Friday, May 27, 2016

5 Things Friday

Happy Friday, everyone! For those of us in the U.S., it's a holiday weekend as Monday is Memorial Day. We have a fun weekend ahead of us as we are going to a baseball game tonight to celebrate Phil's mom's birthday and then tomorrow we will head to the lake for the weekend. We'll be celebrating the birthdays of my sister and 2 of my nephews so it should be a fun, celebratory weekend!  Here's 5 things on my mind/going on in my life these days!

1.  Phil's house is in the same neighborhood as a college friend and when she learned I was moving in, she let me know that her husband was in charge of a community garden project and that there were still plots available. I really wanted to have a garden this year but knew we wouldn't have time to build raised beds at Phil's before surgery, so this was the perfect solution. A friend from run club has a plot in the community garden and she graciously offered to plant my garden for me. It was hard to accept that help but there was just no way I could do it on my own. We planted it on Wednesday! I planted tomatoes, red peppers, green beans, cucumbers, beets, and carrots. I also planted some basil and oregano in pots at our house. I can't wait to watch it all grow!

I still need to put some netting around the perimeter to keep the rabbits out!

I love that the labels for the herbs are shaped as the state of Minnesota!
2. I had my post-op doctor appointment on Monday and it went well. He was very pleased with my range of motion. It was nice to hear more about the procedure and what all was done. He said the tear was quite bad and required 3 anchors to repair. This may sound weird but I was actually glad to hear that the tear was bad as I wanted to make sure surgery was necessary. Not that they would have operated if it wasn't necessary but it was still good to hear that surgery was definitely needed to resolve the issues. My next appointment is on August 22nd and I can not run, jump or do anything high impact until then. That seems so far off, but next week I start the progression towards more cardio. I get to add resistance on the stationary bike next week, in week 6 I'll start using the elliptical, and in week 7 I can bike outdoors. I can't wait to be further along in recovery and able to be more active!

3. On the crutch front, I slooooowly transitioned to walking with crutches and should be able to drop down to one crutch for shorter distances by the weekend. Hopefully I am crutch free next week!

4. I'm excited to go up north this weekend but one thing I'm particularly excited about is all the good food we'll get to enjoy. My mom and I froze several meals before my surgery and we are still working our way through those meals. It's been AWESOME to not have to deal with meal prep on crutches but after eating the same 5 meals for the last 3 weeks, I'm ready to change things up!

5. I've had a charcoal grill for several years but haven't used it much as my patio space was so small and we didn't really 'hang out' on the patio all that much. Now that I have a backyard, I'm going to make an effort to use it more. Plus we are going to purchase a gas grill soon. I'm excited to eat more grilled food this summer! I think we'll host a BBQ once we are more settled and have completed a couple of projects!

What's on your mind today?

16 comments:

Charbelle said...

I am so glad you accepted the help with the garden. I know it wasn't easy, but you are doing an amazing job of really stepping outside your comfort zone! I appreciate the fact that they gave you an activity timeline! I had to play my recovery by ear and listen to my body and that can be kind of scary because I've never wanted to push beyond where I should and then be injured for longer. Anytime you can use a grill in the summertime it's the best option in my opinion! Down here you don't want to turn on a stove in July and you want to do as much cooking as possible outside the house! I'm glad y'all have such a fun weekend planned!!!

Nora said...

Love the garden. Hope you'll share pics as the plants and herbs grow.

I love hosting/attending BBQs. One of my most favorite spring/summer/fall activities, in fact. We do a good job of grilling at least once a week, sometimes 2-3 times a week depending on the meal plan, weather and our schedules.

Have a great time this weekend! You most certainly deserve all the fun. Enjoy the family + time with Phil. <3

Jeanie said...

I love your garden -- that's a lot! And how wonderful to have the help. I just wasn't seeing you on hands and knees planting!

We're headed to the lake this weekend too -- in a few hours! We'll open up the house and hopefully no nasty surprises! It's supposed to be pretty warm and so far, the sun is out though rain predicted so fingers are crossed. Which reminds me -- stop blogging now and dig out swimsuit!

Happy weekend!

Marlys said...

Your garden is looking good - can't wait for it to grow and produce for you! I so miss having a garden and all the great fresh food.
We are so excited to have you and Phil coming for the weekend, along with some others from the family. It will be a fun weekend and we are already planning the food!
I know you will be happy to ditch the crutches! They are a pain. A young man from our area fell off a bin a year ago in October, and he was on crutches for a year! He is also the father of 7 children, and one was born after he fell, so he was not much help for his wife. Can you imagine using crutches for a year? Oh, my!
See you tomorrow!

Stephany said...

That's so fun that you get to plant a garden! I can't wait to hear how it grows. :)

August 22 does sound SO far away, but I'm sure those weeks will fly by as you transition to doing more without crutches. Fingers crossed!

Linda said...

Cohabitation and the move sounds like it suits you :) :)

suki said...

There are community gardens all over San Francisco, but the wait list for them is pretty crazy. Also there have been people taking other people's produce. Not cool. :( SOOO one day I will work on my own backyard planting. Not today! :P

Leigh said...

We have a community garden in our neighbourhood too, but I don't have a green thumb so I haven't participated. Accepting help is hard, but think of the positives- your garden is planted and you will be able to enjoy it :)

Have a great long weekend!

Lil Miss said...

So fun! Love the herbs on the patio.

We moved into our house on March 1st; and it came with raised beds in the backyard. We, well, I, am obsessed about checking out my growing beets, tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers, radishes, and peas... and the peonies, of course! :) So excited that someone else new to gardening is as excited as I am. Good luck with your green thumb!

Carolina John said...

Nice garden space! Looks like my green beans are the only thing to actually germinate from seed this year. Are you going to put up some kind of trellis for the cucumbers?

I bet you will really enjoy grilling out this summer. Having the gas grill makes it a lot easier. Taste the meat, not the heat! Phil's going to love it.

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

It's funny, in the US people call it a "grill", but around these parts, we call the actual grill a "BBQ". When we host a BBQ, we BBQ food on the BBQ. Haha!

Gracie said...

Sounds like your post-op appointment went well and you got a lot of info and a good timeline! When do you get out of the body brace? Or do you have to have it? I know not all doctors use it....and I hated mine, so lucky you if you don't have one.

Elizabeth said...

So many awesome things shared here :) Yippee regarding the use of the crutches and the trajectory toward healing. I'm so incredibly ecstatic for you that it's all healing up ok. I'm sure you can imagine that I absolutely love the garden set up for this year and hopefully you'll also get to meet some additional neighbors through the community garden. Hope you're enjoying the weekend--sending you a big hug!

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

I love grilled food. We grilled last Friday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday ha.

Kyria @ Travel Spot said...

I hope your long weekend was great and that your crutching is getting easier! I love that you joined the shared garden; it's a great way to learn from others and to be a part of the community! Asking for help is not easy but I am sure there are many people in your life who are happy to help you with no strings attached! I hate asking for help too as I always feel that I owe the person something, and you know I hate owing anybody any kind of debt!!

Amber said...

So awesome you got a community garden plot this year and I'm so happy your friend was able to help you get it all planted!! Once we get a house in the fall I definitely would like to have a garden next year! Also soooo glad you are off crutches finally!