Our two labrador retrievers don't get to go hunting enough, so I tell them we're going hunting each morning when I go out to garden. They hunt rabbits and snakes and think I'm a great hunting guide. They also keep track of my gloves and tools for me. As far as human garden companionship, I tried hiring gardening help and gave up in exasperation. My DH will help maybe twice a year by filling the tractor with diesel or taking out an elm tree, but other than that, I do the grunge work--the mowing and weeding, and the fun stuff, the planting and pruning. Before my oldest daughter left for college, she was a creative and helpful gardening companion, and I miss having her here. I've joined several gardening clubs so I can talk to other people about gardening without getting the blank stares and eye rolls. I think I enjoyed the gardening alone far more when I was working with people all day, and the garden was my quiet wind-down place.
