Break the Crust

So many plans, so many things to try. We moved to a new place in October of last year, so this will be the first spring in the new place. First steps in getting a garden together, in getting the patio just right for grilling. First shovels of dirt flip-flopped around to mix in better dirt, to prepare beds for flowers and fruits and whatnot.

I'm getting older, and I can feel it. I once relished the thought of days and afternoons sweating over a 10'^2 plot of earth to get a few more tomato plants in the ground. I used to really enjoy walking behind the too-loud lawn mower, lost in thought and totally segmented from reality for an hour while the engine I trailed filled the air and blocked all everything else.

But I'm getting old. My bones hurt. My joints would rather sit in a hot tub or lay on a soft bed. I like the after-effects of gardening, but do not want to pain myself more in the process of getting there.

Alas, it is my duty (and more than a little my pride) to wait for the ground to fully warm up and dig out the grass and replace everything with what is needed to eat, if not for just a meal or two.

When I was much much younger, I would sit on the couch and watch gardening shows with my mother and sister. Shows like The Victory Garden, or The Square-Foot Garden were often on in the early afternoons. We'd watch the hosts walk around these... these simply awesome back yards where anything and everything grew. It appeared almost like they could exist completely on the harvests of their crops.

But I grew up, and now I understand that man cannot live on peppers and tomatoes alone.

At the last place, we tried okra, radishes, sunflowers, and other small fruits and veggies, but never really got anything close to enough food to sustain us. It was really nice to be able to cut something and toss it in a pot, or to slice up a tomato for a burger, or to rip a few basil leaves to add to a marinara. But there isn't enough land nor time to grow enough food for everybody.

Maybe if I had a big farm, and I didn't have to work in an office all day... maybe then I could grow food and have some animals and do something worth-while... But then I recall that I'm getting older. My body doesn't like moving all that much.

Really, I'm not that old. I'm barely old enough to be losing my hair...

And in a way I'm excited about getting out and getting dirty, even if it's only for five minutes at a time.