You're right. I haven't thought about that one in a while. We used to say it a lot.

>> Fl. sand is empty of nutrients & won't hold any & water goes right through it but by darn you can get a spade in it.

That's why I have both a pick AND a mattock. And it does help to get it a little wet first. And get some clover to grow on it if I'm really lucky.

What improves the clay most is a wheelbarrow: dig it up and haul it away!

Gymgirl said:So glad to see the old terminologies aren't dying out and forgotten: "conniption fits"

And if you know that phrase, you know it's totally different from a hissy fit.

Yup. And that's what happens when everything isn't "copacetic."

woofie said:Yup. And that's what happens when everything isn't "copacetic."

There's a perfect description of part of my week... non-copacetic. But all will be copacetic shortly. My newly hired, utterly awesome massage therapist (and registered neuro-muscular therapist) will be here in 90 minutes to set up her table in my livingroom and give me a 90 minute massage. Life is looking better by the minute.

(we were originally scheduled for an hour, but the more I considered how the past couple days have been, the more I knew that I needed at least 90 minutes. Sure do wish I could afford a 2-hour session )

Oh, groan! Send her over here when you're through with her!

I think that commute might be a bit much for her... gotta tell you though, she's REALLY good.

Oh yes, conniption fits are totally different than hissy fits & neither one is the same as a full fledged stompin' fit. And there ain't nuthin' copacetic about none of 'em.
And after you witness one or have one you DO need that massage therapist. Ahhhhhhh, I feel better just thinking about having one. Not the therapist but the massage. LOL!

And Rick, what in blue blazes is a mattock?

I'm not Rick, but a mattock is an awesome tool... pick at one end, hoe on the other, basically....

You can see a picture here: http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q...

Oh, I've seen those. never knew they were called mattocks. Thank you. Very, very glad I have no use for a mattock!

I had to buy one when I was digging out the holly bushes the original owners planted WAY too close to the house... Gotta say, that's an experience I hope to never, ever repeat.

I had that happy with a Blood lily. I developed a hole in the middle and I dumped it out into one of the flower beds. One day dad came in and asked what the beautiful red flower was.

This Florida girl is lucky that I do not have sand but I do have a hard clay pan a little over a foot down.

I love this little weed whacker I have 2 of them....

That's a serious-looking weed-whacker!
Mary, how big were the hollies you dug out? There is a small one here that was in the sun when I planted it a couple years ago, but the woods have since shaded it, and I'd like to move it. Would it be easier to cut down the trees above it? lol

Dang! You guys have some serious tools there! Good darn thing we didn't move any farther north where I'd have to try to use those things. Look like they give your shoulders some serious hurt wielding them.

>> a mattock is an awesome tool... pick at one end, hoe on the other,

I love 'em! Being so narrow, they're much better for digging narrow trenches than shovels or hoes.

A pick mattock does have a pick facing one way and a very heavy, thick, narrow hoe blade facing the other way. Calling that an "adze" is a little more accurate than "hoe". It chops much better than it hoes. And mattocks and adzes go back to the Bronze Age, which feels cool.

For cutting weeds off right at the surface of very hard clay a heavy adze is better than a lightweight hoe, since the weight of the mattock head does all the work. All you have to do is drag the adze blade behind you and it cuts weeds right at the surface of the soil. (It is too heavy for the rapid lift-and-chop motion that classic hoeing uses.)

I have a great, heavy pick that I prefer even over my mattock for breaking up soil and levering out rocks ... UNTIL I encounter ROOTS. Then my "cutter mattock" really shines

A cutter mattock combines a stumpy, short, blunt axe blade with a sharper wider adze: they're at right angles to each other so you can cut roots running any which way. The adze cuts a 2-3" wide swath through small roots (until you hit big rocks).

Also, since the "axe" blade is very narrow, like 1 - 1 ½ inches, it is better for chopping big tree roots since its force is concentrated.

The toughest thing is chopping into heavy clay with roots AND lots of big rocks. I had to loosen it up and pick out the biggest rocks with the pick (which gets stuck in the roots). Then I could chop roots with the mattock (using both blades).

Doing this, it almost doesn’t matter if you forgot to soften the clay by wetting it down ahead of time. All the sweat that drips off takes care of that for you!

I'm glad it's you & not me. I used to get off on that stuff but now have Arthur Ritis in my shoulders & DJD in my spine. I'm afraid my adze & mattok days are over.

Mine too Ann. I even have to sit on a milkcrate to pull weeds. I can squat and bending is out. too many falling off critters. Ain't got anyy strength to pull deep rooted weeds so I use my Weedwhacker to make up for it.

For me, the legs are weak but the upper body is doing OK so far.

I sometimes sit down to shovel, rake or hoe, but the pick and the mattock need 'stand and SWING" action.

For some reason, I like cultivating the soil more than cultivating plants - maybe because soil tolerates neglect better, and seems likea more lasting accomplishment.

But now that I've built enough raised beds that the plants take a lot of my time, I feel cheated because I don't have enough time for "pick and mattock, shovel and hoe".