Weeds

Inspirational song: Perfect Day (Lou Reed)

What a difference a day is about to make. I've spent most of the last week with the doors and windows open, even sitting outside getting various tasks done. I spent hours sitting at the front garden bed, the one just under my window. Now the house is closed up and the cold front is starting to blow through. By the time I wake, all the pretty flowers will be under a thin blanket of snow. I have to hope there isn't so much that it weighs down all those trees just starting to bud out. That's how branches break at this time of year. And thank goodness my cherry trees hadn't flowered yet. The nectarine is trying to, but it has only just begun. It may survive and bear fruit yet.

Remember last year when I was grousing about rapunzel? It's that weed, also called creeping bellflower, that has taken over my front yard. We turned over large patches of the front bed and dug out every scrap of it we could locate. The Mr worked quickly on a section around the stepping stones up to the house bib. I spent a lot longer, being as thorough as I could be, all across the front between two lavender bushes. I am amazed anew at how pernicious and evil this weed is. I dug down deeper than my whole hand and wrist would reach, and still managed only to uncover the top of a cluster of roots bigger than carrots. The longest one was easily 14 inches long. And I probably broke off 2-3 more when I dug it up. No wonder it takes such diligence to remove it. The lady at the county extension booth last year said if we weren't willing to use roundup, then we would probably have to remove the top foot of soil off our lawn, and start with fresh dirt. Based on these roots today, I don't think that would have helped.

I wore myself out, sitting on the ground to pull weeds twice in the last few days. I feel like I was run over with a truck, and that's after a soak in the hot tub, a muscle relaxer, a warm shower, and a small amaretto over ice (in that order). I was so tired, I almost fell asleep without writing. I hope I turned over enough dirt and picked out enough roots to make a dent this year. I was useless gardening last year, so I have a lot to make up for. I am so sick of seeing my pretty flowers overrun by rapunzel and vine weed (which I pulled from my roses by the garage on Thursday). I have miles to go before the yard is free of it. At least I got a good start before a week of snow slows me down.