Weeding as Exercise

Today I rather aggressively started my "weed the garden during social distancing" plan.  I weeded for 2 1/2 hours.  I guessing my thighs and hamstrings will tell me in the morning that that was probably too long for the first time out.

Nonetheless, it was a great day outside.  Slightly cool, but full of sun and birdsong.  This year my garden might just get the attention it deserves but never receives. My target for now: all the weeds I can see because most of my plants haven't yet emerged.  They can't hide from me right now, sheltered as they often are beneath the foliage of the plants I want to keep.  Another plus; it's been raining. The soil is moist and most of the weeds can be dethroned fairly easily.


I was surprised to find a dandelion at first. It wasn't a skinny little thing, as you'd expect in March.  It was a big, full, radiating circle of dandelion that had a pretty good hold on the soil.  I figured it was an early bloomer.

And then I discovered another.  And another.  There were an alarming number of well established dandelions in my gardens.  For a long time I just kept wedging my weed yanker tool -- I know that's not its technical name, but you know what I mean -- beneath the leaves. Arms, backside and back all worked (sorta kinda) together, in an effort to get enough leverage to extract the roots.  We'll find out if I did enough in a few weeks.

We'll know tomorrow if I did too much for my muscles.


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