It almost sounds like it’s from a cartoon. But try smoothing out the whole process with some WD-40. If you think about it, that’s what it was meant for: to grease everything to make it smoother. You’ll see how easily the shovel goes into the ground next time.
WD-40 is also good at removing stickers; so is removing any political campaign stickers you have on. We won’t judge. This doesn’t just apply to bumpers; you should try it on any surface you have a sticker with regret on it. A little spray and you can rip it right off.