Tools O' the Trade 1: The Crowbar

Says Brendan: "My father always told me never to get between a woman and her crowbar!"

Thus far, this is my favorite gardening tool--a crowbar with one bent edge and notches out of both sides.  I use it for hacking up chunks of dirt and also for the more delicate work of weeding in between closely spaced plants.  It got a lot of use today--I spent all morning weeding between the rows of peas, radishes, lettuce, and beets, with this bad boy in my right hand and a bunch of weeds in my left. 

By lunch time I had weeded, thinned, and mulched these four rows.  They look lovely, but I'll admit that I was a bit disappointed.  Five hours of work for four measly rows??? This is one of my big lessons so far.  This work takes time, and the gratification is the opposite of instant; it'll be another month before we're enjoying the crops off of these plants.  Life on the farm is forcing me to slow down, do one task at a time, and do it well.  It reminds me a bit of the taoist idea of wu-wei, or "actionless action."  Followers of the Tao are supposed to act without being attached to the outcome of their actions.  Of course, I'm terribly attached to the dream of peas coming off of these plants, but I know that any number of factors could get between today's hard work and next month's salad, and I have to work hard anyways.  It's incredibly satisfying to work so hard, so simply, in the clean air.  Just me and my crowbar. 

It's a good thing that I'm too lazy to take and add pictures; with Alyssa and I coming home and the entire packing/unpacking process in midstream, the house looks like a stuff-bomb went off in every room. I'm culling through everything I own, giving bags and bags away to rummage. This is much more enjoyable than I had thought; its a weight off of my shoulders to own less things. I still own SO MUCH! I put four boxes of books in my parents attic for storage, and a whole box of clothes that I don't need now. I'm wondering... if I don't need them now, do I need them ever? Maybe I'll get rid of those next time I'm home.
I have two streams of thought about all of this; first, the example of my dad, who, being thrifty and handy, likes to keep things around that might be useful. Mostly this adds up to lots of piles of junk, but whenever we need something... walla! He either has it already or can cobble it together with wire and duct tape. I have a hard time throwing away things that could, someday, be useful, or could be turned into other, more wonderful things, if only I had the time and inclination. It seems like a great way to save money and keep things from the trash! But, of course, I don't have anywhere to store useful things. I'm mobile right now, and I will be for a good couple of years before I have anywhere to keep my own piles of junk. And really, when I think about it, I'd like to be as unattached to things as possible. I've been throwing out all kinds of sentimental things this week, knowing that my memories and feelings about the people and experiences they bring to mind are not, in fact, the things themselves. I have the example of my friend Kelley, who lives so happily and so purposefully with so very little.
Today I get to see my very wonderful friend Anna, run some pre-farm errands (buy sunscreen, bike helmet, tennishoes, embroidery floss...) and then try to make the house livable again before I leave tomorrow. Yikes!