Hoedown

These are my new tools. They lack the grace of fine Dutch tools; in fact they rather have an American brutality about them. Made in the Missouri Ozarks of discarded farm implement discs and ash wood handles, they're inexpensive, tough with a fair amount of coarseness. Although they're probably more than is required on my stone-free sandy loam, one never knows what ground may be broken in the future. I expect these to last.

The opposite edge is ground on a wheel and watch those fingers sharp. If you're interested, it's Rogue Hoe.    What I've here is their standard hoe (5.75 by 2 deep, shallow curvature), the mini (4 across, 3 deep), a mini scuffle (3.5 by 3.5 by 4 inches), and a soil rake (6.5 by 6.5 and 4 lbs).

Etymology of the hoedown: it is speculated that a hoedown is a type of dance that mimicked the hoeing of fields (do the mashed potata). But I propose that since we go to a hoedown, it may have also stemmed from the notion of laying down our hoes so that we can have some fun.