Finally the rain got sick and tired of itself and took a short hiatus, long enough for me to walk around the block with the baby.

I noticed something odd about the front yards of a few of the houses on our street and those surrounding. Some were filled with bright yellow dandelions smiling at us, following us as we strolled. Others looked like pristine golf courses, immaculately maintained without a weed in sight. Hmmm.

I guess I’m confused. I thought we were in agreement, no more toxins in our fertilizers, they have been banned for a reason (or several) and we are all just going to have to live in harmony with lawns that have more yellow than green. Tiptoe through the tulips but wear a thick shoe and weave in and out of the prickly patches just like the song suggests.

I’m on the weed ridden fence over this one. I too would like to have a cushiony blanket of green to play on but I don’t want to do it at the expense of my children’s health. But then I remember the Weed Man having his own apartment at our house as a kid as there was never a day I didn’t see that green and yellow truck parked out front with flashy white flags indicating our lawn had just been sprayed so keep your weeds two chevrons back suckers. And yes I had a tail but it fell off just before my sixteenth birthday just like the possible side effect warnings promised.

I watched a neighbour with her Weed Whacker chopping the tops of the dandelions off, I guess assuming if the yellow was gone, the rest would just melt back into the ground. While I like this “off with their heads” approach, I just don’t see it as a viable solution.

So the question needs to be asked, “What is the magic solution? Who is using what fertilizer? “ This beet and corn based stuff sounds tasty but given the influx in giggling dandelions, I’m thinking it’s not as effective as the dousing vegetables want us to believe.

A good friend is in the soy business and sings the praises of soy-based products but I’m not sure filling the spreader with a handful of beans (unless they came from an impoverished farmer with the promise of a better life) will do the trick.

Just out of curiosity, has anyone tried breast milk? It works on everything.