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Quote of the Day: Thomas Edison

September 5th, 2010

“Opportunity is missed by most people
because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

~Thomas Edison


One of the things I enjoy about gardening is the work involved. Since my job consists of sitting in front of a computer, gardening provides me with the exercise I need to keep me healthy and strong, not to mention lots of fresh food as well. Hard work never makes me back down, I relish the challenge and the physical exertion that comes from gardening. Especially the tasks like double digging new garden beds as I’m doing in this photo.

What about you, do you enjoy the hard work of gardening or could you do without it?

14 Comments to “Quote of the Day: Thomas Edison”
  1. Seren Dippity on September 5, 2010 at 6:29 am

    Gardening is good exercise for me but I have a bad back and cannot do much in the way of physical exertion. I have to find creative ways to do many things that direct physical labor might manage faster. My “want done” list is always longer than my dh can keep up with. So instead of double digging, I do lasagna gardening to create my new beds. I recently figured out a way to add amendments to our clay soil without tilling and digging:
    http://myfolia.com/journals/91716-lazy-gardening-goes-to-new-depths-amending-the-soil

    Reply to Seren Dippity's comment

    • Susy on September 5, 2010 at 8:32 am

      Sprinkling gypsum on the top of the soil is also a great way to amend and help break up clay soil. I did it a few years ago and then read more on it and now plan to apply it twice a year for the next three years. It did a great job in few areas of our front clay hillside where we used it. You can buy it more cheaply in big 50 lb bags from a farm store, those little tiny expensive bags at most greenhouses are too expensive and too small for large application.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  2. kristin @ going country on September 5, 2010 at 8:43 am

    Both. Depends on how much sleep I’ve been getting.

    I love that quote, though. Sounds like something my husband would say.

    Reply to kristin @ going country's comment

  3. Wenchypoo on September 5, 2010 at 9:56 am

    Two things:

    1. My new garden plans are up: http://wenchwisdom.blogspot.com/2010/09/plans-for-new-garden.html

    2. Your quote aptly describes the employment paradox we face today: people want work, but they don’t want to get their hands dirty, and they want high pay. We want to cut down on illegal immigration, but who will pick the crops if all the aliens are gone? There are scores of farm labor jobs available, but yet we have 9.6% unemployment–go figure!

    If Thomas Edison were alive today, he’d yell for these people to get up off the couch, get some work clothes on, and go pick something! This gives a whole new meaning to “will work for food”, doesn’t it?

    Reply to Wenchypoo's comment

  4. tj on September 5, 2010 at 10:34 am

    …Love the quote!

    …And no, I couldn’t live without my gardens. Honestly, it would be the death of me. There are days, I admit, I curse having an old house, barns and gardens but honestly that is the very thing that keeps me going… There’s always something that needs to be done either to the house, or something needs paint or garden needs harvested, flower beds need weeded, you name it – it’s here…lol :o)

    …And ‘Wenchypoo’ hit the nail on the head in her comment! That is the God’s honest truth there… :o)

    …Enjoy your Sunday all!

    …Blessings… :o)

    Reply to tj's comment

    • Susy on September 5, 2010 at 8:32 pm

      I’m the same way, sometimes I have way too much to do with 2 jobs and all the gardening both here and at my mom’s, but it keeps me fit and healthy.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  5. Joshua on September 5, 2010 at 10:53 am

    I relish the opportunity to “exercise” by working in the garden, but at the same time, when it comes to preparing a new bed, I pull out the dang tiller. Double-digging that much bed would be too much for me!

    Reply to Joshua's comment

  6. MAYBELLINE on September 5, 2010 at 2:59 pm

    The work is great. Really. Who needs a gym?

    Reply to MAYBELLINE's comment

    • Susy on September 5, 2010 at 8:33 pm

      And saving the monthly fee as well!

      Reply to Susy's comment

  7. Mike on September 5, 2010 at 10:12 pm

    I like the Thomas Edison quote.:) Anyway, I wanted to stop by and say thank you very much for the wonderful ketchup recipe you posted last October. We are now down to our last couple of jars and will be making more soon, it turned out great. I thought of it today when I pulled our canning recipe folder out and saw the “Chiot’s Run Ketchup Recipe.”

    Reply to Mike's comment

    • Susy on September 5, 2010 at 11:19 pm

      Glad you enjoyed it, I’m getting ready to make more as well.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  8. nic@nipitinthebud on September 6, 2010 at 2:47 am

    there’s something more gratifying about anything that you have to work up a sweat for. I love the simplicity of gently sowing seeds and the marvel that is a plant life cycle but you have to do the hard graft of digging first. And although I put this off sometimes there’s nothing like clearing a big block of ground when you set your mind to it and sleeping solidly because you’ve had a real workout!

    Reply to nic@nipitinthebud's comment

  9. Jackie on September 7, 2010 at 1:49 pm

    Hmm…I enjoy the ‘beginning’ of hard work and the ‘finished product’. Sometimes I get a little tired of it in the middle :) I spent a good part of yesterday sieving a big pile of (mostly) finished compost.

    Reply to Jackie's comment

  10. amy manning on September 7, 2010 at 10:38 pm

    I like gardening, but on a scale of 1-10 I’d say I enjoy the work about a 7. It would be higher if everything wet as planned, but sadly, there are many failures. But gardening is here to stay, and I’m on a mission to make it simpler and to hopefully share my knowledge with others. Right now, I’m on a mission to find out exactly what works and what is a waste of time/effort/money on my worst pest: slugs.

    Reply to amy manning's comment

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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