TO REAP WHAT I SOW, NOW I MUST HOE

   I can tell it's been a year since I've done this. I'm tired! I finally made some time to go work in the yard and down in the garden. I got a good bit done, but there is still a ton to do. At this rate I'll probably get it all done by first frost!

   A good pile of limbs got burned, some leaves got raked and burned too. Earlier today I got some bulbs from my Aunt's house and I planted them down in the garden near the rose bushes to help in pollination. They are called the Twelve Disciples because each section puts out 12 blooms at each end. I also planted some mint near our birdbath. We hope to have a good herb garden this year too.

   My neighbor's dogs are constantly digging holes under the fence and they won't fill them in so I put some broke pieces of concrete in to try and close the holes. There always seems to be a fresh jungle of scrub brush each year creeping in on my garden and blocking the sun out. I cut a good sized pile down and boy were the goats happy! In no time all that was left was a big pile of limbs. Looks like I'll be burning again soon.

   The last chore of the day was also the toughest. Hoeing the potatoes and pulling the dirt up to the plants. I have every farmer's fantasy. A good hoe! Mine really is, it's around 50 years. I found it around 30 years ago in an old abandoned shack deep in the woods. The handle was actually a sawed off tree limb. I brought it home, sharpened it up, and put on a new handle. We have been tearing up weeds ever since.

   I'm ready for some french fries!

   Jim Cobb Coleman.