Digging bar FTW

[zdashamber]

Why, you may ask, have I even ventured into the backyard? At all? At first, I suppose, I was driven by curiousity, a certain mercantile interest, and the need for a path to the shed to store stuff. I'd some months before made a deal with the landlords that I would manage the front yard in return for a small break in the rent: this freed me to plant tomatoes in the only sunny spot on the property without fear of them getting mowed. It also brought me back to my dear friend the Oakland Tool Lending Library, where I take out a weedwhacker every few weeks, and am constanly reminded of the plethora of fascinating tools I could be doing things with.
In a feverish moment, it came to me that I didn't have to dodge the diseased encroaching bush that blocked one side of the stairs into the backyard... I could borrow a chainsaw and end it! (No wonder they're called "limbs". Cut tree stalks have a clammy skin-like feel. So much guilt... But the back yard looks so much better.)

In the midst of all this, I saw on Making Light that the Uncommon Rose was going out of business. Fragrant heritage roses! On sale for only eight more days! I'm a sucker for that kind of thing. I bought seven.

I mean, because all these roses without scent... Someone's gotta take a stand, yanno?

The last time I went nuts buying plants was about twelve years ago when I was a teenager, and some fruit tree catalog had a deal, buy-three-grape-plants-mix-and-match for discounted price. I no longer look at fruit tree catalogs. Anyway, when they came I didn't get them into the ground for many weeks, and only one survived. Colorado isn't a forgiving climate. One of these days I look forward to the plant actually fruiting, and then I'll know which one it was.

So I was concerned about all these precious fragrant roses. Fortunately, California is a forgiving environment, even in the height of summer. (Psssh.) And I put them outside, instead of inside in a basement. Outside in the shade on my porch, pots wrapped in the loose transparent plastic bags they came in, I think they've been doing pretty well for weeks. Recovering, at first, in a congenial place. However, time runs apace. Guilt builds up. Leaves... Were they that "I'm salvaging my chlorophyll" color when they came?

Why not get them into the ground immediately? First I had to clear spots for them. Three of them are climbers. Thus: I ventured forth, into the forgotten graveyard of junk by the shed, which is by the retaining wall in back, which is topped by the chain-link fence of the apartment building behind.

Digging holes: I kept thinking, there must be a better way. A few days a week I would go out and continue hacking at the hard dry dirt with my soon-to-break shovel, gaining a few inches of depth at a time, swilling water. Finally I realized I needed a pickaxe... Or something.

And there, at the Tool Lending Library, was a 5', 1" hexagonal steel bar with a point on the end. No one knew what it was called, it had no number, but I figured it would be better than a pickaxe because bending over to lift dirt out with the shovel was already annoying.

I weighed it with the hanging luggage scale when I got it into the house today, because the luggage scale is my latest new toy and I was curious. The bar had an enormous amount of momentum. You know how when you have a hammer all your problems look like nails? When you have a digging bar, all the windows of the cars around you, and the aluminum of their door panels, and the finish of the walls of the house... Look very very fragile. 17 pounds, best as I could tell.

And yes, "digging bar" is the name. Round spike on one end, chisel-ish thing on the other. Thank you, Everything2! Damned hard work tracking that info down.

So, take it out, spear it! into the earth, lever it around a bit. Ha-Ha, clay-y dirt that caused my shovel so much centimeter-scraping grief! Ground away! Broken to pieces! Inches in moments versus days! This thing is awesome!

Seriously. Awesome enough that I may go get one. Never know when you'll need five feet of cold steel spike.

Also, it's pretty easy to get into a rhythm of popping it up with momentum on the backswing, and then you can feel even more like John Henry. ericorange was like, Lot of work to be doing for a rental... But it's mostly short-term benefit I'm doing it for. I get to feel all exercise-y and buff, and learn how to use interesting new tools.

Comments

[tavella.livejournal.com]

Digging bars are goodness. And bonus, when the zombies come, it makes an excellent reach weapon.

[zdashamber.livejournal.com]

I thought about that! I think the weight necessary to a good digging bar makes it less useful as a reach weapon... Though it would be perfect for stabbing a dragon from the back of the neck into the skull after you'd jumped onto it in midair. Enough would stick out that you could hold on as you rode it into the ground.