"MacGyver" moments in gardening

Ever rolled out dough with a sparkling cider bottle?  I had a "MacGyver" moment at the cabin on Christmas Day.  For those unfamiliar with the name/TV show, the guy was a physicist that could get out of any jamb with such mundane things as commonly found in a pocket or drawer.  Need to pry open an elevator door before you run out of air?  No problem, let's see what MacGyver has in his jacket pocket...toothpick, an old piece of floss, and two pennies.  He's out in three minutes flat.  He's just that good.  Anyway, back to my moment. 

MacGyver can do anything!

I realized that I had forgotten to bring the rolling pin, a handy item when homemade crescent rolls are on the menu.  What would MacGyver do?  No doubt it would involve a book of matches and an old receipt, but my father-in-law saved the day for me this time.  Apparently I wasn't the first person not to have the right tool for this job.  He said his wife had the same situation happen to her.  "Just use that old bottle of Coors Light in the fridge like she did."  It was gone, but luckily we had a stash of sparkling cider and I scrubbed the label off and it worked just fine. 

 Moral:  Sometimes you just have to "make do, or do without."

All manure puns aside, does "making do" happen in the garden?  Of course.  Case in point: In the beginning of my gardening adventure, I had no idea there was a special tool for lifting or dividing perennials.  What would MacGyver do?  I'm sure it involved an old rope and a wristwatch, but I came up with something that sent the Last Frontier husband into fits.  I grabbed what I thought was a small, curved, and rusty child's-size shovel (that came with the house), and was going to town with some Geraniums.  I looked up to find the guy taking my picture whilst laughing.

 "What?" I demanded.  "What are you doing?" he asked curiously, trying in vain to stifle a grin.  I explained all the biological and technical aspects of lifting and dividing perennials.  He looked pretty relieved and then hit me with, "Oh, that's okay then.  I thought you were digging for clams."  Yes, LFG reader, I admit I was using a clamming shovel.  And we live nowhere near the beach.

The notorious clam shovel

Now somewhere along the line I did feel like I should purchase a specialized tool for the purpose, and indeed it did work better than my "make do" tool.  But my clamming shovel cost me nothing and did an adequate job.  (And MacGyver would have been proud.)

I can't be the only gardener making do with what's on hand...can I?!

P.S. I learned that great quote, part of which I included in the above post, from a former roommate's grandfather.  It was verbally trotted out on many occasions and cross-stitched, framed, and hung on the wall at his home, as well.  I had never heard it before: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."  Grand, isn't it!