Getting to Know You

We're spending an awful lot of time in the garden these days, but I guess you've guessed that already.  One of the pleasantest parts of the gardening day is the very beginning.  Whether we arrive by bicycle or truck, the first and foremost chore is roving the potato patch.  It reminds me of my days at the great Mammoth Cave when  in between tour after tour, I could sneak off to "rove trails", which basically meant getting paid to go hiking (picking up bits of trash along the way, answering visitors' questions, and reporting stuff that needed to be done.)  It's a way of getting to know the garden and of helping it help itself.