Weeds!

I have been waiting for ages for spring to arrive in full force. After the eternity that was this past winter, God's creation has exploded in a wonderful display of green. This onslaught of vegetation also brings some green I don't want. WEEDS! I spent the better part of my morning and early afternoon attempting to get the weeds in my yard under control. I didn't even put a dent in the pesky buggers. These weeds root deep, wedge themselves into the tightest crevices and multiply at an unbelievable rate. It's an ongoing battle that I don't expect to ever win. The best I can hope for is to keep them at bay and to not let them completely take over my yard. This battle is exactly what God promised after the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 3,after Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, God told Adam mankind would forever toil in the land and both thorns and thistles (i.e. weeds) would be brought forth by the land. All is not lost however. I have learned how to make homemade herbicide. Weed killers like Round Up or Weed-b-gone are tremendously expensive. I read online that a simple mixture of vinegar, salt and dish soap works as an excellent weed killer. I admit I was skeptical, but those ingredients are dirt cheap, so I figured there could be no harm in trying. Boy was I pleasantly surprised! Tuesday night I mixed a batch and sprayed it on a large area that was completely overgrown. The next night I went out and was shocked to see dead, brown weeds where I had applied the homemade concoction. I will be purchasing large quantities of vinegar, salt and soap this summer. There is also another cheap solution to weed control. This one is only practical for small applications. Are you ready for this one? Boiling water. Yeah, you read that correctly... boiling water. Essentially the scalding water cooks the weeds and destroys the roots. I tried it on the weeds growing in the cracks in my driveway and on some dandelions in the flower bed. Once again I was shocked at the effectiveness of the solution to the problem of these persistent weeds. The next day revealed more dead, brown weeds. So the verdict is in. No more commercially produced, overpriced weed killers for me. Boiling water and cheap household products work just as well. Now I just need to invest in a decent sprayer for widespread application. Maybe you'd like to try these weed control measures for yourself. Folks, I'm here to serve... you're welcome :-)