Straight lines

My Mom's Mom, Grandma, had a huge yard with an even larger garden. The garden was about 3 acres. Each spring Grandpa would prepare the ground for planing using an old tractor and plow. Once the garden was all plowed up he would create almost perfectly straight rows ready for planting. We had fun watching Grandpa drive his tractor and occasionally we would ride with him while he did the work. The garden was the shape of a large letter L that went around the walnut tree and an old chicken coop that didn't have any chickens in it anymore, just old tools and other farm implements. There was a trail that I could take from the walnut tree to the chicken coop opposite to the garden. This was lined with small poplar trees and the back fences of several neighbors houses. Grandpa also let the grass grow long and tall along this trail. With the garden ready to plant grandma would come out with her bucket of seeds and begin to plant the garden. The back part of the garden was usually filled with corn and Grandpa would plant that. The potatoes would be next and he planted those as well. Grandma planted everything else. She planted the carrots, beets, tomatoes, onions, radishes, turnips, peppers and many other fruits and vegetables. She had rhubarb and asparagus that were planted along the ditch and that grew every year without much need of help from her. With the planting done grandpa would pull out the block of wood at the front of the house that blocked the water from coming down the ditch and then my uncles, cousins and siblings would all help corral the water in the ditch. The ditch started at the front of the house then went down the side of the house by the cherry tree and then instead of going straight down to the garden turned again and went behind the house. The ditch made something of the letter S shape as it continued down the other side of the yard to the back of the grass and then into the garden. The critical thing for us was to make sure that the water followed the path of the ditch. If it overflowed the banks of the ditch the garden would not get enough water. I would take my shoes off and stand in the middle of the ditch waiting for the first trickle of water that came. At the front of the house when the wood was first move to divert the water to Grandpa's ditch the water came fast and furious to find its new banks but as it slowly meandered around the house it slowed while it built the momentum behind it. It would start with just a trickle around the toes and I and my cousins and siblings all would watch it come. Sometimes we would run with the water and watch as it slowly came forward. Other times we would stand in the middle of the ditch and feel it first on our toes and feet then wait until it steadily rose to our ankles and knees. When it was knee high we new that it was flowing well and we needed to move to help get it down all of the rows of the garden. Grandpa and my Uncles all had shovels and would stand by each row and guide the water down the trenches. Opening up channels just enough to keep the water flowing all the way across the front of the garden. The usually wore knee high rubber boots to keep from getting wet. I never thought about ever wearing rubber boots because I always thought the purpose was to get my feet wet. They of course had to work all the way down the rows and to the back of the garden to make sure that it all got wet. We came every week to help with this project. As the garden started to grow Grandpa noticed that all of the rows Grandma hand planted were not in straight lines. They curved this was and that way with no rhyme or reason to their course. He Asked Grandma why they were so crooked and she just said that it was the way they ended up. Now some vegetables are planted early like peas, carrots and beans. Some are planted later to avoid being killed by a late frost like tomatoes and peppers. So with the few rows already planted so crooked Grandpa had a plan. When it was time to plant the other vegetables, Grandpa went out and put two stakes in the ground on each row to be planted one for each end. He then tied a string to each end and told Grandma that the string would guide her and the rows of vegetables would be straight. Well he thought this plan was the best ever devised and Grandma agreed to follow the plan. She went out one day to plant the rest of the garden using the string and as a guide and began. Grandpa came out to watch and see if the line worked. All he could do was laugh. Grandma followed the line as directed but did not notice that while she knelt or sat to plant the rows she would push the string with her knees or elbows one direction or another. The lines were never straight and he never strung the garden that way again.