A Story
Pick-axe Hard
"It had been a dry summer and the untended garden space had solidified into unyielding hardpan.
Carol's mother, Margaret, lived overseas, far from family. She stubbornly refused to move closer.
A regular shovel wasn't going to make much headway with the garden soil. It called for serious action. A pick-axe would be needed.
Margaret wandered around her house, dusting old photographs, rearranging decorative items bought years ago.
The pick-axe easily dug into the earth. The heavy sharp point loosened the soil and any interfering rocks.
The heart attack that landed Margaret in the hospital had come without warning. Painful and earthquaking.
The blade of the pick-axe dug a wider swath and prepared the flower bed for the spring bulbs.
After Margaret was stable, Carol made arrangements for her to come to her home.
In May, the daffodils sprouted and bloomed their cheerful yellow trumpets.
Margaret sat in a garden chair and couldn't help enjoying the daffodils. When her granddaughter came to visit, she drew her grandmother a picture of the daffodils with a heart above her signature. Their relationship was blossoming."
When confronted with very hard soil, I usually use a pick-axe to loosen it up. Because a pick-axe is fairly heavy, I don't have to lift it much above the soil surface, only 8-10", for it to easily go into the soil. I start by digging with the sharp pointed end, and then continue with the blade end. I find it much easier than trying to dig the hard soil with a shovel or a garden fork.
A pick-axe is also great for grubbing out shrubs and small trees. The blade is powerful enough to cut through the roots and then I can pull up the whole plant so it's less likely to reshoot. The pick-axe is not a fancy high tech or new tool but it is very useful.
I planted my daffodils and will be happy to see them next spring.
