AAAAAGHHHHHH!     They are the bane of my existence!  Put on this earth to frustrate and bedevil us. I have declared a personal war against them.  They have invaded my yard, wreaking havoc on my outdoor hobby, selected to calm and clear my head.

Although they allow me to vent any hostility upon them, they always return for more, as if to erode my patience. I am willing to bet they existed since Adam and Eve frolicked in the Garden of Eden and I’m guessing they will survive, along with the cockroaches, long after mankind is extinct.

Their common names are frequently used as forms of expression in our language. Some have medicinal purposes, others added to food as a garnish. Yet others are toxic and can decimate a rancher’s pocketbook by killing livestock or overwhelm a farmer’s crops.

Poisons have been created to eradicate them without effort but I hesitate to use these—I believe our planet has been abused and polluted beyond repair.  Tools have been designed to attack them without backbreaking effort, so these are the methods I employ.  Of course it is more time consuming, robbing me of coveted rest and relaxation.

These enemies are most prolific. Their seed offspring are spread swiftly through the air by the winds and carried by animals in their coats. Even I am an unwitting and unwilling partner as I carry them unseen in my clothing and shoes. Others expand their onslaught by ways of burrowing and spreading their roots underground, popping up to the surface, assailing my favorite vegetation.

But for this day, I am confident I have temporarily gained the advantage over the endless battle against the intruder trespassing in my garden. My flowers, proving to me their happiness at their freedom from the conflict for sun, water and earth, burst forth into a myriad of colorful bloom.

I can enjoy watching the furry bumble bee slowly buzz from flower to flower.  I observe the Lady Bug doing her job and patrolling for aphids.  I settle into my cozy garden bench, close my eyes and absorb the soothing songs of the birds and the melodious tunes playing on my wind chimes dancing gently in the light breeze.  Here in my tiny haven, all is peaceful and right in the world, for now.

As the day draws to a close and I head indoors for the evening, I stop in my tracks, spotting something out of the corner of my eye.  There, sneaking in between the Petunias, an enemy has dared to rear its ugly, green, leafy head from beneath the damp, dark earth.

Taunting me—mocking me.  It’s survival a victory against my earlier assault to obliterate it from my garden.

I can only sigh and shrug my shoulders.  Tomorrow begins another unending crusade against the relentless and incorrigible weeds as they continue their campaign to overgrow my little garden sanctuary.