I bought something called the "Hula-ho" at my local hardware
store/garden center. The garden center guy told me it was also called
a "skimmer". I said I wanted something to remove strips of sod (grass
w/roots, not commercially-bought "sod").

It's effectively a rectangular-shaped ribbon of metal on a long wooden
handle. The home page is he
http://www.flexrake.com/hulaho.htm

I can't quite figure out how it works. I'm trying to remove a strip of
sod along my fence line, and it just doesn't catch down under teh
roots, no matter how deep I try to press it in with my foot.

Is this one of those lawn implements that doesn't actually 'work', or,
do I just need to be more determined?

Gwen