Rain Rain Goin' Away and Naughty Garden Tools

It must be the rain, again. In looking over a few months posts here, I see that rain always sends me running for a coffee cup picture that includes a comfortable chair and reading material. It's raining today.
Shrug.

We had a gentle 1/2" over night, with probably another 1/2" today, interspersed with some non-rain, and even a few days of sun. Overall, great growing weather, and the weed-carpet we call a lawn needs chopping down. [*Update: By the end of the storm we had over 4"]

We have been talking about putting in a perennial clover instead of a grass lawn. Certain varieties do well with low water situations, it can be mowed to be acceptable for play, but the clover is said to push out the weeds.

It would also not be an accident that such would be an excellent nitrogen fixer to bolster the soil, and could be turned under as an excellent green manure if one wanted to plant a food crop on part of the lawn area.

And I was just thinking about that today, actually.

We have an area of the front / side yard that I would like to till up and plant in potatoes. Turns out potatoes are stupid easy to grow, produce a big crop of usable food, and are kind of fun to harvest.

Meanwhile, although passers-by will pick our raspberries that grow along the fence, there is nothing to pick from a potato plant.

Of course, to do this fun thing, I would not want to have to prep all that ground by hand. Oh I *could* and I *should* but I have found a naughty toy that I would really like to have. (Its naughty because is it gasoline powered. Sigh.)

Actually found it years ago, but never had a need. Could use it now, though. (Hint hint). Its called a Mantis Tiller. Just the right size for our yard (narrow) and just enough more powerful than my middle-aged physique to make it an ideal tool. Of course the fact that it is gasoline powered is a serious negative, but at the moment I could get over that for the sake of the potatoes.