up my
three big collapsible barrels three or four times with leaves and such. I've
gotten the iris bed done, the bed just down the hill from it, the upper
section of the long bed and started the bed with my crab apple in it. Good
progress and I've had a few water breaks and pbj rollup. Sitting on the deck
with a book is a good break too.

SO, phone rings, DH after dropping DS off at a friend's house, has gone off
to hang with one of his buddies. DD is playing next door. COOL, maybe the
boys are staying north. NO - we've been invited to visit with DS's buddy's
folks (nice people) and bring DD to play with their DD. OK - get DD home,
shove her in a shower and put the tools away. My turn for the shower. Look
at the condition of my knees and hands - time for the heavy hitters in the
shower. Grab my salt scrub and lather it onto my arms.

OH - PAIN, ouch, ouch. The juniper (remember the juniper) has left its usual
gift of million of little cuts....
Salt - open cuts, WHAT WAS I THINKING!

Thank goodness for beer......

Cheryl Isaak expounded:

Grab my salt scrub and lather it onto my arms.

OH - PAIN, ouch, ouch. The juniper (remember the juniper) has left its usual
gift of million of little cuts....
Salt - open cuts, WHAT WAS I THINKING!

Achy-waa-waa! I can feel that from here! ) Sounds like the day I
did battle with those damned multiflora roses from hell......my legs
looked like I'd gone through a meat grinder. Felt like it, too (
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

In article ,
Ann wrote:

Cheryl Isaak expounded:

Grab my salt scrub and lather it onto my arms.

OH - PAIN, ouch, ouch. The juniper (remember the juniper) has left its usual
gift of million of little cuts....
Salt - open cuts, WHAT WAS I THINKING!

Achy-waa-waa! I can feel that from here! ) Sounds like the day I
did battle with those damned multiflora roses from hell......my legs
looked like I'd gone through a meat grinder. Felt like it, too (

And over here we have July and a spectacular looking garden and a
gorgeous display of roses. Bravo. It looks so natural.
- Bill
Cloribus gustibus non disputatum (mostly)

William Rose expounded:

And over here we have July and a spectacular looking garden and a
gorgeous display of roses. Bravo. It looks so natural.

You have a glorious display of multiflora roses? You have an odd
taste in roses!

You do realize those are the invasive nondescript small white flowered
type that take over fields and trees. They should be removed and
destroyed before they make more of a mess somewhere else.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

On 4/24/07 9:26 PM, in article ,
"Ann" wrote:

Cheryl Isaak expounded:

Grab my salt scrub and lather it onto my arms.

OH - PAIN, ouch, ouch. The juniper (remember the juniper) has left its usual
gift of million of little cuts....
Salt - open cuts, WHAT WAS I THINKING!

Achy-waa-waa! I can feel that from here! ) Sounds like the day I
did battle with those damned multiflora roses from hell......my legs
looked like I'd gone through a meat grinder. Felt like it, too (


Personally, I think the juniper might be worse then the rose. I've battled
both, but the you can see where to place the pruners with the rose.

Cheryl

In article ,
Ann wrote:

William Rose expounded:

And over here we have July and a spectacular looking garden and a
gorgeous display of roses. Bravo. It looks so natural.

You have a glorious display of multiflora roses? You have an odd
taste in roses!

You do realize those are the invasive nondescript small white flowered
type that take over fields and trees. They should be removed and
destroyed before they make more of a mess somewhere else.

Hmmm. How do I get out of this one? OK. My bad. Strike the "gorgeous
display of multiflora roses" and we're back in business. You still have
the spectacular looking garden. K? Or was this a pasture you were
thinning out? Look on the brighter side. With a pot of boiling water,
you can at least make yourself a nice tisane of rose hips to sip on
while you are getting sliced an' diced:-) The flowers certainly look
respectable enough.

Around here the vegetative equivalent would be brambles. I finally
cleared all mine out. Now I have to sneak into the horse pasture to pick
my blackberries:-( I have it on good authority, that they taste better
that way.

- Bill
Cloribus gustibus non disputatum (mostly)

Cheryl Isaak expounded:

On 4/24/07 9:26 PM, in article ,
"Ann" wrote:

Cheryl Isaak expounded:

Grab my salt scrub and lather it onto my arms.

OH - PAIN, ouch, ouch. The juniper (remember the juniper) has left its usual
gift of million of little cuts....
Salt - open cuts, WHAT WAS I THINKING!

Achy-waa-waa! I can feel that from here! ) Sounds like the day I
did battle with those damned multiflora roses from hell......my legs
looked like I'd gone through a meat grinder. Felt like it, too (


Personally, I think the juniper might be worse then the rose. I've battled
both, but the you can see where to place the pruners with the rose.

Cheryl

Not to quibble, Cheryl, but have you ever tangled with a 30' diameter,
15' tall multiflora rose that's twining itself into a maple tree? The
upper branches were at least 30' long crawling up through the foliage.
Trust me, you may be able to see where to put the pruner, but you have
no idea where the branch is going to whip you as it comes down (
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

On 4/25/07 3:16 PM, in article ,
"Ann" wrote:

Cheryl Isaak expounded:

On 4/24/07 9:26 PM, in article ,
"Ann" wrote:

Cheryl Isaak expounded:

Grab my salt scrub and lather it onto my arms.

OH - PAIN, ouch, ouch. The juniper (remember the juniper) has left its
usual
gift of million of little cuts....
Salt - open cuts, WHAT WAS I THINKING!

Achy-waa-waa! I can feel that from here! ) Sounds like the day I
did battle with those damned multiflora roses from hell......my legs
looked like I'd gone through a meat grinder. Felt like it, too (


Personally, I think the juniper might be worse then the rose. I've battled
both, but the you can see where to place the pruners with the rose.

Cheryl

Not to quibble, Cheryl, but have you ever tangled with a 30' diameter,
15' tall multiflora rose that's twining itself into a maple tree? The
upper branches were at least 30' long crawling up through the foliage.
Trust me, you may be able to see where to put the pruner, but you have
no idea where the branch is going to whip you as it comes down (
Ok - I've only tackled much smaller ones. Shall I pass the salt scrub?

And the never ending supply of blackberries/brambles. Tasty berries, but
hell on you the rest of the time.
C

Cheryl Isaak expounded:

Ok - I've only tackled much smaller ones. Shall I pass the salt scrub?

Absolutely! I'll share your pain )
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

On Wed, 25 Apr 2007 21:52:55 -0400, Ann wrote:

Cheryl Isaak expounded:

Ok - I've only tackled much smaller ones. Shall I pass the salt scrub?

Absolutely! I'll share your pain )

Okay, so call me a dumbo, but today I gardened hard, made sure I got
on my knee with all my body weight several times on concrete, and
jiggled my knee around a lot so when I get my MRI tomorrow morning it
will be at its worst. I cannot believe moderate arthritis is causing
this excruciating pain.

My miniscus is torn, and I think now a hunk tore off completely and is
rattling around in there, catching on my joint now and then as I wince
with pain. If this is only arthritis, I have much more respect for
people with rheumatoid...this is only osteo.

Feh.
v

Cheryl Isaak;707839]On 4/25/07 3:16 PM, in article ,
"Ann" wrote:

Cheryl Isaak expounded:

On 4/24/07 9:26 PM, in article ,
"Ann" wrote:

Cheryl Isaak expounded:

Grab my salt scrub and lather it onto my arms.

OH - PAIN, ouch, ouch. The juniper (remember the juniper) has left its
usual
gift of million of little cuts....
Salt - open cuts, WHAT WAS I THINKING!

Achy-waa-waa! I can feel that from here! ) Sounds like the day I
did battle with those damned multiflora roses from hell......my legs
looked like I'd gone through a meat grinder. Felt like it, too (


Personally, I think the juniper might be worse then the rose. I've battled
both, but the you can see where to place the pruners with the rose.

Cheryl

Not to quibble, Cheryl, but have you ever tangled with a 30' diameter,
15' tall multiflora rose that's twining itself into a maple tree? The
upper branches were at least 30' long crawling up through the foliage.
Trust me, you may be able to see where to put the pruner, but you have
no idea where the branch is going to whip you as it comes down (
Ok - I've only tackled much smaller ones. Shall I pass the salt scrub?

And the never ending supply of blackberries/brambles. Tasty berries, but
hell on you the rest of the time.
C


mmmmmmm i love blackberries but yup the brambles are not nice things ouchers .
cheryl i can feel the pain oucherssssss for darn sure. sounds like u had a really busy day and a lot of oucherssss on top of that but i do hope u had a good time away. cyaaaaaaa, sockiescat.

Jangchub expounded:

On Wed, 25 Apr 2007 21:52:55 -0400, Ann wrote:

Cheryl Isaak expounded:

Ok - I've only tackled much smaller ones. Shall I pass the salt scrub?

Absolutely! I'll share your pain )

Okay, so call me a dumbo, but today I gardened hard, made sure I got
on my knee with all my body weight several times on concrete, and
jiggled my knee around a lot so when I get my MRI tomorrow morning it
will be at its worst. I cannot believe moderate arthritis is causing
this excruciating pain.

My miniscus is torn, and I think now a hunk tore off completely and is
rattling around in there, catching on my joint now and then as I wince
with pain. If this is only arthritis, I have much more respect for
people with rheumatoid...this is only osteo.

Feh.
v

That sucks, V, but keep in mind, osteo can be extremely painful. My
father had it in his spine (he also had degenerative hip disease with
two hip replacements). He wouldn't rest, he kept moving, because he
knew if he didn't he'd seize up like a rusty hinge.

Will they do orthoscopic surgery to fix the miniscus?
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

On 4/25/07 10:43 PM, in article ,
"Jangchub" wrote:

On Wed, 25 Apr 2007 21:52:55 -0400, Ann wrote:

Cheryl Isaak expounded:

Ok - I've only tackled much smaller ones. Shall I pass the salt scrub?

Absolutely! I'll share your pain )

Okay, so call me a dumbo, but today I gardened hard, made sure I got
on my knee with all my body weight several times on concrete, and
jiggled my knee around a lot so when I get my MRI tomorrow morning it
will be at its worst. I cannot believe moderate arthritis is causing
this excruciating pain.

My miniscus is torn, and I think now a hunk tore off completely and is
rattling around in there, catching on my joint now and then as I wince
with pain. If this is only arthritis, I have much more respect for
people with rheumatoid...this is only osteo.

Feh.
v

Ouch! I may now paying (on completion of job only) my 14 year old son for
the heavy work.

Cheryl

On Thu, 26 Apr 2007 06:45:54 -0400, Ann wrote:

That sucks, V, but keep in mind, osteo can be extremely painful. My
father had it in his spine (he also had degenerative hip disease with
two hip replacements). He wouldn't rest, he kept moving, because he
knew if he didn't he'd seize up like a rusty hinge.

Will they do orthoscopic surgery to fix the miniscus?

I am so worried this is something which I will be forced to live with.
How can osteoarthritis be so painful? This is like a hot knife being
jabbed into my knee.

If they do surgery I will not let them open my leg, they either do
arthroscopic or not at all and I find another physician who will. I
won't find out results till next week.

I'm going out now to garden. If I have to learn to live with pain, so
be it. We shall find out.

V

On Thu, 26 Apr 2007 08:12:41 -0400, Cheryl Isaak
wrote:

Ouch! I may now paying (on completion of job only) my 14 year old son for
the heavy work.

Cheryl

Actually, I paid two women from the garden club ten dollars an hour,
cash, to weed last year. They did an okay job, but didn't pull out
the root so everything doubled in weeks. Mark will do the digging out
of the ornamental grasses. I can't keep up with those any more. The
dwarf fountain grass reseeds like a maniac. I probably should save a
few plants and make dozens of gallons of it to sell the the garden
centers. One plant would make 50 divisions and I have at least 50
full grown plants. The other grass Mark dug out for me over the
weekend is the eastern gamma grass. Holy cow does that reseed, and
it's big and thick and sharp and meaty.

Ann, how much longer should I wait to send you the brug and datura?
Pretty soon it will be very hot here. They will survive several weeks
inside in a sunny window. Want some fountain grass! Hahahaha.

V