Hispanic gent (citizen...) has a mowing business, plus general handyman service. I've kept his mowers running for several years.

Contacted me a couple of days ago, wanted to know if I was interested in a job helping him turn an old garden back into mowable lawn. Paid, of course. Sure, why not? Went over today.

BIG garden and hadn't been used in many moons, owner getting on in years. Overgrown and rougher than a cob, looks like the feller liked raised beds.

First pass, got tangled up in some of that black weed barrier cloth. Turns out the whole garden was that way: Strip of cloth, raised bed, another strip of cloth, raised bed - rinse, repeat. All sunk into the ground with grass and weeds growing up through it so you couldn't see it. Make a pass, stop and cut that shit out of my tiller. Make another pass...

First time, I went at it with a pocket knife, but my shoulder wasn't long making it abundantly clear that that was not going to be an option. I bet Reynaldo and his helper cut 100 yards of that crap out of my tiller tines.

Looks good tho, pretty much all leveled out after three passes at 90° to each other and a bit of back-dragging with the bucket here and there.

Kudos to you! I bet that was a pain to get through…. I’d probably been cussing a storm about it, lol.

Rougher than a cob. Never heard that before. Must be a Maine expression.

It’s a common expression here in VA, too.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Rougher than a cob. Never heard that before. Must be a Maine expression.

Heard it growing up in west Texas.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Rougher than a cob. Never heard that before. Must be a Maine expression.

I'd expect it to be common anywhere that grew much corn. Picked it up as a kid in Michigan.

One I first heard in Maine, describing a road: "Rougher than thunder".

I've heard it in Louisiana a few times .

I always thought "rougher than a cob" referred to the times when corn cobs were used in the outhouse. Otherwise it was pages from the Sears and Roebuck catalog.

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