1. It's much nicer to be weeding on a breezy, cool-ish day than in the blazing sun.

2. The right pair of gloves can make weeding, while not exactly pleasant, at least less tedious. I have a new pair of gloves with those gripper-things on the palm, and I was delighted by how much "hold" I could get.

3. Weeding is like ironing. You can see what you've accomplished when it's over.

4. Weeding is never over.

All this being said, I did make some good headway amongst the Insidious Blackberry Vines today.

I'm sure all you NC gardeners know this already (I'm looking at you June, Lance and Razroots!) but I tried going at the vines from "underneath," as it were.

I dug around them with a trowel and gripped the vines just underneath the ground.

Not only did that make for much more significant root balls getting tossed into the wheelbarrow, but I emerged with far fewer thorn prickles.

I am under no delusion that I've decimated the vines, BUT, I do think that it when they return next year their numbers will be reduced!