An Early Spring?

One of the many reasons I love winter is that my yard becomes a dormant place....a stark, bland, area without flowers or color or....weeds. I appreciate this time of year for the respite it gives me from the never ceasing chore of yard work.

It really has been a nice season in that respect. By Thanksgiving I trimmed everything back and the yard began a hopefully long hibernation of winter slumber. We had a wetter season than usual and although I love the rain, it does not bode well for providing my yard with the perfect conditions for winter bliss.
That being said, it was almost New Years before I noticed any change in my austere desert landscaped front yard. There in the near center of my yard poked out a small green shoot that caused immediate beads of cold sweat on my brow. Like greased lightning I was in the yard and with a quick jerk took care of the situation. Satisfied with my efforts, I tossed the offending culprit in the trash can and went about my day.

What happened next I can only surmise was a general call to all types of lawn and yard dwellers. A call to descend upon this smug homeowner that thought he was being "pro-active". A lesson must be taught and soon....to send a message to other over zealous weed pullers out there. So in the span of perhaps a week there were perhaps 10 new shoots in a wide and random pattern covering the entire expanse of my front yard. I wanted to pull them, but we were having more rain and it would have to wait for dryer conditions.

The next time I walked down the front walk to the street I noticed a new green border all along my path as well as at least 20 new bursts of green in my otherwise rock and gravel front yard. A sense of dread and unease took over and I found myself looking around the neighborhood at other houses to see if they too were suffering this early gift of springtime. Much to my horror it became more and more evident that I was ground zero in the assault of the weeds. I would be the first letter that the HOA neighborhood committee would send out as a "gentle reminder" to rid the yard of the unpleasant blight of healthy green weeds.

I am not sure where the time went. I know I was busy. I know on at least 2 occasions I thought about going outside to wrestle with the rapidly growing horde, but now it is February 5th and the weeds have seemingly won. When driving by the house - at first glance it looks like I have a lawn, until you look close. Unfortunately the neighborhood committee members did not think so.

Punxsatawny Phil the groundhog saw his shadow last week indicating six more weeks of winter. But in my front yard - spring is already here.