Weeding...

Weeding...  If you've ever pulled weeds in a planting or garden, I'll bet your feelings about it are similar to mine: it's hard work, hot in the summer (when there are the most weeds!), and satisfying only in the sense of having it over with.

That was not my mom's feeling about weeding.  She loved it!  Weeding wasn't a chore for her at all.  Rather, it was an activity she thought of as a treat – on many days, the absolute highlight of her day.  Further, she took enormous satisfaction in completely clearing the weeds from a planting.

I have many memories of her bent over, executing weeds with glee.  This, despite the fact that bending over was always hard and painful for her (as the cartilage of one of her hip joints was almost completely gone).  One memory in particular: her raucous whoop of victory as she pulled the last weed out of a bed of scratchy junipers for sale in our nursery while I was watering an adjacent bed.  Julius, our handyman on the nursery, came running to find out what was wrong – and left shaking his head at the crazy woman who found joy and fulfillment in weeding...