Filed under: Omaha, Permaculture, Sustainable Farming | Tags: Kitchen gardens, Nebraska, raised beds, square foot gardening
So it’s July and the tomato plants are bushy and starting to fruit. Some red peppers are starting to fruit also. The fence, arbor, and two raised beds have been installed. About a third of the interior perimeter beds were dug. 8 cubic yards of topsoil/compost mix were delivered and all ready beds were filled, with some left over for more beds. We have been enjoying basil, lettuce, and snapdragons. Planted perennials in the perimeter beds, including butterfly milkweed, irises, fern leaf peony, echinacea, and red husker, some of which attract beneficial insects. Trumpet vines were planted on either side of the arbor.
Plans for next year include more raised beds (so easy to maintain once filled), pea gravel pathways, and the rest of the perimeter beds. Maybe a tunnel green house to harden the plants off before transplanting (also we ran out of space inside). Surpisingly, the heavy winds of May did not kill anything, and we were able to control June’s onslaught of black vine weevils. It took so long for them to climb up the 2 foot high boxes, we were able to squash them before they got in and ate anything. They sure love basil!
One thing I make sure to emphasize to my students or anyone else who asks me about Feldenkrais is that it is a learning method, not a medical treatment. That being said, people who practice Feldenkrais can improve their function by learning about themselves and how they can go beyond what is habitual for them.
Sometimes, a habit can begin with an injury. I hurt my left ankle several months ago in a yoga class. Being a physical therapist, I worked on it myself, without success. I went to another physical therapist and although it improved a little, it still bothered me quite a bit. He suggested I do nothing more, just let it heal up on its own, preferably in a boot.
I declined completely immobilizing my whole left lower leg because I felt that would create more problems than it would solve. Instead, I chose to wrap it and laid off heavy exercise for several months.
The discomfort eventually resolved, but every morning my first couple steps were quite stiff. Yesterday, I did a Feldenkrais lesson for Ankle Movements and today is the first day there was no stiffness.
Feldenkrais did not heal my ankle. It showed me how to go beyond the habits of my injury. By exploring the repertoire of ankle movements and some of the relationships between the ankle, knee, hip and spine, I rediscovered what it was like to move without pain or stiffness.
Would this have worked if I had done it before my ankle had healed? I am not certain. What I do know is that I was not ready to learn until yesterday.
