Summer, 2024. I had so much to do. Garden with struggling a little with unpredictable changes in weather, but over all, was probably my best yet. Rabbits were thriving, and I was in the middle of planning deck repairs and new hutches.

Until…

Work. You know the place where we go to support our habits? Yeah, that place.

I work in a pulp mill, and I run an assortment of heavy equipment. I love my job. But on August 24th, in the middle of troubleshooting a vital piece of equipment, I stepped down, and turned my left ankle.

Badly.

To the point that I fell to the ground.

Finished my repairs (though screaming through the pain, it’s ok, it’s a very noisy work environment), and ended up at the emergency room an hour later. Avulsion fracture… that’s when the tendon rips a piece of bone right off your ankle.

Six weeks in an air cast, then physio. The air cast aggravated a previous pelvic injury to the point of being in agony 24/7. Clearly, the summer/autumn plans vanished in a puff of smoke.

I did manage to harvest a good haul of potatoes, and the tomatoes were pulled still green, and ripened inside. Not ideal, but it was ok. Still got my zucchini and herbs, though the carrots went feral, as did the beets and chard. Whoops!

Obviously, the deck still needs to be repaired, and new rabbit hutches will happen in the spring. I struggled, but I also learned. A lot.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will my homestead.

PS- rabbit manure is gold. Eight tomato plants yielded over 150 lbs of tomatoes.