The Never-ending Artichokes

Bombus impatiens on
Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus)

John and I tramped around the edges of a very large marsh in Barton in 2013. John dug up three Jerusalem artichoke plants and put them in one of our large gardens near the driveway. They were native, not protected, and I thought they were cool. We could eat the bulbs and have pretty sunflowers for insect photos late in the bug hunting season. 

They flourished. Here is a photo of John with them the next summer. But there were six. John was 6'2", and they were taller than he was. My hopes for insect photos were now gone since I could not reach the blossoms. If John pulled a flower to me, the insects ran away.

I began to be concerned, then upset, as they flourished more and took over the day lily garden I had so carefully planned and planted. In a few years, the lilies disappeared and these artichokes owned the place. They also took over an adjacent milkweed garden on the side of the garage that was twice the lily garden area. 

To keep them under control, John dug many, many bulbs, processed them and froze them. My plans for enjoying their bounty disappeared when I learned I did not like the sunchokes. 

One year, they appeared out front at the front door. An entire bunch of them. A couple of years after that, they appeared near the brook in the side yard. That bunch really flourished. The photo below shows the brook artichokes this year. The thicket is so dense that Lucy goes around them instead of through them to get to the brook. 

The brook is behind there. Somewhere.

I don't turn to memories often because it hurts when your only desire is for your love to return from the dead. But this year, I was wondering how John would react to the never-ending artichokes. My frustration with him about them has disappeared and I smile and realize the story is humorous, not sad. 

The blog hops, like Happy Tuesday, have helped me recover from the worst of my grief and bring out my memories. If I can smile at this old story, I can move forward. Thank you for that gift.

Happy Tuesday at
Comedy Plus

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