It was late spring in lower Alabama. A green unattractive vine had begun to creep its way over the edge of our recently erected privacy fence. A fence put up to keep our furry friends in and our nosy neighbor’s stares… out.

The vine seemed to have personally insulted my husband’s manhood because when he saw it, he was furious.

He began explaining to me the various reason that vines should not grow up over fences. Apparently this is something that I should have already been aware of, proving my ignorance on lawn care to him once again.

I ventured out to the back yard expecting to see some random weed or kudzu growing rampant and threatening our mere existence. However the only thing I saw was a tender light green vine wrapping itself delicately through the fence and across the top. I recognized it immediately! It was Morning Glory!!

As I was admiring the beauty of the heart shaped leaves I saw, out of the corner of my eye, my burly man of a husband with his bug sprayer obviously filled with a killer of all things alive.

I hurriedly choked out a “Nooo!” before he could fire that thing off.

He looked surprised and possibly even annoyed. “What???” He belted back at me.

“That’s morning Glory!”

He did not look impressed.

“I don’t have a clue what that is but it’s about to be “morning dead”.

“Nooo!” I exclaimed again, as I explained to him that it grows green until the end of summer or first of Fall when it will bloom in the morning sun and then the blooms closes up for the rest of the day and night. “It’s an amazing flower!!!”

I was so busy explaining the reasons for sparing the life of this new “volunteer” addition to my already abundant flower garden, that I didn’t even see the expression on my husbands face.

He grinned with a twinkle in his eye that made my heart melt.

“How could I kill it now. I mean after that spill?” He was only half joking.

I smiled up at him, tiptoed up and gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek.

“You won’t be sorry! Just wait!”

He gruffly stomped away, which was his way, “that thing better bloom” he said looking sideways at me, still grinning.

And to my enjoyment and my husbands amazement it did. Beautiful fushia flowers began to erupt early in the mornings of late August. It was still steamy hot in the Bay Area but just enough autumn air had summoned the Morning Glory to bloom. Proving to my husband and to myself that If we could ALL see the beauty in the weeds and be patient and expectant of good things to come, this world would be a whole garden of Glory’s!