Just 'Cause It's Green

...don't mean it belongs in the garden.

Apparently I spent the entire spring and summer figuring that almost anything green out in the garden areas around the house was a plant that ought to be there. Wrong! I did pull stuff every so often, but today I filled three big trash bags with weedy things and rose bush trimmings. I think part of my challenge is that I didn't grow up with weeds (a happy thing, actually). We had vinca and pine trees--easy. I found things out there today that look exactly like the "rumor weed" in Veggie Tales. Ugly!

Also, note to self: Always buy the non-sprouting seed for the wee little birdies in the backyard. My first bag this year was non-sprouting, but the second was normal stuff. I had the craziest things growing under the bird feeder for like a seven-foot diameter. I still have some stuff out there now that I have no idea whether I should pull it or not. It looks like giant pumpkin leaves, but when I tried to pull the stems from the ground, I discovered that I could use the vines to swing from an airplane, they're so strong and embedded so deeply. So, stay they shall!

I was thinking I might do some Thanksgiving grocery shopping tonight, but yard work and putting away the patio furniture for winter has convinced me otherwise. I am very happy it's done, though; I think I picked one of the last dry, not freezing weekends left--whew!

The final lawn/garden need I have? To figure out how to keep some neighborhood big dog from using my lawn to leave his "presents" on, and some smaller cat or chihuahua-thing from using the dirt on the side of my walkway to my front door for its smaller "presents". Rude! Blech!

Off to continue making the Thanksgiving ingredient list! We've been in the habit of adding ham to the table for Thanksgiving since we discovered I have a slight allergy to fresh turkey (ridiculous, I know). Since it's just the three, maybe five, of us this year if Grandma Mel and Bud come, we won't buy a big ham, but we need a little ham chub. Since the turkey has always been named "Marley", Dad and I thought we needed a name too for the little hammy guy. We wanted to stay in the A Christmas Carol theme, like Fezziwig or something. Mom said it has to be Babe or Hamlet, so Hamlet it is (I think it ought to be spelled Hamelet, like Omelet), 'cause there is no way I am eating Babe!

I just noticed the wee little birdies are now out pecking the ground where I yanked up the weeds from under the bird feeder. I must have churned up something yummy for them. Nibble away, little birdies!