The Big Hoe Adventure

Tonight I did something I said I would never do again. Hmm it seems I may be making a habit of that! I hoed up our garden. For those of you not familiar with this particular form of manual labor, it involves using a garden tool to turn or till the soil thusly eliminating weeds. In years past my Dad has kept the garden thriving all by himself but this year has brought it's own surprises and challenges. No longer can he toil all day in the hot sun without feeling the effects, no longer can he lose himself in the physical work of gardening. So if I want big, juicy, and healthy tomatoes (which I DO) then it's up to me to maximize vegetable growth while minimizing weeds. Last week I came home to find him nearing exhaustion in the garden while hoeing up some weeds. I took the hoe and told him I would do it, and without much arguement he let me. Ha, I worked harder in 10 minutes turning over that solid ground than I had in a week! The next day I was a mess of blisters and aching muscles. I swore no more hoeing for me, that was it. So of course I come home today to find the garden once again filled with all manner of undesirables. And of course I pull out the trusty old hoe (it's literally older than me by a good 20 years) and got to work. I've got the icy hot and neosporin at the ready...