Weeds!

I turned my back on my garden for just a little while!  I got distracted with the new catalog from Stampin' Up!  I've been planning and wishing and organizing and yes, ordering.  I've also been posting on my Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Blog.  I also went down to my daughter's to help her for a few days.  I have clipped off a few spent roses, but not much else for a week or so.  The weeds noticed my neglect and moved in.

A friend just posted on Facebook that she loves weeding.  She says she reaps spiritual lessons as she removes the sinister invaders.  I don't think I benefit spiritually from pulling weeds.  I may even lose a few spiritual points for the evil thoughts I have toward this part of God's creation. 

Today I worked around the front entry.  I don't know the name of this weed.  I don't want to become any more familiar with it than I already am.  We are not friends!  This weed is sneaky!  Like a wolf in sheep's clothing, it grows among the ground cover, keeping low and trying to blend in.  There's no springing up like a dandelion with its bright yellow flower.  I do marvel at this weed's skill at self preservation and propagation.This weed has tiny little flowers with seeds to lure its accomplices, the ants, which like to carry the seeds home for a snack, dropping a few seeds along the way. 

 If I'm correct, the flowers are kind of brittle, breaking off and spreading the seeds as I walk across the yard.  And as I'm pulling out the plants, they are trying to leave seeds behind to plant the next generation.

So I try to be a little smarter than this weed.  I try not to walk on it any more than I have to.  It grows and spreads outward from the central stem, so I try to find that center, and use my trusty weeding tool to get all the roots.  I gently pull it up and get it into the bucket without shaking or disturbing the plant anymore than I have to.  If I get a clump of dirt with the roots, I don't shake it off.  I hold the plant still and gently tease the dirt away from the roots.  The only thing good about this weed is that since it spreads wide, the coverage looks worse than it really is.  I can clear an area faster than with other weeds.   I may be smarter than this weed, but it's got me outnumbered!  It will take more work to get it under control again!