Antrim weeds ‘n’ vines

Familiar wildflowers brighten the sandy roadsides of Antrim County, and the Dawsons’ vineyard is looking lush. Must be the beginning of summer. Not a moment too soon, either.

Sandy soil and early summer flowers remind me of walking across the meadow with my grandmother, the timothy grass tickling my knees, startled by a grasshopper’s leap. “Look, Gram, he spit tobacco juice!” So long ago, yet more vivid than this morning’s walk with Miss Sadie and the Cowboy. I had my morning coffee down on the foggy beach—or what’s left of it, as the rising lake level and stormy wave action have eaten away at the stretch of sand. The dogs browsed around in the tall grasses and splashed along the water’s edge.  Yellow patches of plant scraps—weeds or pollen or some mixture—floated on the water and washed toward shore.  Whattheheck?  Another thing to figure out.  Remember to bring the camera . . .

The Great Phragmites Debate has taken several turns, and I’m writing it all up for the Elk Rapids News.   We are a contentious bunch, even about weeds.  Stay tuned.