When hands look like this after time in the garden, even a good hand washing will still leave fingers and cuticles stained and dirt under the nails.

My grandmother’s solution for dirt-stained fingers was to gather them together in a used lemon half as if reaming it. Her skin was bleached, smoothed and she was ready for bridge. I do the same after a day in the garden.

The soap is Trader Joe’s Lavender Triple Milled Soap, with flowers and made in Provence, France. My favorite bar soap is very aromatic, like Lavender Lemonade.