What weeds?

Friends, we had weeds. And, I mean big ones. We have a playground area in our backyard. It is a 40 X 24 area filled with gravel and ripped up landscape fabric that is nice in theory but doesn't stay put worth a darn. Oh, and the weeds. I promise you we looked out one day and they were 3 inches tall and the next day they were 16 inches tall. No joke. So, we looked at them and did what any "you've got to be kidding me, it's 97 degrees out there and I am lazy" homeowners would do and ignored them. Luckily, they stopped growing. But, still they were 16 inches tall. I mean, how big do you need them to get before you realize "Houston, we have a problem."

We didn't even talk about them in our house. It was like the problem that everyone knows you have but you don't want to actually verbalize. Then one day I tell my husband, "I think we should try to pull those weeds." And he says, "They will come out easily...their roots can't be any further down than the landscape fabric." WHY did you NOT tell me this BEFORE? I was thinking they were rooted clear to Tampa at least, maybe Miami.

So, for two nights last week, we got out there together and pulled weeds. Sure enough, they did come out pretty easily, but keep in mind this is 960 square feet we're talking about (1280 cubic feet, since they are all 16 inches tall, but I digress) so it still took two nights. And, as we pulled, we had what my friend and colleague, Kira, talks about in her blog---some family time. Just us and nature. Sounds cheesy, I know. But, there wasn't any TV. The dishwasher wasn't running. The cat wasn't having a hairball we had to clean up with our steam vac. Nope, just us and the weeds, our brand new garden gloves from Meijer, and our wheelbarrow...our house, our new life in Normal, Illinois. Thank you, God, for times like these.

As I've thought about this over the last week, I started wondering if weeds grow in our yards so we have to get out there and pull them...you know, hang out OUTSIDE. Breathe in the evening air filled with the neighbor's barbecue chicken, say hi to someone walking their dog by your house...weed pulling gets you out, face to face with your neighbors, whom, as a nation, we don't know anymore. Sad, isn't it? In addition, weed pulling gives you a sense of ownership over your house. It allows you to talk, in close proximity, with your loved ones and those neighbors who may become your loved ones if you would only get to know them. As silly as this sounds, after I've been out pulling weeds, I see the beauty of coming back in and enjoying the AC. When I sit in the house all night, it feels too hot (because I have no reference point) and I'm cranky. :)

The next time you see weeds coming up in your flower bed, instead of thinking "@#$%!@ it!" or "That's it! I'm calling the landscaper!" imagine, if you can, that maybe YOU can be the landscaper...as you shape your yard, pulling weeds may also shape your life.