When my kids were young I got the urge to grow food

I dug out a large patch in the garden

Planted seeds and regularly pulled out weeds

Eagerly waiting for my first crop

I grew carrots onions green beans beetroot lettuce and potatoes

For a short while we lived the farm to table life

But things tended to mature in bulk

Nobody can consume 15 lettuces in a week

We gave most of our crops away to friends

Pickled some for later in the year

It was intense hard physical work

A constant battle against invading pests

The following spring I had to double dig trenches 

Adding compost to prepare the potato bed

The soil was wet and heavy to turn

I dug it all by hand with a fork

At the end of a long digging morning

I took a break and parked the fork in the ground

Intense pain exploded in my right foot

I had stabbed myself with the fork

It went right through my foot 

I was pinned to the ground

My instinct was to pull the fork up

It hurt even more on the way out

My boot was full of blood when I pulled it off

It was a short drive to the local hospital

After checking in they put me in the waiting area

I noticed a bunch of guys all with blood stained feet

The nurse smiled and asked me if I was digging today

We get so many injuries like yours she said

Spring is our foot injury season

She cleaned and dressed my wound

I went home and looked at the muddy patch

Unable to work on it for a long while

The weeds took over that year

I admitted defeat and had it all paved over