Just Dandy

I love dandelions.  I was thrilled to see them blooming already in March this year.  They have such happy, little yellow faces and they bloom from spring all the way until fall.  It makes me sad to think that these perennials have been given the maligned distinction of weeds.  When did we decide that dandelions were no longer flowers?  Why did we determine that these pops of color were no longer welcome in the expanse of our lawns?  In our quest for that elusive and endless green carpet, we've lost sight of the beauty of dandelions.  As a little girl growing up in the country, we weren't concerned about weeds in our big yard.  Consequently, I had a lot of opportunity to pick dandelions to make a bouquet for our home.  Fortunately, Mom never told me that dandelions were undesirables.  Instead, we celebrated their beauty and when their blossoms turned to cottony seed heads, we blew their seeds to the wind, only to bring about even more dandelions.  We humans eat dandelion greens and drink dandelion wine.  Let's celebrate the yellow sunshine of blooming dandelions in the grass while we're at it.