The nurse was going through the post-op instructions for my upcoming lumpectomy. Most is common sense, of course. And then she pointed out the list of restrictions, or What Not To Do.

• No lifting: nothing more than 10 pounds, approximately equal to a gallon of milk.
• No repetitive motion: Avoid vacuuming, rowing, raking, gardening with affected arm.

Raking? Gardening? I told her I was lucky to be having this surgery in the bleak midwinter. If this were happening in June or July, I’d be upset that I couldn’t garden, or (as my kids used to say), playing in the dirt.

By the time spring comes, I hope to be gaining enough strength to get out in the backyard and till the soil for the raised bed plot. Beans, zucchini, carrots – we’ll see what else has potential. The raspberry patch needs weeding, too.

The other project will require lifting and repetitive motion. My table full of buckets, the ultimate raised bed, will need a lot of work. The potting soil from last year needs straining. Amigo and Chuck bought me a nice soil strainer for Christmas! Woot! Each bucket needs the holes enlarged and a stack of pine cones or wine corks to help the soil drain. When the buckets are ready, they’ll go in the table so I can plant tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, spinach, and much, much more.

The challenge this year will be starting seeds. I hope to bring my small tabletop greenhouses up from the basement before my surgery. I’ll bring potting soil and seed starter in the house, too. That way, the heavy lifting will be done and I can start tomato and pepper seeds in February or March, all depending on the level of pain and weakness at that point.

All in all, folks, I plan to grow food when spring arrives, cancer or no cancer.