Apr10

a noble thing.

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the dandelions have returned, and i couldn’t be happier.

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“Every year,” said Grandfather. “They run amuck; I let them.

Pride of lions in the yard. Stare, and they burn a hole in your retina.

A common flower, a weed that no one sees, yes.

But for us, a noble thing, the dandelion.”

-Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine

 

 

 

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art credit: garth williams, (the rabbit’s wedding) –  rabbit basking in the moonlight

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62 responses »

  2. When I moved here in 2012 and had a fairly large (for me) back garden, the lawn was covered in Dandelions. I spent the first two years uprooting them ruthlessly. Then one day I looked out at all the cheerful yellow flowers and decided that I would never remove one again. Now I have a ‘Dandelion Lawn’.

    Best wishes, Pete.

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  4. I havé a very biased opinion on them. In France, my lawn was every year more covered in them and I tried (in absolute vain) to dig them out. my mum used to tell me: they are beautiful, enjoy those little suns and my reply always was: yeah, just waiting to not have a garden and lawn any more, then i’ll like them again…. Now, we live in a rental flat and guess what. Next to our building there is a huge field with many grazing ‘beasts’ frolicking. Except now the field is a golden, beautiful dandies covered surface of umpteen square meters – and therefore I have tons of dandelions AGAIN in my tiny garden and on our lawn which normally is mowed every 8-10 days but hasn’t been touched this year so far…..
    So, it’s dandies all over once more. Pulled out about 20 over the weekend but they make their deep strong roots in such a hurry that it’s a Sisyphus job! Helas, my eye and heart say YES, the rest of me push silent swear words to the golden beauties.

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  7. ‘I wandered lonely as a Cloud’, the classic daffodil poem we all learnt off by heart at school. I can still recite it; then there’s Herrick’s poem ‘To Daffodils’ metaphoric with its tone of urgency —

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  11. I love “Dandelion Wine” — I remember how the first chapter gave me a rush when the character went walking in the woods and was hit by the sensation of how everything was alive around him. Also: who hasn’t been delighted by blowing on a dandelion puff and seeing the seed-threads float off? Magical stuff.

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  14. I haven’t seen any dandelions for a long time, but I guess the lawn treatment stuff, which works beautifully, keeps them out. I don’t recall picking dandelion blossoms but I was infatuated with the fluffy seed heads.

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  15. The dandelions have returned to our lawn also. I hold fond memories of my preschool daughter picking them and selling bouquets at a sidewalk-side table one Mother’s Day. And, yes, people bought them, including neighbors who had a whole yard popping with dandelions.

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