View From the Back Forty

Every time Farmer Brown is in the field for planting, harvesting, or any other task that needs to be done for crops, it is inevitable that I will have to learn something new.  Today it was running the big tiller, or as I like to call it “Big Beasty.”  If unfamiliar with a roto-tiller, it is a piece of gardening equipment that has blades that break up the earth to help with planting and weed control.  Big Beasty is big, and heavy, we are talking most of my weight and almost as tall as I am!  I have done my best to avoid learning how to start and run this tiller, but today was the day to learn.  F.B. had tilled the garden earlier in the Spring but due to heavy rains, the soil had crusted over.  I needed to take care of some weeds, replant a couple plants, and finally finish planting the rest of the garden since it is the middle of May already.  I tried our small tiller but realized it was not big enough to break through the thick crust of soil in the garden.  I made a decision to ge