the soil all around the stubborn dandelion, I slowly attempted to pry that tenacious root from its bed of soil. What could possibly be pulling against my efforts so resolutely? Was there a contingent of earthworms strung end to end through the dirt holding fast to the root? Perhaps the root had managed to curl itself around a large rock, plentiful in my New England yard. Whatever the cause, my efforts were futile; I pulled firmly and sure enough out popped the dandelion leaving its root behind to grow again into an even stronger nuisance.Continuing to my next opponent, dirt pressed beneath my fingernails, my thoughts flitted to my childhood, where I sat watching a neighboring puttering across his lawn in pursuit of every last dandelion. His lawn was flat and green, free of dandelions and other minor inconveniences like prickly beechnuts. My friend and I would ring his doorbell many a sunny afternoon and ask if we could borrow his lawn for our gymnastics stunts. Every time he’d respond, “as long as you bring it back.”
When I’d wander across the street while he was weeding, he’d explain that is was critical to nab the entire root—that was the secret of his success for winning against the dandelions. At the time, that seemed a very straightforward process. So many years later as a homeowner, tackling my own dandelions, I was surprised by how difficult was the quest to remove dandelions. Were he my neighbor now, I’d walk over as he stooped with his trowel, and ask for the key to removing the root—should I take a clump of grass with it? Was my trowel the wrong size? Should I wait until after the rain?
Alas, he died some years ago, but yet each spring as I amble around my yard, trowel in hand, his memory comes to mind. What small task of mine will call up a memory of me in years hence? I can only hope that some action I do today or tomorrow or each spring or fall, will someday bring a smile to a future face, picturing an idyllic scene from a childhood afternoon. In the meantime, I think the rain’s slowing, maybe now is just the right time for dandelion pursuits.
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