Do you remember a little book that was so popular a few years back that encouraged us to do random acts of kindness? I don’t think we do enough of them.
I have been thinking for several years that I needed to write a note to the gardener at a house I pass three times a week on the way to exercise. Perhaps ten years ago, I realized that this gardener was very slowly creating a beautiful shade garden under a stand of pines. Each year a few more plants made their presence known until there was something blooming through out the entire growing season.
I do very little shade gardening, although I seem to have more shade now than when we moved to this house seventeen years ago. I thought it would be lovely to walk through this garden, and talk with the gardener, and learn about plants that I’ve never grown.
I started saying the street number to myself, and had it memorized, but I’d forget to write the note. I finally wrote the address down to nudge my memory and then lost the paper I’d written it on. Finally, I wrote the address down on one page of a small notebook I carry, and left the notebook open in my purse so I’d have to pass it each time I got something out of my purse.
This Monday morning, I saw the note, and took the time to write the briefest of notes to the gardener. I didn’t beg for the chance to walk through the garden. I just told the gardener that I had been watching, and that I thought (s)he had done a marvelous job.
Last night, the gardener called, and got my answering machine. Dear Husband heard the call and told me to go listen. Although it was close to eight at night, I called, and had the most lovely conversation with the couple who live at number 1915. It turns out the gardener is a man who has lived at that house for 54 years.
We chatted about people who live in this area, and I was able to bring to his mind which house was mine by telling him that I lived across the road from one of the oldest families in our area. I know all sorts of things about this couple, and they know a few things about me. I told them about our raccoon trials, and they commiserated. This gentleman and I have more than gardening in common. We both have spouses who don’t garden! *G*
We have stormy weather coming in for the next few days, but we’re expecting sun by Tuesday. My gardening friend generously invited me to come see his gardens. I asked if we could postpose our visit until the clear weather next week, and we settled on late Tuesday morning. I was thrilled to be invited. I have a lot to learn from him. I think it’s going to be a lovely visit.
You know, I wish I had done this SO much sooner!

Have you ever really considered just how you use your knees?
I mean, we all would say that we walk, and we sit, and we rise, and we squat. But have you ever given any thought to the other way you use your knees?
My right knee is almost healed from the medial collateral ligament sprain that I developed June 10th. I hobbled around for nine days, and then went to see my doc, who sent me on to an Orthopedic specialist. The physician’s assistant prescribed three weeks of immobilizing my knee, along with frequent treatment with ice (in my case, with a bag of peas), and Advil for pain control. About two weeks short of the three month anniversary I saw the orthopedic doc, who arranged for x-rays. He told me that this type of sprain usually takes about five months to heal. I’m on the fast track, apparently, but I’m still trying to be cautious, so that I don’t have any relapses this far into my recovery.
So back to how we use our knees….
As I said, I’m trying to be cautious, but I find myself returning to old habits that can’t be good. We have two drawers below the cook-top that have the type of shelf that slides out. Mine are loaded with heavy cooking bowls, and Corning ware. I find myself wanting to push those drawers in with my knee.
Across from those drawers is the dishwasher. I discovered that I close its door by turning my back to the unit, hooking my foot under the door and doing a hamstring lift to bring the door up into place.
I used to use my toes to brush things to the right or left. You know….kicking a branch out of the way, or pushing one ice cube toward another on the floor, so you only have to bend once to pick them up.
I’m going to have to unlearn ALL those clever little movements. It’s time to bend again, and let my knees get back to good health.
I’m happy to say that I can do about 95% of the exercises at our exercise class. That’s not to say that I don’t feel it the next day, but it’s not the kind of pain that says, “STOP!” And, sleeping on my left side is getting easier. It may be a while until I can sleep on my right side (the damaged knee side), but I can sleep through the night now, and I consider that a major improvement.
Pay attention to how you use YOUR knees. I bet you find some habits that need to be ditched!

That’s what I paid for gas today. During the summer I cut back my travel as much as I could. I grouped errands onto two days a week, rather than running out every day. I let the car sit as much as possible because gas was at least $3.199. I drove slower, and took my time accelerating. I did everything I could think of, short of not using the car, to cut back on our gas bills.
It pains me that the oil companies raise the costs like that during the summer. I know we are a free market society. I understand the concept of supply and demand. I suspect that I’m not the only person who cut back on their driving, and it had to have an effect on the number of gallons sold this summer. Perhaps that kept us from having $4.00 a gallon gas, or more. At least, I hope it did.
If it weren’t for our exercise class, and the occasional fabric shopping trip, and going out to dinner, I believe that I could live a hermit’s live. I could shop once a month (I think), and stay put at home. I’d miss the contact with people, but I’d keep in touch with my friends via phone and computer.
I was delighted to hear that Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Airlines, has pledged a BILLION dollars in alternative energy research through the end of this decade. I know that he hopes to fuel his airplane fleet with a new energy source, and that he believes that cars and trucks will be able to use it too. I also understand that he will make a lot of money off this new product. That’s okay, as long as we break the hold that petroleum has over us, and we work on cleaning up the Earth.
There have to be a lot of innovative people working on this problem. Why aren’t we hearing more about their work?