Wow...this was a long one to get through but also one that made me stop and think...and think...and think some more. To me, I enjoyed thinking about weeds as a reminder to never allow people to tell us how to think...how to judge... That definitely hit a nerve with me as I thought about how much my father tried to mold me into what he thought all Americans should become...I was a weed to him but in my mind, I was/am a glorious flower!
I love the insight that came to you about your father, Jack. Weeds are definitely in the eye of the beholder! Glad the essay provoked some deep thinking. :-)
Mary! OMG, I LOVE this! I have been on the hunt for Horsetail on the land here. It's such a beneficial weed/plant. And the fact that it was so tenacious and persistent growing near you migh just be that you could have benefited from its medicine. I want to go back and re-read this when I have more time. I loved it! 💚
Last thought.. related.. sorta.. I find it interesting how much energy people spend blowing away the leaves during the Fall. Where do all the fallen leaves go? Is someone making money from this? Can we use them instead of fertilizer for
farming? Do they meet up with single missing socks somewhere.. where extra pens and nail files and scissors and tape and tweezers disappear to?
That's so funny. I'm sitting here listening to leaf blowers RIGHT NOW. Here in FL some of them do get turned into mulch. I've always been a composting gal, but now I'm diving into the permaculture movement! It's absolutely fascinating to me. My husband and I have just started turning our backyard -- which was landscaped before we bought the house, and looks very corporate -- into a food forest. We're starting by taking out some overgrown stuff and replacing it with fruit trees. It's such a different growing climate here -- so much to learn!!
Wow...this was a long one to get through but also one that made me stop and think...and think...and think some more. To me, I enjoyed thinking about weeds as a reminder to never allow people to tell us how to think...how to judge... That definitely hit a nerve with me as I thought about how much my father tried to mold me into what he thought all Americans should become...I was a weed to him but in my mind, I was/am a glorious flower!
I love the insight that came to you about your father, Jack. Weeds are definitely in the eye of the beholder! Glad the essay provoked some deep thinking. :-)
Mary! OMG, I LOVE this! I have been on the hunt for Horsetail on the land here. It's such a beneficial weed/plant. And the fact that it was so tenacious and persistent growing near you migh just be that you could have benefited from its medicine. I want to go back and re-read this when I have more time. I loved it! 💚
I actually took Silica as a homeopathic (I had terrible rosacea) long before I realized that Horsetail is loaded with it, so you are absolutely right.
Before I moved, a friend came and got some to keep in pots. I thought about doing the same, but was too traumatized by the stuff...😂
Last thought.. related.. sorta.. I find it interesting how much energy people spend blowing away the leaves during the Fall. Where do all the fallen leaves go? Is someone making money from this? Can we use them instead of fertilizer for
farming? Do they meet up with single missing socks somewhere.. where extra pens and nail files and scissors and tape and tweezers disappear to?
That's so funny. I'm sitting here listening to leaf blowers RIGHT NOW. Here in FL some of them do get turned into mulch. I've always been a composting gal, but now I'm diving into the permaculture movement! It's absolutely fascinating to me. My husband and I have just started turning our backyard -- which was landscaped before we bought the house, and looks very corporate -- into a food forest. We're starting by taking out some overgrown stuff and replacing it with fruit trees. It's such a different growing climate here -- so much to learn!!
Some herbalists believe that the weeds that grow near a person are in relation to what that person needs.
I looked it up! Any odd coincidences?
https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/herb/horsetail
Yes!! I believe that's entirely possible.
We looked into it before we left, and the high concentration of silica in horsetail is exactly what one of us needs for some hair-loss!
Love your willingness to challenge … thank you.
Thanks, Charlotte!