My chuckles at the “gardening is cheaper than therapy” shirts. My body’s whisperings (and sometimes its loud insistence) that running isn’t on the list of options most days these days. My back’s reminder that I sit a lot during the day.
If the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, then perhaps I won’t admit it as a problem. A discovery, let’s call it.
I need to dig.
My mother-in-law wants to seriously expand her garden this year. My father-in-law confessed he wasn’t looking forward to the load of compost in the driveway. I confessed that if he didn’t call me over when it arrived, I’d be finding something else to shovel anyway.
Like a few weeks ago when I decided my pathways were too wide and my center bed too small.
A bit of therapy here. A bit of exercise there. A bit of soul-filling-earth-bliss in the side and I have more room, easier access, and found some sweet potatoes to add to breakfast scrambles in the process.
The right bed already has three rows of corn sown in the center. It’ll get melons on a trellis on one edge, I think. Maybe on both sides… The left bed is going to try a stagger of peppers and tomatoes… I’ve had promises of sturdy, homemade cages this year. He knows the way to my heart.
plumdirt 
JUST BEAUTIFUL!!! I love this ” I confessed that if he didn’t call me over when it arrived, I’d be finding something else to shovel anyway.” Oh, how I can relate-LOL…I just have to get dirty and sun on my back!
So true! There’s so much that feels better after a little sun, a little dirt, and a little sweat.
Impressive–but I get the sore back thing…
I don’t think you’re terribly far away. I’ll trade plant identification for digging work 😉
Looking good! I think my back stays strong due to of all the bags of leaves I pick-up and deliver to my garden buddies (tee hee). Lots and lots of squats. And now, I have TWO gardens: a home one and a school one. I get the most exercise at the school because I’m on-the-level, so to speak, with my kiddos as they work in their gardens three days every week. More squats. But so much fun!
PS – My favorite ‘shovel’ is still my own two hands.
Kids are my workout when shovels aren’t. 30 lbs per arm is keeping me from thinking about a gym membership!