Rock Landscaping

I was sitting on my couch enjoying a girls' night with a few of my friends when I noticed that my left leg was going numb.  At first I thought it was just because of the way I was sitting, but it continued up my body into my left arm, the left side of my neck, and into my jaw.  This continued for days until I realized that I was losing dexterity in my hand.  I was having trouble holding my keys, buttoning my shirt, and applying my make-up.  I was terrified that I had the beginning signs of MS or that I was having some sort of stroke, but after visiting my doctor, she figured I was suffering from sciatica.  So I saw a physical therapist, and she did a bunch of tests which revealed that I do have sciatica, and I also have extremely tight muscles on the left side of my body.  Apparently I've been overcompensating on that side of my body because I've been suffering from debilitating vertigo for over a year, and I just did what I had to do to function.  I'm also extremely deficient in vitamin D, which can cause muscle weakness and eventually paralysis.  Yikes!  The physical therapist suggested I do some prescribed exercises and get out in the sun to increase my vitamin D.  I couldn't deal with the bordom of just sitting in the sun, so I looked around my yard and realized this was the perfect opportunity to do something I had wanted to do since the day we moved in...Organize rocks.

Ever since I visited the Denver Botanic Gardens when I was a teenager, I have always loved the look of the organized rock pathways like the ones they have in the Japanese garden.  So I got busy and it was no easy task!  I sat outside for a week straight in the blazing summer sun and sorted all the jagged, smaller rocks out, and searched for the flat, smooth rocks.  And then I stood them on end next to each other.  I'm sure my neighbors were wondering if I had completely lost my mind, especially since it took me 8 hours each day.  But I was determined to finish.  I even sat out and worked on the rocks during a rainstorm.  Nothing was going to stop me!  And I am completely in love with how it turned out.