But boy did it knock me flat! I mean I was in bed all day yesterday. Me! Yep. But today I was able to safely do away with the walker and gently hobble about. The doctor gave me photos of my meniscus tears. One looked like a bad paint brush it was so frayed. I hope when I heal most of the pain will be gone. It was getting to be a real bear! Today I managed to seed out some tomatoes and watermelons.

Boy do we ever love our new currant tomato, Mexico Midget. This tiny tomato sure packs a huge load of flavor. For everyone who has tried it, their eyes pop open and they go “Wow!” Will and I included. And with 157 varieties of tomatoes this year, you’d think we were a bit jaded, right? Nope, that tomato sure woke up our taste buds big time!

We could munch on Mexico Midgets all day! Such a unique flavor.

Will’s busy trying to get the last of the haying done. It’s the two worst fields, where you can scarcely tell there’s any grass out there growing at all. He said he has to cut by looking at his tractor’s tracks in the grass and even then, he can’t always tell for certain if it’s been cut or not. Pretty sad. Then yesterday, he threw a bearing on the haybine so that really slowed him down. Rain’s coming tomorrow so he’s madly raking and baling one field, hoping to get done this afternoon. Maybe we can both take a little break tomorrow, if it rains.

We’re really enjoying our beautiful, warm, fall weather.

— Jackie

53 COMMENTS

  1. I am so glad you finally got the knee fixed because I ‘ve been feeling your pain. Over the last 22 years I’ve had both knees replaced a year apart, then one of those replaced 20 years later and finally the plastic disk replaced in the other last fall. BUT…I am so grateful for being out of pain. Before the first replacement I couldn’t stand up for more than about ten minutes and had to use the motorized shopping cart to ride around the store.

    Ice, ice, ice is your friend, especially since you can’t elevate! Your knee will tell you when it wants to rest so don’t ignore that. God speed your healing!

  3. I wanted to put a good word out there for all canners. On occasion 1 big box containing 24 boxes of Ball lids would arrive at stores. But a week ago I stopped at local Walmart and there was more than the usual. A man had 2 whole boxes with 24 canning lids in each of them. I got 4 whole boxes – sharing with family as Christmas presents. There were 2 more whole boxes left. Unbelievable good luck that I stopped in that day. (My family is already done canning for the year.) Take it easy on that knee, my friend.

  4. I chose to watch my surgery, so they gave me a spinal. Very strange feeling. So watching the monitor my knee looked like a very dirty fish tank.
    The surgery lasted quite some time but eventually i had both knees replaced. I still can’t squat down or crawl on my knees but they aren’t bone on bone any longer.
    Good luck on healing and getting back to what you love.

    • I’m lucky that my knees aren’t bone on bone. So I’m hoping the meniscus repair will buy me some time before I have to have a knee replacement. Hey, I haven’t been able to squat or kneel for years! So I sure won’t miss anything.

  5. It’s so strange. In each of my surgeries, no medical personnel ever told me what to expect afterwards. No one talked “pt”. I never took a pain pill; always over prescribed for me. They did talk “ice” and that’s it. I’m glad for every one of your blogs (helps me know how to pray) and for every picture. You and Will have such a wonderful, kind heart. Your place is so beautiful. Please give us updates on your livestock. We’re looking into a new large acreage in a state of more freedom and fewer taxes and regulation than this state of Calif. I’d like to raise livestock, (and know nothing), to be self-reliant, at this tender age of 65. I want to get away from the city and problems. We’re about to “show” our house to a couple to purchase. I’ll let you know what happens.

    • Cool, Elizabeth! Good luck on your new path toward more self-reliant living. I don’t do pain pills either, but for extreme, extreme pain and that’s usually only one. Yuck! I’ve been icing it well and taking it easy on it. But I am getting around and doing things the doctor said I could do “as tolerated”.

  9. Prayers for a speedy recovery! Being laid up when there is work to be done is a real pain. Sorry to hear that the hay is so miserable, it makes things harder. My garden gate came open when the latch didn’t catch well and all the yard birds (chickens, ducks, and turkeys) went for a field trip into the garden, scratching and digging. Thank goodness there wasn’t much left but a few peppers! Stay safe, don’t got to anxious to jump back into it. Take time to heal proper.

  10. Adding my good wishes and prayers for a speedy recovery Jackie. Praying for healing and patience and that the rain might hold off until Will gets done. You’ve got a good support network up there, let them help a little so that the knee heals right…but knowing you’ve got good common sense not to push it too much. So happy it went well. Blessings to you and Will.

    • Thank you so much Jen. We do have several friends coming here and there to help out, which we really appreciate!

  11. Thankful your surgery went well. Prayers for a full recovery! Those tomato’s look amazing! Hopefully Will got the hay done before the rain. A day of rest might be what you both need. Blessings

    • Thank you! We did get a day of rest as it rained constantly for 3 days. Now the sun is back out and we’re really enjoying the fall weather and so grateful that we haven’t had a freeze yet and so much still out in the various gardens.

  12. I bet you are happy the surgery is over and recovery has began. Don’t overdue. We all need you to be there so we can get seeds and read your blogs. Plus I’ve grown fond of you even though I’ve never met you, from reading your blog for quite a few years I feel like I know you.
    Plus I grew up on a dairy farm and love gardening and have all my life so we have some things in common.

    • That’s the one thing I love most about the blog; all of you have become my extended family! Can’t beat that. Yep, I’m sure glad the surgery is over and I know soon I’ll be “back in the saddle” and out in the gardens full time.

  13. Seriously tore up my left knee in ’96 (trashed 3 of 4 ligaments). Did surgery. Did wonderful…….. for about 20 years. Now, I hobble all over. Even drove truck with a heavy duty clutch. I need my pickup with clutch fixed so I can build up back to a truck (Peterbuilt and Kenworth being my two favorite trucks). I feel for you. May your knee repair get you back up and going. Ice will be your best friend for a while, I would think. Find a pillow to be able to have handy on those nights after a hard day to elevate that knee a bit!

  16. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Wish I could come and help you with all those veggies but it’s just a little “to fer and snakey”.

    Love all your books and magazine articles.

    • Thanks Joyce. Things are working out fine (although I’d love your visit!). Will and our friends are taking up the slack and I’m still able to do some things like sitting and shelling beans or tying up corn.

  17. Wishing you a full and speedy recovery Jackie. Hope the rain holds off long enough for Will to get in that hay.

    • The hay got wet but now the sun’s out for several days, it will soon dry so he can get it up. Due to the drought, it was thin and not of great quality anyway.

  18. My doc prescribed nitroglycerin patches to help encourage healing. if you move and put stress on the knee, it will NOT heal. Just sayin’. Blessings.

  19. Doc told me that area of the knee does not have a lot of circulation and takes a little more time to heal completely; so take it easy and heal. My daughter said she had to take gun powder to keep up with me now! Good luck.

  20. The friends we have that had the knee surgery have done well when they did what the doctor said, so you listen and don’t get in too big of a hurry pushing the recovery. Hip surgery is much easier to recover from what they tell me but hoping I won’t ever have either. We’re busy people but we have to take care of ourselves, no one can do that but us!!!

  21. We are so happy to hear the surgery went well and you are able to hobble a little so soon! That is wonderful. We continue to send our prayers and best wishes for a speedy, healthy recovery. Take care of yourself !

    • Thank you Lettie! I’m taking care but am still happy I can do a lot that doesn’t require walking too much.

    • Thanks! I am careful when walking and I sure ice my knee a lot to keep the swelling down. I can’t elevate though, although I know it would be best as when I was 17 I broke both hips when a horse fell over backward on me and since then I can’t even sit with my legs straight out like in a recliner or sit in a kayak or even on the floor with my legs out straight. It just kills me in only a couple of minutes. So I do the best I can do.

      • I am hoping your recovery goes smoothly. When I was 16, my horse had a tendency to toss her head, and so wore a martingale. One afternoon she reared up in annoyance, and I slipped down her rump and landed on deep gravel, just as she lost her balance and sat down like a begging dog. With my splayed legs under her rump. After wobbling a bit, she rolled to one side, rolling over the inside of my knee, and scrambled up. I was determined to get on her again (don’t let a horse buffalo you, my Mom always said). But Mom declared otherwise, and had to cut my jeans of my rapidly swelling leg. No broken bones, just crushed cartilage on the inside of the knee. The same varicose veins there have lasted 56 years now. I can honestly say I had a horse sit in my lap. The human body heals marvelously, if given time and good care. Thank you for keeping us up to date!

    • I”m just stubborn, I guess and too busy to sit around too long. But I am careful as I want it to heal.

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