Yes, it is messy, but is there any more satisfying gardening pleasure than to pull up a weed with the entire root structure intact? For example, with dandelions, there is an exquisite thrill when the root does not crack but comes out whole, looking like a little parsnip. Our hands may be covered with mud, but we are triumphant when this occurs.

I tend to start with the weeds at the edges of the beds after it rains, as it is not advised that we tramp all through beds and compact the soil, taking a lot of it away on our boots. The grass that has infiltrated the edging plants is fair game. When a sharp tug releases a long white root of the grass, it is so satisfying that before long I am down on my knees weeding the entire length of the bed. I throw the grass aside in frenzied haste, on a mission to search and destroy. Before I go back inside I also always pick a few rain sodden flowers to drip dry in a vase on my kitchen counter.

Rain not only provides much needed water for our gardens, it provides gardeners with related opportunities.