By Gardennia nutii
We had our first really brilliant day this past Saturday and like many avid gardeners, I spent the day in the yard weeding, planting, pruning, hauling, dividing, bending, kneeling, and…enjoying the sun. And like many avid gardeners I woke up the next morning remembering a few muscles I’d forgotten and that the sun can indeed burn skin if given ample chance.
There are some great websites to help gardeners combat the strains we put on our bodies. From general gardening safety, to great stretching exercises, to overall tips on how to protect your back when gardening. I think the most shocking site I found after limping into my office that next morning has to do with something I wasn’t inflicted with – injury associated with power lawn and garden tools. Wow…who knew that 135,000 people were treated in hospital emergency rooms in 1992 for injuries associated with power lawn and garden tools?
It is one thing to find this information, but quite another to internalize and use it. So I’m capturing my thoughts and pains in this write-up as reminder to use my head a bit more on our next sunny Oregon day.