I color coded (dark to light = back to front) this image so that it's easier to pick out where the branches are. It was tough before, trust me. The longest branch, in the upper right corner measures a little over 2 1/2 feet from base to tip. Hopefully that helps with scale. Now, the reason I'm posting this is because now thatthe tree has lost it's leaves I'm not so sure I want to prune it anymore. This ALWYAS happens to me. It will be easier if people could give pruning suggestions. The main problem I have with the tree is that the branches are pretty long coming out from the base and I feel like they should be shorter. But maybe they shouldn't. Anyone?

When I was first diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, the podiatrist recommended a couple of shoe brands and also told me to go to a certain local store, where they would make me hard half-foot arch supports. They worked, but I found their lack of flex to be a little uncomfortable. I went back and he had me step into a box of stuff that made a mold of my feet. A few weeks later, I had some nice whole-foot cork orthodics that matched my feet exactly and were comfortable. I've worn them just about every day since then. Every year or two, I take them to a shoe repair place to re-cover, but they've been going strong since about 1998. It seriously makes a huge difference to get arch supports that are just right for your feet-- my arches are so high that over-the-counter ones don't help. Your husband will be happiest if he gets to the podiatrist even if he doesn't like going to doctors. Oh, and of the brands that the doctor recommended, one isn't good anymore (they got bought out), but the other is Mephisto. They're wickedly expensive, but they're absolutely perfect for my feet. If you husband wants sneakers instead of Birkenstock sandals, you might point him in the direction of Mephisto All-Rounders. They're very comfortable and have a removable footbed so that you can put in your own orthodics if you want to without your foot getting crowded in the shoe. I buy mine through Zappos because they're cheaper there than at the nearby brick-and-mortar stores. (Sorry, no-green-thumb. But it's $40-$50 more locally, which I think is too much.)

Thank you, everyone. I have a strong suspicion that sitting improperly—really badly—at my computer desk has been a big contributor to this problem. For a long time I’ve been leaning to the left, often sitting sideways at the desk with my legs crossed, and now my pelvis is way out of alignment. For weeks I’ve noticed that if I lie on the loveseat with my knees bent, my right knee is quite a bit higher than my left, and I can’t move them equally to either side. I think I need a) a new desk chair, and b) sitting lessons. Another contributing factor might have been the fall I took on ice this winter, landing on my porch, and a more recent event when I almost fell. Yes, I’m on Medicare, and my insurance paid for PT on two other occasions with two separate PT facilities: once for a shoulder injury and once for a different back problem. Neither experience was very satisfactory; the shoulder got worse, and the back got no better. The shoulder improved with rest, and the back eventually improved on its own. But I know several people who have had excellent experiences with PT, and I’m more than willing to try it again. With this pain, walking is more comfortable than sitting. I actually love the idea of walking, but other issues make it hard for me to walk any distance. Ironically, just before this pain began I was talking about how badly I wish I could walk like I used to, and decided to start small and see if I could build up to something approaching normalcy. I walked around the barn across the road just twice, and twice up the small hill to the entrance, and that was all I could manage. I used to walk every morning—early—not always easy on my dirt road, with clouds of dust that envelop you when cars go by. When I attended my DH’s college reunion in 2007, I walked all over the city, taking pictures. When I came back for the next one five years later, I couldn’t do it. As of last week, however, I’ve started mowing the lawn again, and that’s been my best exercise. It uses leg muscles and arm muscles, and works up a sweat. After my sedentary winter I don’t have much stamina yet, but I’m working on it. One thing I’ve always liked about mowing is that I don’t realize I’m breathing hard until I stop. Of course, I’m talking about using a push mower. I wouldn’t dare attempt to use the riding mower right now. It’s funny . . . because I’m not used to pain meds, I took only one ibuprofen at first. It didn’t do anything, so I tried two. Then I discovered that my bottle of ibuprofen expired three years ago. So I tried a couple of aspirin, only to find that my aspirin expired 12 years ago! You can tell I don’t take this stuff very often. I don’t know how meaningful the expiration dates are, but I’ll definitely get some new stock. No medical school here, but I do go to a small city an hour away for anything medical. There’s an orthopedic center there. There are doctors and a hospital much closer, but I have good reason to avoid them. I don’t think I can take the injections for inflammation. I was given two in my knees about a dozen years ago, and had a bad reaction. My knees felt like they were on fire, and the fire traveled up to my hips as well. Fortunately, all was back to normal by morning. My situation got complicated this week when my DIL was selected for jury duty. They told her it didn’t matter that she had two small children to take care of. I’m the only person in her family who isn’t working, so I’ll have to watch them for some of the days during the trial. My son is taking a few days off, but the rest will be up to me. So I can’t embark on PT just yet. I watched the boys, ages 1 and 3, for 8.5 hours yesterday, and it just about wiped me out! Thank you again for all your ideas and support. I’m taking them all seriously.

I do understand Kathi about age and concerns. Not to compare, but my 84 year old mom has had a couple of surgeries. All was well and she wishes she wouldn't have put them off as long as she did. She's a lot like me and thinks stuff will improve with time....(yeah...no it's won't). But...I said to her, what if you have one more year to live and are able to do it pain free? What if it's 5 years? Ten? Kathi, wouldn't you and your husband be so happy to know that the next 10 years of his life would be spent pain free? Sorry to be all opinionated when you didn't ask, but this episode (and the positive prodding of folks on this great forum) has REALLY gotten me thinking about quality of life.... It matters, you know? I was pretty much in a state of "well, there's another day out of the way"...and that's no way to live. I was wishing my life away...not good. ANYHOO enough of me and my doings. I really hope your hubs gets to do whatever is best for him...and that does OF COURSE include getting to be as pain-free as he possibly can.