On the podcast this week Kelly and I discuss my plantar fasciitis situation, our vegetable gardening disasters and what happens when it rains in Southern California.
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My former massage therapist now writes at PainScience.com—he wrote the internet’s most downloaded ebook on lower back pain. And, he has some seriously in-depth and heavily footnoted work on plantar fasciitis.
https://www.painscience.com/tutorials/plantar-fasciitis.php
I would rather hear about failures and problem-solving than success, success, success! Because none of us out here are anywhere near a 100% success rate.
First, overcoming failures to get success makes for great stories and blogs both. All of the blogs I follow regularly document their failures and I draw inspiration from how they deal with, and usually overcome, them.
Second, is it possible for you to plant to your garden with the critters in mind? Considering your point that the drought is driving the wildlife into new territory to find food, allowing for some vegetables to feed them might be something to consider. Sort of like planting certain ‘trap plants’ to divert pests to a different target rather than your veggies. Instead, plant veggies just for the wildlife, that are not protected in anyway and maybe they’ll leave the ‘veggie prison’ alone for you.
Hello,
My wife, Ruth, suffered from plantar fasciitis for several years, and at one point she thought she would spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. I can more than appreciate what you are going through.
Her relief came through a chiropractor, Dr Joe Leahy, who practices in Los Gatos,CA. Leahy is well know in this area, and is a team doctor for many of the local major sports teams—the SF Forty-Niners, for example— and has treated many Olympic level athletes. These are people who do not put their bodies into the hands of incompetents or quacks.
Leahy has developed a non-invasive technique he calls Active Release Therapy that resolves the adhesions that cause the pain in plantar fasciitis. If Leahy can not completely eliminate your problem he can certainly diminish the pain and restore your mobility. Leahy has taught the technique to others; but he is the master of it, and it is as much of an art as it is a science.
Los Gatos is a bit of a treck from Los Angles, but it would be well worth the effort if he fixes you problem. His rates are very reasonable. If you would like to talk to my wife about her experience, send me an email and we can set up a call.
Leahy’s contact information is Dr. Joe Leahy, 15729 Los Gatos Blvd Suite 100, Los Gatos, CA 95032 , Tel: (408) 335-6533. He has a website, but I think it is a bit out of date.
I really enjoy reading your blog and know how the pain of plantar fasciitis can suck the joy out of life, so I hope this helps.
All the best,
Ed Morrow
Carmel Valley CA
i love listening to you guys discuss failures as well as successes. While my fruit trees are not yet at that productive age, I am anticipating the same problems everyone experiences with animal predation and wondering if you’ve tried putting those socks-like bags made of mesh or nylon over the fruits?
Thanks again, I love you guys’ blog and podcasts!
RE: growing/not growing in the summer. I live in z9A just outside of Houston and summer is humid and HOT and typically dry, and just downright brutal. Everyone does tend to let most things go dormant aside from plants that kind of take care of themselves (sweet potatoes, okra, peppers). Tomatoes are toast by early July unless you can limp them along until fall for a fall-crop.
I lived in Florida for 8 years before this and it is similar, though I was in z10a at that time. Tomatoes were a winter crop and most people let a lot of edibles go dormant or not grow them at all, and focused on ornamental plants that handle the heat, humidity and moisture that came with living in south Florida.
Go dormant for the summer if needed…it will help your sanity.
Welcome to the wonderful world of being an Alter Kocker. (That’s Yiddish… Look it up.) i.e. Husband says, “Shirley and I met right after the war, but before my first operation.” Wife replies, “No Leonard, we met before the war after your second operation.” 😉
just like us snowbirds descend on you californians (and floridians and arizonans) on your mild winters, take the cue and spend your summers with us in the east – we have mosquitoes (and swimming holes), yes, but we need help with our harvests (too many late nights in the kitchen processing and preserving and we can’t keep up) and our hot days are not so hot as yours.
I like Kelly’s comment about how pain is your body speaking to you. I’ve been learning that lesson over and over in the past few years. Especially getting older I realize that I just can’t do things I used to. If I push it, I may get more done in a day but then I hurt for a few days after. I’m more productive to go moderate 3 days.
Thanks for sharing about the garden. I’m in the Canadian Prairies (so close to the upper mid-west) and I’ve had a good year on most things and terrible on others. Gardening sure makes me appreciate all the other food I have and makes me glad I don’t have to depend on it to survive.