While I know quite a bit about gardening, there is not really anything I have discovered on my own. My focus in this article is from the perspective of a person recovering from a disease. Mature gardeners, or those compromised by disabilities may also find some of these tips useful.

I have a friend named Sue, who is recovering from a stroke. She follows the advice of Winston Churchill, who said, "Never, never, never, never, never give up!" It has been 11 months since Sue’s stroke, and she can now set plants in the ground. Someone else must prepare the soil for her. As a stroke victim, she must be cognizant of the fact that she can go into shock. When things go watery in her screen of vision, she knows it is time to stop for a bit, then she can go on working. Sue says that as she gets stronger, the instances of oncoming shock grow less frequent.

Loss of balance is another problem to be surmounted by stroke victims. Be nice to yourself! Get some help to insure even paths run throughout your yard. Have some walkways devised of stepping stones; pour concrete paths, put down weed-block material, or devise a patio area. Anything that lessens the square footage to be weeded is a step in the right direction. Gardening is supposed to be fun, not a tremendous chore.

A raised garden bed is easier to work in than a ground level one. It also adds visual interest to the garden. A 10" wide board around the top of the raised bed can be handy to sit on while weeding. When you need a place to rest, or want to show off your garden to family members, you are all set! There is no need to drag out lawn chairs.

I often suffer from fatigue; although I take lots of wonderful vitamins, I still get tired working in the garden. Sometimes I just sit for a bit and listen to the birds or frogs, depending on the season it is. In my head I can just hear my father saying to my mother, "Let’s go and have a cup of coffee!" Sometimes she would get coffee for him then, and other times she just wanted to finish the job before stopping. Since I always work alone in the garden, I always stop whenever I want to. I always want to have that cup of coffee with my father, but it must be in memoriam because he is deceased.

I hope you have enjoyed my garden reflections. If you have anything to add that you would like to see in this space, please write and tell me.

MISCELLANEOUS TIPS

Some people use knee protectors like those used by skaters. Soft pads to kneel on can be helpful. A plastic bag with a newspaper inside of it becomes an instant, disposable gardening sit-upon.

Remember to drink water, to replace fluids lost to evaporation and sun exposure. Happy gardening!