They’re back.

After the snow melts and the mud begins to turn to dirt, the weeds start to pop up and take over areas that were barren just a few weeks earlier. It’s interesting because with all of the love and care people put behind the plants they want, weeds show up without an invitation.

There are some things about weeds that will not change. For instance, they will usually show up on your lawn and not your neighbors, no matter how many times you fertilize they seem to get more resilient over time, and kids love to blow the seeds into the air. As we all know, those seeds are what start the process moving forward again and again.

This past weekend, as two of my daughters were looking at the tulips that have shown up, and as I explained they will soon be leaving us, one of them picked up a weed. I asked them not to blow the seeds around; that would be like saying, “I know you like ice cream, but will you not have any today?” As the seeds went floating off, the other daughter had to get in on the fun---she took 2 of them and started to blow. If I were to do a quick calculation I would say we just created between 75 to 100 new weeds.

If you read “Snap.Shot.” on a regular basis, you may know my feelings about weeds. I don’t like them. I really don’t like the ones that are prickly, they put up the greatest fight and really hurt when you step on them. We have some weeds in our backyard and I believe they could actually penetrate your shoe if you stepped on them the wrong way.

The photo above was taken last year as our Chicago summer was in full swing. With orange flowers everywhere, this lone weed was determined to stick around. Yes it was on the fringe, but it was also “fully loaded” and ready to send out its seeds to create some friends for the future. All it needed was a gust of wind or one of my kids, and I am reasonably sure they would be off on their way; I know weeds will for ever be in our lives, but as far as I am concerned I wish they would find a new home elsewhere and not near mine.

Thanks for stopping by.