Can I whine a little?

Summer is past its peak and I feel a little whiny.

1. For some reason I was appointed Main Gardening Person in our household for this year. Usually it's been Art, who has a "random hopeful" planting style. He's the one who usually waters in the morning or evening and does the weeding. This year it was mine. Really, I have no idea how that happened. And I can tell you that, as of August 10, I'm pretty sick of the whole thing.

• I did so much squatting and twisting (watering strawberries and vegetables in raised beds) that I strained my piriformis muscle. I limped. Continued watering strained several shoulder muscles. For two weeks I had to sleep on my back, my right arm on a pillow at my side, my shoulder cradled by an ice pack. Once my shoulder healed, my piriformis spoke up again. Should I get combat pay for a summer garden?
• I planted too much lettuce and too many green beans. Tonight I took out all the yellowing bean plants with their overripe pods. I'm thinking if we eat lettuce madly over the next few days we may be able to assuage our guilt. I hate throwing away food we haven't eaten. Especially after all that watering.
• We have about 100 bunches of grapes refusing to ripen. Today I read it's sometimes because they aren't getting enough sun. So I pruned the overhanging grape branches (?) to lighten up the space where the grapes are. I hope I didn't kill off next year's growing material.
• The apples on our tree don't look nearly as nice as the ones in the supermarket. Some of them have funny marks or blotches. I looked up apples on the internet and I think they're just "real live" apples, since they don't appear to have any of the diseases I saw illustrated online.
• Some of the squash plants in the Three Sisters garden have that gray fuzzy stuff on their leaves that looks like mildew. I've had to take out several of the plants. All that watering, even being careful not to water the tops of the leaves. 
• Tomorrow I'm supposed to plant more beets and radishes and carrots and winter squash. Right now it seems like such an effort! I'd rather be sitting in my Adirondack chair with my eyes closed.
• A garden past its peak is not a pretty thing.

I had a talk with Art tonight. I said next year I'd like the garden to be a joint project between us. He said, "I'll think about it."

Boo, hiss.

2. I have been mostly off sugar since May 1. I had this idea I'd drop a bunch of pounds and inches and that hasn't happened. Granted, I feel much sturdier mood-wise, but I wish I were thinner (and younger!). I probably should have watched the fat and carbs also. I can still do that.

3. It's blackberry season. I went picking last weekend and it was very satisfying. By today, though, others have found my spot and the spiders have set up their webs right in front of the juiciest, ripest clusters of fruit. You either have to get spiderwebs in your eyes and hair or bypass the berries. Neither is a really good idea.

4. I am watching our children raise their children, and I am pretty good at minding my own business. Occasionally I will say, "I have an opinion on that issue. If you'd like to hear it, let me know." And you know what? They're hardly every interested in hearing my opinion! Right now I have strong opinions about three of our grandchildren, and I am not saying anything (except I tell Art, who tells me it's none of my business). How I wish I could say something they'd hear!

5. I remember a time when I'd wake up in the morning and nothing would hurt. And I took it for granted. How stupid of me! I still hope for days when my body feels young - even if just for an hour - but I have a feeling that's not going to happen to a woman who will be 66 next month. I hope I can be a good sport, at least.

I know these are pretty "First World" complaints. But every now and then I just need to let them out.