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diff --git a/src/md/37_The_Blackberry_Wars.md b/src/md/37_The_Blackberry_Wars.md deleted file mode 100644 index 238c723..0000000 --- a/src/md/37_The_Blackberry_Wars.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,57 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: The Blackberry Wars ---- - -Life Lessons: - -- Take care of a problem early before it becomes a monster. -- Opposition enhances our appreciation of the good times. -- Adversity is our friend, not our enemy. Embrace it. - -Since Lori and I moved into the Ridgefield homestead house in the summer -of 2006, I have been waging a war with the deadly blackberry invasion -that has opened up on many fronts around the property. One of the most -sorely contested spots is on the north end of the barn below the house. -At this location, the vines have attained a height of about 14 feet and -threaten to engulf the whole north end of the building. The photo below -will give you some idea of the seriousness of the problem. - -{width="6.5in" -height="4.875in" alt=""} - -Now this is a war that can never be won. As soon as the obnoxious vines -have been eradicated in one place, they will spring up in another place -and establish a new base of operations for the conflict. Any place where -the birds like to land and lighten their load, the blackberry seeds in -their droppings will happily start a new infestation. Thus, the conflict -is eternal. I can hope to win an occasional battle in one place, but I -have no hope of ever winning the war outright. - -After fighting this war for so many years, I have gained a great deal of -admiration for the committee that was assigned the task of making good -on the promise to create the "thistles and thorns and noxious weeds to -afflict and torment man." These folks must be real over-achievers and -the blackberry plant must have been their crowning achievement. - -However, upon reflection, I have reconciled myself to the importance of -the lessons learned as a consequence of this war. Lesson number one: -Take care of a problem early instead of waiting until it has grown into -a 14-foot-high mountain of terrifying thorns. The effort to fix it is -many times greater if you put off dealing with it when it is still -small. Lesson number 2: This mortal experience was not meant to be a -Garden of Eden. How could I possibly appreciate the beauty of a -magnificently manicured garden without experiencing the opposite -condition. In fact, the level of appreciation is directly proportional -to the severity of the opposition. Sometime in the future, when I have a -chance to meet the members of the "thorn" committee, I will personally -give each one of them a big hug for giving me my impressive capacity to -appreciate the opposite condition. Lesson number 3: We should not be -afraid of adversity. In fact, every time it raises its ugly head, we -should be ecstatic. Blessings that can be obtained in no other way are -just around the corner. I can't count all the blessings that my war -with the blackberries has brought me. I am stronger and wiser because of -it. - -In fact, I wish you all the same good fortune. May your lives all be -infested with lots of lovely thorns and thistles. You'll all thank me -some day, I promise. |