Of course, that’s a lesson I have to relearn every Spring. By Summer I usually have the routine down, but I guess I forget everything during the Winter. Whether its cleaning up branches, pulling weeds, dividing plants or even pruning back dead branches, I have a habit of making it much harder than it needs to be.
Yesterday, we got started on the big job of cleaning up the garden and getting things ready for the coming grow season. The first thing we needed to do was burn a slash pile left over from last year. I spent thirty minutes trying to get it to light. Rolled up newspapers, lighters, small branches, I even pulled scrap wood from the woodshop. The most I got was a two minute flame before it blew itself out.
My wife, tired of waiting, walked up with a cardboard box full of sawdust and a solo cup full of gasoline. Five minutes later that pile was a roaring blaze!
Later I was in the garden trying to clean up last years growth from some of our flowering plants. Using a pair of clippers, I was cutting back the dead material and making small piles to be picked up later. Again my wife came to check on me, and noticed what I was doing. Shaking her head she kinda giggled and asked why I had to make everything so hard. She showed me a bend and twist technique that took the ten minute per plant chore I was doing and turned it into a thirty second breeze.
Yes, I have a lot to learn. And yes, I know the moral of the story is to listen to my wife. She’s much smarter than I am!
