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Since last weekend wasn’t cooperating weather-wise, this weekend was the designated garden enhancement weekend. I was at the nursery when it opened yesterday morning promptly at 9am and picked up some more of the plants I put in the front beds last year, as well as some new varieties (some gorgeous chartreusey-lime sedum and a new echinacea varietal). I also splurged on a big pot that was already planted for the backyard, as well as some annuals to fill in the spaces and fix up the hanging basket that Sue gave me last year.

Spent the morning getting all of the plants in and since I was on a roll, then I cut the grass and pulled a couple hundred dandelions. I don’t know if was the perfect confluence of factors for dandelion growth, or that we’re paying the cost for banned herbicides, but the dandelions are out of control this year. Everywhere. Driving around town you can see numerous yards that are overrun with them. We’re not talking 30% coverage here, more like 80 or 90%, and I don’t think that many people are trying for the derelict look all at once. I think they (the dandelions, not the people) like a wet Spring. I think also that they suck.

In my case, I also lay full blame on the French Immersion school whose field is adjacent to my backyard. A field which is currently white with dandelion fluff. Excellent for my allergies.

Sure, I could be investigating the benefits of dandelion fritters (wtf?) but mostly I just curse while I’m pulling them out and then spend an hour on the couch recovering from sneezing/back aches.

Today, I went to pick up the “over the toilet” cupboard to finish off the bathroom. The box for which was just a few inches too long to fit across the back seats of the Subaru, and the width of which was just an inch to much to fit through the small pass-through in the trunk. I love my Subaru, but if I could redesign one thing about it, it would be to have at least one of the back seats fold all the way down for access from the trunk.

There was no way I was leaving it in the parking lot, so I figured out that I could recline the passenger seat all the way down and then fit the cupboard in like a supine sidekick for the drive home. Excellent until I started the car, because my car is a bit of a hardass when it comes to seat belt safety. It knows when someone is in a seat and doesn’t have on their seatbelt, and then reminds everyone in the car of this major transgression every 30 seconds with a series of seriously annoying pings. But, in one of those special radio moments, I soon found the answer…

Car: Ping-ping-ping

Me: It’s not a person, it’s a cupboard.

Car: Ping-ping-ping

Me: What part of “cupboard” don’t you understand?

Car: Ping-ping-ping

Me: FU, you autocratic tattle-tale!

Car radio: White lines…. (vision dreams of passion) / blowing through my mind… (and all the while, I think of you)

Me: Crank it!

Car: pingpingping

Me: Nah nah nah can’t hear you!  ...Something like a phenomenon (baby), tellin’ your body to come along (baby)…

The cupboard and I sang it home in the sunshine – speakers cranked and sunroof open.