Right, the woman showed the occasional gardner her new rifle.
Not likely, unless she meant it as a threat if he didn’t do a good job.
Actually it may have been to make a valid point to the gardener that a divorced woman has the means to protect herself.
A friend of mine who moved around a lot, would, shortly after moving in, sit on a chair in his back yard and clean his shotgun. He would aim it and work the action. He did this to alert his new neighbors that he was armed.