I just was watching a TV segment on how to make your hands look younger for thousands of dollars!  It made me think about an encounter I had at a nursery several years ago.  I had been planting every day, my hands were a bit beaten up from the constant work they were required to do!  As I rung up my cart of flowers for the next job I looked at my hands a bit embarrassed as the nails were cut short, sun spots on my hands and the cuticles definitely needed work, bits of soil here and there. I handed over my money and the salesman said “You have beautiful hands; they are hands that have been working hard.”  I was so overwhelmed by those kind words.  He made me think about myself and how lucky I am that my hands work. I cook with them, dig with them, cut flowers, trim bushes, wash an occasional floor and yes I suddenly saw them not as aging and rough but as a gift I have been given.

This brings me to the garden gloves that I think work the best.  I am not always great at keeping my gloves on during gardening.  So I found a couple of brands that fit close to your hand and make them easy to use while protecting your hands, the “Atlas Nitrile Touch” and the “Bamboo”. Both gloves have worked well for me.  I suggest you creme your hands before a day of gardening and then put your gloves on for protection.  In season my hands will show they are working hard… I am happy to have them a bit rough, a bit beaten up but still beautiful.