Darn you Earthway!

Notice the "kickstand" by the front wheel?

Since this is my third season using this machine, I am starting to notice a trend. What one might loosely call a kickstand another person might describe as a slot machine lever for the expensive seed casino. I guess that I won the Dwarf Grey Sugar Pea jackpot yesterday.

It all started when I had to decide between two plastic seed scooping wheels. One was clearly labeled "Jumbo Pea" and the other "Small Pea". All I can remember from last year was the thought of peas shooting out of the hopper like popcorn and the wheel getting jammed every two feet, so I thought, "the bigger seed wheel must be better. right? Half pound bag in the hopper, no problemo man. Yep. I am gonna' just plant these peas and be off to Seattle in a few minutes. Ha!"

After a few feet, I started to notice the mighty Earthway shuddering a bit. Could it be the tough semi-damp soil that was perfect for germinating peas? Just push harder. After eight feet the machine was making noises and clearly unhappy and I went into troubleshooting mode. Yes. This is where you put your hard earned coins into the slot machine and start to pull the lever. Okay. Kickstand down. I'll just walk 35 feet away and pick up the "Small Pea" wheel. The slot machine lever was officially pulled and the jackpot is only twenty seconds away.

It didn't happen in slow motion like you see in the movies. Nope. Like a Siren that lures sailors towards rocky leeward shores, I had been mesmerized by the Earthway's heavily-machined massive four-ounce aluminum "kickstand". Unbeknown to me, I won the jackpot while my back was turned. My blood pressure really began to rise as soon as I saw the half pound of peas sitting on the ground and the seeder laying comfortably on its side. All that could be done was scoop up my loot and pick up the remaining hundred or so peas scattered in the dirt that remained one by one. ...and find a support group for Earthway users.