Contrary to popular belief, I don’t live, breathe, and eat leather…at least not all the time. One of the many small things I do on a regular basis is a little time with dirt under my fingernails.
It’s a way of keeping grounded.
As Malcolm Gladwell once said “we cannot separate ourselves from where we’ve been.” Growing up on a farm with tools in hand and a job to do…that’s my context. Dirt connects me to what Wendell Berry calls “the gift of good land.” It is another way to cultivate a life that feeds the need we all have for hands-on accomplishment.
Oh yeah, the sweet corn and carrots fresh from the garden are the only way to go! So I’m thinking it might even make me a better saddlemaker!
I’ve never seen a hoe quite like this one we found some years ago…it’s pretty handy!