Opinion

Tens of millions of dollars are generated every year to support Montana public schools through stewardship of our State Trust Lands. This is not a small chunk of change.

Certain cultures have unique rites of passages to become a man. For instance, the Vanuatu tribe of the South Pacific like to jump headfirst off a wooden tower up to a 100 feet with vines around their ankles onto solid ground. To become a man in the Satere-Mawe tribe of the Brazilian Amazon all you must do is put your hand in a glove full of the excruciating stings of bullet ants for 10 minutes without making a noise. To become a man in the African Maasai tribe, you get to go fight a lion after mutilation of your “uume.” Do your own translation.

Fifteen weeks. That’s how much time I’ve spent so far this spring and summer, weeding, mowing, weeding, raking, weed wacking, digging, weed pulling, weed prying out of cracks, and (did I mention it) weed removal. And it’s all my parents’ fault.

You see, I have an obsession with gardening that started when I was very young and my parents presented me with one of those “shoot for the stars” type of goals.

It’s true my mother loved to garden, as did my grandmother. But I think my passion really started with that trip to Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island.