Do something: Gardening and other activities are vital to maintaining health

By Rennie Phillips

I was visiting with my sister the other day and we got to talking about my big garden and all the work it takes. I told her some people think I'm deranged or dumb for having such a big one. She had to admit she thought so as well. It made me think about why I do grow a big garden.

Some would probably say it is for the money, but that is sure not an issue. It is unreal what stuff costs anymore. From seeds to fertilizer, everything is expensive. Fertilizer alone costs several hundred dollars a year. Seed costs several hundred dollars. Seed starting equipment costs a bunch. And the list of expenses just grows, so it's not for an income.

One reason is the fresh veggies we eat. We eat a bunch of veggies daily during the summer, from tomatoes to cucumbers to broccoli to corn. There is just nothing that compares to a fresh veggie right out of the garden. I also enjoy the challenge of growing a big garden. Down here in Missouri it is a struggle fighting with the weeds and bugs and such. Growing up I can't remember there being this many bugs and weeds. Dad didn't spray one bit for bugs; he did some dusting, but that was about all.

One other reason is the health benefits of simply working in the garden. Without the garden I honestly don't think I would be as healthy as I am. I wish I was more healthy, but with the problems I've had with my lungs I think I'm doing pretty good.

Probably 5, 6 or 7 years ago I ended up in the emergency room with breathing problems. I just couldn't get enough air. I had noticed I was having problems for several months but just figured it was because I was overweight, which adds to the problem. Where I was working we had to climb vertical ladders, and I just couldn't do it. I just didn't have enough air. There were times climbing the stairs I thought I was going to pass out. When I went to the emergency room my oxygen reading was down in the 70s.

I had all kinds of tests and the doctors never made an exact diagnosis, but knew I had a breathing problem. So I went home on oxygen 24/7. It was a bummer all the way around. No matter where I went or what I did the oxygen tank went along. For a good while I dragged a tank around on a little cart. Eventually I found a backpack that worked a lot better. The tanks were smaller, which made them a lot more handy.

I went ahead with life the best I could. I gardened on oxygen. I ran the tiller on oxygen. When I first started tilling the garden my oxygen was on the little cart. So I could till as long as the oxygen cord allowed and then had to go back and get the cart. I still got our garden planted. I also went deer hunting on oxygen; it was an experience.

When we went back to Nebraska on vacation I had to drag all the gear along. I was on oxygen at night, so we took the generator back with us. While there, my brother and I went fishing. We had to walk down a small hill. It was not bad going down, but not so fun going back up. It took a while, but I made it.

It would have been easy to have just quit and resigned myself to life without the garden and all the rest. The first year was a long year. But little by little I noticed I could do more and not be out of breath. Don't get me wrong, I was always short of breath, just not as bad as I used to be. I could run the Weed Eater more than I used to and even walk more then I used to.

After about 1 1/2 years I was able to totally get off oxygen. There were times when I would run out of air and had to huff and puff, but I was better. I don't know why, but I went from a small garden to bigger and bigger ones. Gradually we ended up with probably two acres of garden. One year I bought 50 pounds of seed potatoes because they were on sale. Man, that was a lot of potatoes to plant. I haven't done that again. One year we planted a bunch of sweet corn. The wind blew it all down. I haven't done that again.

Today I ran the Weed Eater for probably two hours. Several years ago I might have lasted 10 or 15 minutes. Several days ago I spent the whole day in one of our high tunnels with the temperature in the 90s in the tunnel. I couldn't have done that several years ago. There are days when I find it hard to breathe. Usually it's when there is a low front coming through and the humidity is really high. But even then I handle the weather better than before.

I guess what I'm saying is, "Don't stop and just sit." It's the worst thing you could do. If you physically can't get up, that's one thing. But if the lazy bone hits you, that's a whole different ballgame. Keep doing.

We lost about 130 tomato plants in one of our high tunnels to bugs. I made some mistakes that aggravated the problem, so I pulled all of them and replanted. I spent two days replanting and mulching all the tomatoes. They should begin pumping out tomatoes toward the end of August. I felt like I'd been run over by a Mack truck, but I never ran out of air. I think all of my joints and muscles were sore, but nothing that a couple, three cups of coffee didn't take care of.

Work your brain by reading, doing word puzzles or playing card games. Work the muscles that you can. Walk if you can. Get out and visit. Do coffee outings. Get the Meals on Wheels delivered to you or go to the Senior Center and eat with all the other folk. Get into your ancestry. Get a computer and learn how to use it. Get a phone and learn how to text and all the rest. Grow a few garden plants. Grow flowers.

Do something!