Motowhat?

A motobineuse. This I must have.

What is, you might ask, a "motobineuse"?

Well, it's simply a motorized version of a bineuse.

And therein lies its charm. A bineuse might be useful, but with the terrain I have, a motorized one is really the ticket.

This is, naturally, Monsieur Gadget's idea. 

Monsieur Gadget has great plans for the veg patch this year. Visions of baby zucchini, tender peas, and lush, seductive tomatos already dance in his head.

Then he looked at the patch I have for planting, and instantly rejected the idea of turning it all over with a pitchfork, as I usually do. No, no, we will get a motobineuse and make short work of all that. Out of the question to break our backs at it.

Indeed, one woman with a fork and not a lot of time after work can usually get only about half of the fenced-off veg patch turned over and planted. I thought, one woman with a fork, relayed by a man with a fork and frankly plenty of time on his hands, could get the whole thing turned over no problem.

Ok, ok, the part at the back that's been allowed to grow weeds for several years now, perhaps that part warrants gasoline-powered help.

We can rent a motobineuse, just for a day. Just this once.

At 50€ a day to rent one, in less than 5 rentals you could have your very own. A red one.

Aw, but I like the workout that turning the earth by hand gets me. I like getting tired and sweaty. And the earthworms. You'll just chop them to bits with your bineuse. You won't even see them.

So it is possible that a motobineuse will be acquired sometime tomorrow while I am at work, and it is possible that it will be put to the task again while I am still at work, so I do not have to hear the awful sound of the thing or breathe its exhaust or regret the chopped earthworms, but can come home and *voila* Mademoiselle's garden is ready for planting.