Working the soil

I am sweaty and gross. I have a blister. My back is killing me. I must be a gardener.

Well, I am gardener if I can be called that without yet having planted anything. Soon, I hope, soon!

It is supposed to rain tonight and pretty much all weekend, I think, but I snuck into my garden for an hour tonight and did one last cultivation. I think it took me as long to do the last quarter of it as it did to do the first three-fourths. I was exhausted!

The soil in E.P. has a lot of clay in it - it's not even a black soil, but very gray. This means cultivating it by hand is very tough. You basically have to repeatedly stab at the soil in order to break it up. I'm sure it would have been a quicker and more fun job if I had been really pissed off at someone today and could imagine hacking at their head. Alas, no.

It is amazing what you find in a 20x30 piece of soil. Sticks and rocks. Burs. Weeds. Glass. Seed markers from years gone by. Black plastic from bags that were used at some point in the past to prevent weeds, I imagine. And, a couple of really large pieces of wire - no idea what that might have been used for. It's thick like a nice wire hanger, and really twisted into the ground. I bet I pulled out a piece tonight that was more than 2 feet long. ??

Anyway, I am gaining a TON of respect for pioneers who actually did this to live and not just for fun. (Hmm. Am I having fun? Not sure yet.)

I probably should have raked it before I left, but my hands and back just couldn't take it anymore. Now if I can somehow get into the garden and plant before Sunday, since I am leaving town for a week then. Wish me luck!