Grass and Garden Report, Saturday, August 27,2011

I've been going to physical therapy for the sprained right knee the last two weeks. The folks down at Elite are really great and are pushing to get me back on my feet and doing what I can with the twin knee noise makers "Snap" and "Pop." Add the new medication the orthopedist prescribed for the arthritic affliction and I was beginning to feel nearly normal again. (Well, as normal as I can be with these damn knees.)

As I stood out on the deck, I looked at the blossoming weeds and clover in a lawn grown high enough to hide my shoes when I go forth to pluck onions from the ground and cherry tomatoes from the one plant we've still got. The white flowers of the clover and the yellow flowers of one of the pea family looked pretty but they had to go. I last cut the grass somewhere around August 1 and it really needed to be done. I also hadn't had any exercise since August 5 when I sprained my knee.

Sooooo...I gassed up Mr. Craftsman and, along with Misters Briggs and Stratton went for a walk. A long, slow, somewhat painful walk. The grass was so high that even waiting until this afternoon didn't give it time enough to dry completely. It was so tall that I couldn't just let the mower mulch it back into the lawn. It was so tall that a side discharge, while possible, would have left rows and rows of clippings to be raked up. So I used the bag grass catcher instead. And the grass was so tall that the bag had to be emptied after about 50 feet of mowing. So I would start the mower. Push the mower 50 feet. Stop the mower. Empty the bag. Start the mower. Push the mower 50 feet. Stop the mower. Empty the bag. Over and over. I've now got a nicely cut lawn and a freakin' huge heap of grass clippings.

And sore knees.

I soaked them (and the rest of my sorry hide) in a nice hot bath when I finished and that helped a bit. I'm glad I don't have to do it again right away.

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Tomorrow I tackle the bushel of tomatoes Terry brought home from the market yesterday. I'll wash, boil, mash, simmer to the proper thickness, and can them for home made spaghetti sauce this winter. Terry also got some sausage and will whip up some spaghetti sauce to freeze--if she can find room in the freezer. There's a heap of string beans and zucchini bread in there at the moment.

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Speaking of string beans and zucchini...The darn plants do NOT know when to quit!. Terry's been getting a quart or more of string beans ever other day. And they are still flowering!

Zucchini have been super prolific also. Every two days there's another three or four coming into the house. Terry's been hunting up zucchini recipes to use up what we're getting as we get it, but the zucchini are winning. There are six eight on the counter as I type. I hate to admit that I'm enjoying some of the things Terry has been doing with the zucchini, but I am. I will, however, say no to the recipe for zucchini cobbler. Muffins are okay. I figure they're just miniature zucchini breads. But cobbler? Seriously?

And a slew of cucumbers waiting to be turned in to pickles. There's about a peck of cukes waiting pickling. And suddenly, after looking like hell all summer, those plants are starting to produce in abundance.

We're both about ready to pull up the bean and zucchini plants and call it a season. It's like catching walleye for the table. You wait and fish with anticipation for that first nice 18" walleye and feel great when you get it into the boat. The next 10 or 12 are great too. But that 100th fish...Okay. bad example that 100th walleye would be just as great as the first...even if you were allowed to keep them all and still had to clean 'em. You can NEVER have too many walleye filets in the freezer. NEVER!

Waiting...

Like almost everyone on the eastern seaboard, I've been following the progress of Hurricane Irene.

I'm sitting here looking at maps and trying to figure out how some folks we know are making out. Folks who moved to Virginia Beach and Gloucester, VA (right across the mouth of Chesapeake Bay). At this moment they're (hopefully) elsewhere. AccuHunch is reporting over 15 inches of rain already in the southeast portion of Virginia and Irene is swirling around an eye that appears to be right off Virginia Beach.

Most of New Jersey is already getting rain and bands of rain have swept as far west as Binghampton, NY where there was a report of over 1 inch. Same for down near Lewisburg, PA. One long, skinny but very intense line of showers down that way has dropped over an inch of rain.

The Aerie will see none of that. We may get a third of an inch of rain overnight but it looks like the storm track has shifted slightly eastward and lands west of I-81 will be spared the wrath of Irene.

Terry spoke to her Mom today. The old gal lives in Linden, NJ about 4 miles west of the Kill van Kull on Newark Bay and only a couple dozen feet above sea level--maybe. Terry went through a check list of things Mom needed to do (get food stuffs and anything else you want to save off the floor in the basement, plug up the basement sinks and shower, fill your freezer with ice cubes--use water bottles if need be, fill the bath tub, roll up your porch awnings, get the garbage cans inside the garage, fill your car's gas tank, etc.).

Mom is still of the mind that, "Oh. It's going over Staten Island. It won't affect me!"

Terry tried to explain that the strong winds will be reaching out 75-100 miles on eaither side of the track and even the rains alone will create flooding problems. I think she got through to her.

Later, Terry got an email from her cousin Nancy--Joe's sister. Her Mom lives across the street from Terry's and she (Nancy) stopped in to see if they were prepared. Nancy said Mom had done most all the things Terry had said to do and was pretty well set. Nancy reminded Mom that there was an older phone in the basement that would work even if the power went out. She also told Mom that she (again Nancy) would be staying over at her Mom's house for the next few days so if she had need, she should call. (Jessica is still in the house with Grandma and should be able to lend a hand.)

Not much else to do for them from 200 miles away. Except say a prayer. And that's been going on for a while now.

A Reminder of a Marine in Need

About ten days ago I wrote of a young Marine Captain that needs to renovate his small house so as to accommodate his new life style, one that includes a left leg lost to an IED in Afghanistan. (A Wounded Warrior needs help.)

As with any house renovation the unexpected becomes the norm. While preparing to move load bearing interior walls, it was discovered that the floor joists were rotting and would need replacing. Needless to say, this has jacked up the cost of the renovation considerably.

If you can help out even a little--even if just the price of a cup of coffee or the Sunday paper, Captain Max Frank and his family would be most appreciative.

Donations can be made at Bring Him Home.

Aerie Report, August 25, 2011

Thunderstorms rolled through the Aerie's environs overnight and showers--some very heavy showers--persistently hung around all morning and this afternoon. The result was 1.25 inches of water in the rain gauge. As dry as we were during much of July and the first week or two of August, we've more than made up for it during the last two weeks. Hard to believe that I had to drag the hose out to water the garden only a short time ago. Talk about roller coaster numbers.

And there's a hurricane moving north. We should be far enough west so as to see only 40-50 mph gusts and considerable rain, but one never knows. In 1972, Agnes swept up the Chesapeake and right through this area. Flooding was unbelievable. As a result of her rampage, lots of levees and even several Corps of Engineer lakes (Hammond, Tioga and Cowenesque) were constructed in the immediate area. More were built along the Susquehanna River to the east near Wilkes Barre, Scranton and Binghamton.
[I've just been reminded that Agnes actually dawdled over Corning, NY for a bit which is why the flooding was unprecedented. Having a hurricane (or tropical storm) sit in one place for a period of time can, indeed, result in huge amounts of rainfall.]

It currently looks like Irene will come up along the New Jersey shore into the eastern boros of NYC on Saturday Sunday. Family and friends in New Jersey and the NYC area need to take precautions ASAP. But that's still two days away. That's a long time in hurricane terms.

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Had another session of PT this afternoon and the knee is feeling much better. Even step up exercises went well with little or no pain on a 4" step. I'm still experiencing some pain on the normal steps around the house, however, as the knee doesn't like those 7-9" risers.

Finally go the medication for the arthritic condition in both knees so we'll see how that affects the pain level. Nothing short of surgery will stop the snap, crackle, and pop of my knees' percussive duet though. So far, none of the professionals I've consulted has mentioned that four letter word "DIET," but it's just a matter of time.
Heck, even I know I should shed 30-40 pounds if I want the knees to feel happier.

Aerie Report, August 24, 2011: Hither and yon.

Terry and I spent a long morning at the orthopedist's and running a few errands.

Our first stop was the Guthrie Clinic in Corning where they took more x-rays of my knees since the ones taken at St. Luke's in Utica were not to their liking. (At St. Luke's, all the x-rays were while I was laying down--no weight on the joint. The folks here in Corning wanted a more realistic picture of what was happening in the joint and, therefore, had me standing up to have the x-rays taken.)

First, the good news:
The MRI I had taken last week and the x-rays indicated NO tears of any ligaments or tendons. Anti-inflammatory medications, rest and PT should help reduce the pain caused by the injury I sustained.

Now the bad:
The x-rays clearly show developing arthritis in both knees. Spurs and a thinning of the cushioning cartilage are to blame for the chronic pain I've been feeling in the knees. Again, anti-inflammatory meds should help. If not, there are cortisone shots as well as others that can relieve the more or less constant ache. Should that not bring relief or should my condition worsen, there is a possible need for knee joint replacement--but that's years from now; after other options are tried.

And now the worse news:
That pocket of calcified tissue the x-rays found an inch or so above my right knee needs to come out. It is a small globule of calcified crud imbedded in the right quad and is (probably) benign but
is definitely hampering movement and causing some pain in that area. (Lab tests will be done on this tissue to determine its true nature. They have no idea what may have caused it.) Surgery is scheduled for September 15th.

Meanwhile, I am to start some meds for the knee joints and continue going to PT for as long as the insurance company will allow.

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After the clinic visit, Terry and I headed east to Horseheads to Michael's so she could get some findings for a beaded pin project she is doing.

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Then it was back to Mainesburg so I could buy a new chainsaw (Husqvarna Rancher with a 20" blade) so as to be ready for whatever Irene decides to do. Right now (Wednesday at 3:30 PM) it looks like the strom will swing a bit to the east and hit the east end of Long Island before moving on to Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard. (Shoot wasn't having to host the Presidential entourage enough for the folks on the Vineyard?)

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Then to the drugstore for the meds, but the prescription hadn't been called in yet. (Called he clinic when we finally got home and asked them to please call the CVS in Mansfield. That was 1-1/2 hours ago. No call from the pharmacy yet.)

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Lunch at Yorkholo in Mansfield where I enjoyed an excellent burger/beef melt and a nice lager with a very high ABV (alcohol by volume) rating of 6.5% that was named after Pine Creek. Terry had a chicken breast sandwich and lemonade.

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After lunch, we went over to Wally World--just in case the clinic sent the prescription there instead. They didn't. So we did the next best thing and purchased two cartons of ice cream: Butter Pecan and Mint Chocolate Chip. Good for what ails ya! Especially with Hershey's chocolate sauce on top.

Aerie Report, August, 23, 2011

Did my second day of physical therapy today. After the first session (Friday) was was really hurting, but after today's things seem to be much better. The last two days I've progressed to being able to walk relatively normally on smooth, flat surfaces. Even a short walk across the lawn didn't produce pain in the right knee.

Going up or down stairs is still a painful experience in which I feel the knee will give out at any moment so I have to be sure to have a firm grip on the railing or remember to lead with the bad leg when going down and the good leg when going up and take the steps one at a time.

The therapists have me doing range of motion exercises at the moment. Many of them require bending the knee but with no weight on the leg. Even then, the knee sounds like a flamenco dancer stamping her feet AND playing her castanets every time I bend it. Or maybe it's just Bill “Bojangles” Robinson doin' his thang.



In any event, I go up to Corning, NY tomorrow to see an orthopedist. I'll let him (or her) poke and prod, look at the x-rays, read the MRI analysis and doctors' reports and come up whit his (or her) own conclusion. I'll also bring the x-rays from the left knee taken two years ago when I sprained that one.

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Back in NJ, my niece's husband just had arthroscopic surgery on one of his knees today. He says it's been bothering him since high school, but last week he tweeked it and felt something tear (meniscus). He was on the job as a carpenter, though, so his was a workers comp kind of thing and, thus, got a bit more rapid treatment than I have been getting. Mine is just one of those "You idiot! What were you thinking?" kind of injuries.

Did the earth move for you?

So. I hear we allegedly had an earthquake on the east coast today. (At approximately 1:50 PM EDT...they say.) Well, Neither Terry nor I felt the dang thing here at the Aerie! I feel deprived!

Of course, with the heavy duty truck traffic along the road for gas drilling/pipeline work and before that windmill installation, the Aerie has seen its share of the old shake, rattle and roll--usually accompanied by a cloud of dust and a grinding of gears.

The folks at Elite Physical Therapy ("Where PT stands for Pain and Torture!") in Mansfield all say they felt it.

Anyway, just to lighten the mood a bit, here's a look back to the Animaniacs take on earthquakes.

Monarchs and Moths

Over the course of several years, I've been pulling up most of the milkweed I find around the yard. There are a few pockets that remain, however, including a half dozen plants directly under the western corner of the deck. A few weeks ago I noticed one of these plants was being heavily attacked by what turned out to be the caterpillars of the Milkweed Tussock Moth. (more here.) The moth itself is rather bland being a nondescript light brown in color and sort of a stumpy looking thing of only an inch or so in length. The caterpillar is anything but drab.

The eggs of the Milkweed Tussock Moth are laid in large clusters and 50 or more caterpillars may completely skeletonize a milkweed plant in a day or so. That's what was happening under the deck. Entire leaves of milkweed were being devoured with only the ribs of the leaf (the part carrying the latex sap) were left behind. A week after I spotted them, the caterpillars disappeared. Where they went, I've no idea. They left behind several healthy milkweed plants however.

Today there was one lonely Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillar.

Milkweed Tussock Moth Caterpillar

Also today, I spotted a different and more familiar caterpillar feeding on the young leaves of the milkweeds--the yellow-white-black striped Monarch Butterfly caterpillars were at work. The Monarch may go through three or four generations in a single summer. Each except the last will live as a butterfly for only a few weeks. The final generation usually emerges from the chrysalis about the time the butterfly's favorite fall meal, goldenrod, comes into flower. This is the group of Monarchs that migrates southward during the autumn.

Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar

The goldenrod around the yard is just now starting to turn yellow so this group of caterpillars--and I counted at least six on two plants--will be the ones to make that long journey. Eat hardy, my friends!