Well here we are again. Us vs. the 3 C's of AZ dirt (i.e. caliche, concrete, clay) Now I know we've all broken our shovels, hoes and (husband's) backs on this dirt, but we're nothing if not consistent. Well, I was in the Ace Hardware the other day looking for a new hoe to do some weeding with and got Ye Olde generic style hoe for around $10. I went home and promptly hurt myself trying to scratch the surface of my dirt patch.
Enough of this I said. I got out my grinder and noisly put a mean edge on the hoe (Q: Why don't they ship them sharpened? A: Lawyers). I went out and hurt myself again. By this time, I was hot and sweaty and I had 2 scratches in the dirt to show for it.
Now I was righteously indignant. For my $10 I should have SOMETHING to show for it. So, I cut the hoe handle in half and presented the shortened tool to my 5-year-old son. "Here son, a new hoe for you to dig in the dirt with!" Eeks of glee erupted and he beelined for the dirt patch. All is solved I said to myself, I get a tilled up garden and a nice tired 5-year old who will sleep tonight. Alas, the youngster came in all breathless and said, "Dad, the dirt is too old, it won't dig well."
Enough of this I said. I got out my grinder and noisly put a mean edge on the hoe (Q: Why don't they ship them sharpened? A: Lawyers). I went out and hurt myself again. By this time, I was hot and sweaty and I had 2 scratches in the dirt to show for it.
Now I was righteously indignant. For my $10 I should have SOMETHING to show for it. So, I cut the hoe handle in half and presented the shortened tool to my 5-year-old son. "Here son, a new hoe for you to dig in the dirt with!" Eeks of glee erupted and he beelined for the dirt patch. All is solved I said to myself, I get a tilled up garden and a nice tired 5-year old who will sleep tonight. Alas, the youngster came in all breathless and said, "Dad, the dirt is too old, it won't dig well."
