I felt a little depressed today (again with the depression) and didn’t feel like sitting inside all day watching golf. In fact, I didn’t even feel like playing golf, which I think confirmed my self-diagnosis of slight depression. I figured I’d work through it by digging out my least favorite stump, a crabapple in the backyard that just won’t die and keeps shooting up suckers.
I’m not sure if the picture is clear enough, but the hole is about 3 feet deep and several feet across. There was always a danger of throwing out my back and being unable to attend the two-day all-group off-site face-to-face overuse-of-hyphens meeting that my group from Megacorp is having tomorrow but I was semi-depressed (like I said) and I didn’t give a crap. I probably sweat off 10 pounds as well, but I got the stump out of the ground and my back feels fine so far. One down, four stumps to go: two pear, one broadleaf maple, and two rhododendron – I guess that makes five.
I gave up after one stump because I didn’t want to overdo things but what I did turned out to be even stupider. I usually wear long sleeves when I’m gardening even when it’s really hot, and I found out that I should keep wearing long sleeves out there. I pulled a bunch of weeds from my next door neighbor’s yard. The weeds are outside of his fence, so he doesn’t see them but I do. I found out that I’m a little allergic to those weeds and my arms started sprouting hives and itching like crazy. I quit about 1 or 2, took a shower, ate some lunch, took an antihistamine, and then looked at the inside of my eyelids for at least an hour.
So, I’m not quite as semi-depressed any more. Physical labor seems to help more than sitting in front of my computer, deleting my online profiles from every dating site I can think of. My back doesn’t hurt yet. I still have to attend this odd meeting, but that’s why they pay me. And, hopefully, we won’t have the goofy crabapple shooting up suckers again.
I think the shovel and polaski are going to get more use this summer than I’d like, if my back holds up.