My knees have just about had it as far as gardening or seriously
cleaning any type of floor. What does everybody do to cut down on the
strain? Do you kneel on something, or squat, or use a short stool?
TIA
Mindy

Get some knee pads, such as these:

http://www.duluthtrading.com/items/56254.asp

Actually, if you do a search at that site for knee pads, they have a
number, including one specifically for gardening. I bought a pair for
far less at Home Depot, but they are cheaply made and never worked well.

Mindy Wallace wrote:
My knees have just about had it as far as gardening or seriously
cleaning any type of floor. What does everybody do to cut down on the
strain? Do you kneel on something, or squat, or use a short stool?
TIA
Mindy

--
SPAMBLOCK NOTICE! To reply to me, delete the h from apkh.net, if it is
there.

Get some knee pads, such as these:

http://www.duluthtrading.com/items/56254.asp

Actually, if you do a search at that site for knee pads, they have a
number, including one specifically for gardening. I bought a pair for
far less at Home Depot, but they are cheaply made and never worked well.

Mindy Wallace wrote:
My knees have just about had it as far as gardening or seriously
cleaning any type of floor. What does everybody do to cut down on the
strain? Do you kneel on something, or squat, or use a short stool?
TIA
Mindy

--
SPAMBLOCK NOTICE! To reply to me, delete the h from apkh.net, if it is
there.

On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 20:31:46 +0000, Mindy Wallace wrote:

My knees have just about had it as far as gardening or seriously cleaning
any type of floor. What does everybody do to cut down on the strain? Do
you kneel on something, or squat, or use a short stool? TIA
Mindy

Most any brand of knee pad should do. I personally use general contractor
gel filled pads. I suggest that you put on the pads and try them out
before you buy them. Wearing a ill fitting pair of pads is almost worse
than not wearing pads at all.
Good luck.

--
Yard Works Gardening Co.
http://www.ywgc.com

"Mindy Wallace" wrote in message
...
My knees have just about had it as far as gardening or seriously
cleaning any type of floor. What does everybody do to cut down on the
strain? Do you kneel on something, or squat, or use a short stool?
TIA
Mindy

I get the double whammy - both knees and back are shot. I use knee pads
(construction type) and limit the up and down movement by "walking" on my
knees, or I use a kneeler-stool that gives me something to push off to stand
up. Sometimes just doing my weeding from a sitting position works better and
the stool is good for that.
Karen

Mindy Wallace wrote:
My knees have just about had it as far as gardening or seriously
cleaning any type of floor. What does everybody do to cut down on the
strain? Do you kneel on something, or squat, or use a short stool?

If it's a solid, even surface, knee pads can help. But nothing beats
sitting down. If you get on your knees, they may not be passing the
weight through to your lower legs, but they're still supporting your
weight. If you still have enough flexibility, you may be able to lean
back far enough for your butt to rest on your heals, but that stretch is
something you'll feel the next day!

Inside I find chairs, foot stools, coffee tables... anything near. The
rest of the time I find ways to avoid too much bending. You won't see me
scrubbing a whole room's floor by hand. I'll use a mop on a handle. I'll
only get down for a very small section, like a particular stain.

Outside I have a couple of different stools on wheels. But I still find
myself not doing things because the stool is too far away. I'm
considering getting one of those milking stools you strap on your own
butt. You essentially have a seat with a pole, and a spring at the
bottom of the pole. Your weight is supported by the pole, and your knees
and legs only provide stability. In theory. Like I said, I'm considering
getting one. I don't have any actual experience with one yet.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
Compare the newest tax preparation software apps:
http://www.holzemville.com/mall/taxes/index.html

Happens to all (or most) of us sooner or later.

Two points:

1) Find a nice retired gent to build you an 18" cube plywood box with
cut-outs for your hands to grab it by. Only 5 sides of course. Then, sit,
lift a bit, grab, and scoot sideways. In that case, if you are like me and
it is past a certain point where they start hurting, the two of you could
measure how far you can lower your bum without your knees hurting and then
custom build it to just the right height.

But that means your back hurts less than your knees which isn't always true
for me. In that case:

2) Start raising your beds -- seriously. I even have an old gardening book
around here that was showing a food-type gardening method someone paid for
when she was just too old to bend over at all but refused to give up her
garden: 4' wide by x' long by 3' high and they were BRICKED up that high!
Even in black and white it was a very impressive looking garden. They noted
the same idea could apply to someone in a wheel chair, too...just not the
full 4' wide if the person couldn't bend over that far. I'm not that bad
off, but I do have most of my bigger pots raised one way or other (on a
bench, shelf or even just an old cinder block).

Course I had a great-aunt that had one knee replaced probably 15 years ago.
She was so happy that it quit hurting she got the other one done, too :)

John


"Mindy Wallace" wrote in message
...
My knees have just about had it as far as gardening or seriously
cleaning any type of floor. What does everybody do to cut down on the
strain? Do you kneel on something, or squat, or use a short stool?
TIA
Mindy

Mindy Wallace wrote:

My knees have just about had it as far as gardening or seriously
cleaning any type of floor. What does everybody do to cut down on the
strain? Do you kneel on something, or squat, or use a short stool?
TIA
Mindy

Go to my gardening tools page at
http://www.rossde.com/garden/tools.html. Scroll down a little
bit more than half-way to "step".

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/

My knees have just about had it as far as gardening or seriously
cleaning any type of floor. What does everybody do to cut down on the
strain?

I found an old 2 X 6. I cut into four pieces, each a little over a
foot long. I then nailed them together to make a rectangle.

I sit on it. Because it rests on a piece of wood about 2 X 6 X 14",
rather than legs, it does not sink into soft soil. It's easy to pick
up and move.

vince norris

On 1/6/05 3:31 PM, in article ,
"Mindy Wallace" wrote:

My knees have just about had it as far as gardening or seriously
cleaning any type of floor. What does everybody do to cut down on the
strain? Do you kneel on something, or squat, or use a short stool?
TIA
Mindy


I use a kneeler - does help a lot. Staying limber, helps too, striding for
10 minutes helps me quite a bit (known as carrying the tools and buckets to
the weeds).



Cheryl

On 1/6/05 3:31 PM, in article ,
"Mindy Wallace" wrote:

My knees have just about had it as far as gardening or seriously
cleaning any type of floor. What does everybody do to cut down on the
strain? Do you kneel on something, or squat, or use a short stool?
TIA
Mindy


I use a kneeler - does help a lot. Staying limber, helps too, striding for
10 minutes helps me quite a bit (known as carrying the tools and buckets to
the weeds).



Cheryl

: My knees have just about had it as far as gardening or seriously
: cleaning any type of floor. What does everybody do to cut down on the
: strain? Do you kneel on something, or squat, or use a short stool?
: TIA
: Mindy

I like to use one of those 12" plastic milk carton crates. Make perfect
size to sit on to work on low stuff, and you can flip them over and carry
your stuff in them. Could probably tie a tool box to the side.

: My knees have just about had it as far as gardening or seriously
: cleaning any type of floor. What does everybody do to cut down on the
: strain? Do you kneel on something, or squat, or use a short stool?
: TIA
: Mindy

I like to use one of those 12" plastic milk carton crates. Make perfect
size to sit on to work on low stuff, and you can flip them over and carry
your stuff in them. Could probably tie a tool box to the side.

Have had bad knees since the days of being in the Army, what I use?
ASPRIN.


--


SIAR
www.starlords.org
Telescope Buyers FAQ
http://home.inreach.com/starlord


"Mindy Wallace" wrote in message
...
My knees have just about had it as far as gardening or seriously
cleaning any type of floor. What does everybody do to cut down on the
strain? Do you kneel on something, or squat, or use a short stool?
TIA
Mindy

starlord wrote:
Have had bad knees since the days of being in the Army, what I use?
ASPRIN.


--


SIAR
www.starlords.org
Telescope Buyers FAQ
http://home.inreach.com/starlord


"Mindy Wallace" wrote in message
...
My knees have just about had it as far as gardening or seriously
cleaning any type of floor. What does everybody do to cut down on
the
strain? Do you kneel on something, or squat, or use a short stool?
TIA
Mindy

There are a number of long handled tools that are listed on the World
of Weeds website at www.ergonica.com. Some of these can be used either
standing up or sitting down.