Well this is my next chore.

16 years ago

The red arrow points to the roof peak of a 2-story house. The house sits in the middle of the trees so it does not appear smaller than it is. The canapÃ© is roughly 80Â high, 160Â wide and 60Â deep. I have decided to hire someone to collect and dispose of the leaves and curtail my composting activities. The city will accept all yard and garden debris except grass and that is what I plan to do. My compost requirements will be supplied by a local horse boarding stables where I can get all the composted HM in all stages of decomposition that I need an no cost and they load the trailer. ItÂs hell when you have to govern you activities because of age. John

Here is a link that might be useful: John's Journal

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Comments (7)

engineeredgarden
16 years ago
John - I imagine all of the work involved in composting is pretty difficult at your age. Shoot...it's rough on me, and I'm only 41. I'll be collecting bagged leaves by the curbside over the next few weeks, and will probably accumulate 75-100 for my operation.

EG
sb158
16 years ago
I feel your pain; I'm in my mid-50's and between the arthritis and the heat, I have to force myself to do what needs to be done sometimes.
Getting old sucks, but the alternative is much worse...
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putawaywet
16 years ago
I see a picture like the one above and my first thought is... boy am I glad those tress aren't in my backyard. I've always been envious of those with large property, but I'm not envious of the upkeep that goes along with it.

I just hit 43 and am seriously beginning to wonder if I'll still be able to move around by the time I'm 50. Been limping on a sore knee for over a week now with no idea what I did to it. Between that and the damn CA heat the seems to linger into October it's a never ending battle to keep moving. Also doesn't help that I have this nagging little voice that tells me to just go ahead and sit on my ass all day and surf Gardenweb.
rachel597
16 years ago
EG, you and I are the same age!

John, I don't blame you a bit. That is going to be a bunch of leaves.

Rachel
GrafixMuse's Garden Spot
flyingfish2
16 years ago
OK John and how old are you???

I guess it doesn't matter you chono age, it is your biological age.

I am 72 and lucky to be alive based on some of the things I've been through , but enjoy taking care of my 2.5 acres here in SE Fla.

I am going on a short term mission work team to do construction work in the Bahamas next week and we have an 83 year old lady coming who can work my fanny into the ground any day of the week.

Am try SFG for the first time this winter just in case I get too decripid to take care of the rest!

bernie
eaglesgarden
16 years ago
Bernie,

I know what you are saying. My grandfather was outworking people half his age well into his late 70s!

My dad was outworking folks at 64, with 90+ % blockages in three arteries in his heart, and finally had bypass surgery just after his 65th birthday, and retirement! He can still outwork most people I know!

I just hope that I can be as active as these guys when I reach those ages. Heck, if I have half the pep of those two, I will count myself lucky!

Everyone is different though. The way I see it, once you reach that age, you shouldn't waste time doing things that you don't enjoy though! If you don't like raking leaves, then you shouldn't do it. However, if it is something that you enjoy and you can do it, then you should take advantage of that!!!

Best wishes for all gardeners as the winter hits! I am trying to find ways to extend my season as much as possible! I just am not ready to give up fresh veggies from my backyard yet!!!
vermontkingdom
16 years ago
I'm 65 and, thank God, I'm still able to have a large garden. I find gardening to be good exercise, therapy, and spirituality all rolled into one. For me, it defines my good life. However, I've just put together four raised beds in the garden to test their effectiveness next year. I fully believe we are all TABS (temporarily able bodied) and I will at some point, no longer be able to have neither the large garden nor the composting setup to support it. If SFG is as good as advertised, and I sure hope it is, I will be able to continue some gardening when my body and circumstances no longer permit me to do more.