I have a high tolerance for weeds. That’s not a good thing.

Any diligent gardener knows it’s a never-ending war. You must stay on top of the battles, or the weeds will take over your territory. Never mind the excuses. Wild things don’t care. If you aren’t there to eradicate them, they continue to grow and spread.

True confession: I do very little weeding from July through October. South Alabama is way too hot and humid. And the mosquitos and other creatures make spending time in the backyard miserable.

I’ve decided January is perfect for weeding. No mosquitos and the weather is much nicer on most days. Some of the summer weeds have died out on their own. (Don’t remind me that they already scattered their seed for next season.) I’m making up for lost time and clearing out the beds now.

When I had more energy, strength, and less pain in joints and spine, I was far too tolerant of many plants that are described as aggressive or invasive. “But it’s a native wildflower,” I told my husband. I was a sucker for anything in shades of blue and purple. Weeds can be pretty.

For a time, I tolerated the sticker vines in my yard to have blackberry cobbler, since I couldn’t be sure that pesticides hadn’t been used on the roadside plants. Weeds can serve a purpose.

At this point, the name of the game is “control” vs. “eradicate.” I’ve lowered my expectations. Thanks Eve and Adam.

“Because of what you have done, the ground will be under a curse. You will have to work hard all your life to make it produce enough food for you. It will produce weeds and thorns,” – Genesis 3: 17b-18a

I can see my answer for the future. Sell this property and move into an old folk’s home. In the meantime, I’ll get my husband to finish raking the leaves.

Shalom, Dottie

I want to give credit to the guy who founded this fun Six on Saturday idea. He lives in Great Britain, and his Twitter handle is @cavershamjj You can find his blog at:https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/