To most of my peers, neither hoe handles nor manual labor hold much appeal, but I have enjoyed acquiring hoe-handle skills. How to work safely tops the list. I have learned to lift a bale of straw without hurting my back. I respond to my legs when they say they are too tired for another hour of weeding.
Other manual skills include how to use pruning sheers or when to choose a spade instead of a shovel. Then there are essential damage-control and identification skills. Is that a nibble of an earwig or a chomp from a slug destroying the leaves of newly planted zinnias? Should I remove the straw mulch or put out a bowl of beer? Developing a weather eye and nose is important. Maple leaves flip in a west wind that smells moist as a thunderstorm approaches. Should I bring those flats into the shelter of the patio?
The daily life of a small farm is chores. Most of them require physical labor. There are always more chores than hours to do them. Today’s list doubtless contains yesterday’s leftovers. The only sane attitude toward chores is resignation: accept the fact that you’ll never get everything done.
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