In them, we learn about the soul of gardening. His writing touched on seasonal gardening tasks for East Coast residents but also explored the soul of this inexact science we call gardening. But, oh, how he loved to walk out in the garden in the morning to see what had changed overnight. And he shared eloquently whatever he found. A shovel is the perfect tool to accomplish life's meaningless tasks in a meaningful way.
Life is either too complicated or brutally simple, but a shovel always works.
Crack that book anywhere and you will feel compelled to keep reading from that point on. Being encumbered like a beast of burden by carrying a pack of goods and tools, and being confined along a trail that leads to some predetermined destination, makes me dig in my heels. I like exploring. I like not knowing when and and where I'll end up. That way I get easily diverted and find the new, the unexpected.