They Had Holes in Their Pockets, Too...

I have always imagined that the backyard gardeners of yesteryear were much more skilled than we are today in our high-tech fast-paced world. They must have had a stronger work ethic as well. They knew how to work the land to produce enough food for their families without relying on outside sources, and they were not afraid of hard work. I have idealized them since I was a child watching my grandfather work in his own backyard garden, and when I compare my own efforts to theirs, mine are found sorely wanting.

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By chance, one of the chickens unearthed a 1925-S mercury dime in the upper garden the other day while scratching for bugs and worms. As I removed the caked-on dirt to reveal the date, I could not help but wonder who parted ways forever with that dime and how exactly it came to happen.

While digging in the garden over the past couple of years, I have found pennies, nickels, dimes, and a quarter, all ranging in date from 1906 - 1927. I also found a 1920s era dinner knife next to a steak bone that had been in the ground so long that it was orange.

So maybe the backyard gardeners of yesteryear were not as perfectly competent and diligent and hardworking as I have made them out to be in my mind all these years. They had holes in their pockets, too, and they, as well, sometimes forgot to put every tool back in its rightful place when they were done with it.

Even so, they achieved self-sufficiency through sustainable work practices and sheer perseverance in the face of adversity.

Come to think of it, that is precisely what I happen to be doing myself these days.