my back ached , my knees creaked like hinges , my fingernails were caked with dirt , and strands of hair stuck to my neck and cheeks-but the new crops of pole beans , onions , turnips , and radishes were planted , the cabbages weeded and culled , and a dozen large peanut bushes had been pulled up and hung to dry on the garden palisades , safe from marauding squirrels .