Getting ready for gardening season

By MARY JANE HOLT
Contributing Writer

It's green and yellow. Yes, John Deere colors. But the product itself does not appear to originate with the John Deere corporation. I'm talking about the tag that came on one of my new toys.

I am quite fearful that I have been married to a tool man far too long. Here lately, when I enter Home Depot or Lowes, thankfully I still go to the garden area first, but then I head for tools.

I'm not about to give up my butter knife, but I'm learning there are tools that make one's life easier.

Spasms, especially in my back and legs, have been a part of my health picture for nearly 20 years now. Spasms stop you in your tracks. They put you down in a painful and frustrating way.

My spasms have a history of hanging on for three days to three months. I'm into about six weeks this time around and it's gardening season! But I will not be daunted. Gardening season and life is too short!

I bought a Weed Hound from Home Depot. The label says it's "your best friend for fetching weeds!" IT IS! I saw it three years ago and did not believe that label. What a shame and what misery I would have been saved if I were not so cynical.

You just center the tip of the Weed Hound on the center of the weed, gently push, twist and pull. Release the control mechanism in your hand and the weed or crab grass just falls off. Awesome! It's almost foolproof right after a rain, but it actually works fairly well on dry ground, too.

Of course, if the weeds are thick and you need something more I recommend a Weed Popper. Totally different manufacturer. Totally different product too. Again, mine came from Home Depot.

Both products are designed in such a way that they make decent props if you get brave enough to bend over. They also are sturdy enough to push yourself back up if you are really gutsy and bend or squat.

I cannot work in my garden at will, but during the good hours, and they do come some days, I can work for a few minutes now with my new tools. I am a happy!

I know because of your correspondence with me that many of you have disabilities as well that tend to cramp your lifestyle and limit your activities. I encourage you to go shopping.

I finally swallowed my pride and asked for a walker which has the potential for becoming my really good buddy. Most of the time however, I use this awesome stick that would make old sheriff Buford Pusser jealous. I figure Teddy Roosevelt would even turn green.

Daniel found the stick at an old beaver pond about 20 years ago and we've used it for hiking ever since. Now I use it to assist with many activities and just to help me get off the bed on a really bad spasm day.

I bought my walker at Absolute Medical in Fayetteville where the folks were awesome to deal with. I encourage you to drop by there or some other medical supply shop and look at products or catalogs. You would be surprised at what's out there now that can make your life more livable.

If you are a gardener, then the next time you drop by your favorite home improvement store check out the garden tools department. And if you are not a gardener, then consider becoming one. The planet could use your intervention and it's extraordinarily therapeutic.

There's nothing quite like seeing that first bloom of the season, picking that first and last tomato of the summer, or having your own herbs just outside the back door. And salad greens tucked neatly into a flower bed are not only pretty, but can dramatically complement many settings.

Life is good and pain has no right to rule over any of us. You know, none of us can really control how long we are going to live, but we have a world of control over how well we live.

Eat a fresh vegetable today and whisper a prayer for the one who produced it for you. Smell a flower. Hug somebody. Smile with your face, your whole body, even your voice (Did you know you can hear a smile in the sound of a voice?). Laugh loud, full and often, and be glad that life is good!

(MJHcolumn@aol.com)