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| Photo from a few days ago |
Do you recognise this object (the long red one)? And if you do, what do you call it? (Really, finding the correct names for various household objects and tools in English - and what's BE vs AE - is among my worst "blogging jobs"...) One suggestion seems to be "grabber/reacher aid". Anyway, I got this one, and also a shorter one, a long time ago, in connection with other physical problems; and still find them useful in many situations. I hesitate to use them for "dirty" jobs, though. But today I got inspired to put a plastic glove on this one - and with that solution, was able to use it to pick up wet plant leaves from the balcony floor without having to bend myself too much...
It's been raining a lot lately, and it still doesn't feel like a good idea to try to exercise my injured knee outdoors for very long at a time. This morning I decided to put what little energy I had into another project instead: Getting rid of the last two plants still standing out on my balcony floor - two rubber plants, almost as tall as the railing, and by now half-withered and no longer in a condition that made me want to take them inside. (I have one healthy plant of the same origin indoors already - plus a cutting - and that's quite enough...)
The indoors rubber plant
The
big leaves on the outdoors plants were dripping wet, the pots heavy with rainwater, the stems
too thick and tough for my secateurs to just easily "snip"; and I needed
three plastic garbage bags (of normal "kitchen" size) to pack the
remains in. (All while still having to "think" about every movement and
position.) I managed to get it done, though - and then put the plastics
bags in bigger paper carrier bag, and then used the wheels belonging to a
shopping caddy to get that down in the lift (elevator) and out to bins
at the corner of my building... (And then there were the pots to clean... But I got that done as well, a bit later.)
I suspect that this year may have been the last time I tried to have any live plants bigger than a few geraniums (each in its own small pot, easy to take in/out) on the balcony.
What a job! I would have come back home comatose. Yes, I do have one of these; I call it a grabber. The glove is a good idea!!
ReplyDeleteGinny, the point of this exercise (apart from getting the job done!), was that I did not have to leave home in the first place. I knew I could pause (or even just stop and leave the rest to some other day) whenever. Going for a walk, on the other hand, one can't. So I prefer to test my ability to "be on my feet" for a while at home before trying it outdoors...
DeleteI agree about small plants. At this point I'm sad that I will just let a couple die outside whenever it freezes, just too heavy to move inside, and no place to put them either. Grabber is what I call it, and you are so clever to use it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Barbara. Yes, sometimes one just has to accept changing old habits according to "present circumstances" ... Including just getting older...!
DeleteYou've done very well and are being really sensible about pacing yourself in terms of what you think you can do and what better waits until you feel better and the weather is more favourable for starting your walks again.
ReplyDeleteMy rubber plant only lives indoors (me not having a balcony) but it needs repotting at some stage, rather sooner than later!
Meike, believe me, the older one gets onseself, the more often one's plants seem to need repotting! ;)
DeleteWith winter waiting around the corner now I'm not sure I'll be getting back to quite "normal" walking habits until spring. But perhaps enough to take the bus sometimes? - even if the bus doesn't go the whole way I'd wish it to.
You've done very well, so mission completed! I find chores like that rather tedious and tend to put them off if I can. My next job is to go round the garden removing all the weeds that have sprung up after recent rain followed by yet another warm spell! There are times when I envy you your sensible balcony and mangeable plants.
ReplyDeleteCarol, I also still have plastic floor mats on the balcony that I always take in over winter. And a trellis with fake leaves. And wrapping a tarpaulin around my wooden bench for protection. I keep telling myself now, that it's not really the end of the world if I don't get any of that done, though... Getting rid of the sad remains of the live plants was of higher priority!
DeleteI have changed a lot of things to fit our aging lifestyle, like when Philomena the long beautiful plant that hung in the ceiling in the kitchen for 38 years died, I tossed her and did not put another one there, to heavy to lift, to high to reach and that is why she died, it was time to split her in half and replant and no way I could do it. bob had that job.. I understand the rubber plant. Grabber is what I call it. great idea to use the glove
ReplyDeleteThanks Sandra. Yes, we probably all have to adjust our concepts of what's "necessary" or not as we get older... (This year I think I may "even" have to skip changing my kitchen curtains for Christmas...)
DeleteThose reachers are very popular here, they sell them at discount shops but many people who are struggling with ailments including arthritis use them, great idea with the gloves btw.
ReplyDelete