It's spring and here they are again: The same old weeds. Not new, not changed. The same old weeds with the same flavors and textures and tastes. Unimproved. Giving us the same optimum nutrition and ready remedies. Not better. Just perfect.

We have been trained to be consumers, to want to buy things. We have been led to believe that there must be progress, development, change. We tell ourselves that new is better than old. Certainly the car I have now requires far fewer repairs than the first cars I had. My computer is faster and has a much bigger memory. (Ditto for my smart phone.) Progress can be wonderful and it has made the average life much easier, longer, and far more full of things. New things!

The extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere does make some weeds - like poison ivy - grow faster and larger, but weeds don't need any improvement. They tolerate drought, floods, poor soils, and most other obstacles. Getting to know the weeds will vastly improve your physical and mental health.

The weeds are the same old weeds. The same old weeds that have been smiling at me every spring for decades. There they are, my old friends, still wearing the same clothes, still living in the same places, still telling the same stories.

One by one as days lengthen and grow warm, the same old weeds reappear and find their way to my table: chickweed, nettle, violet, cronewort, docks, dandelions, plantain, and so many more. They teach me how to cherish that which is familiar, common, and underfoot.

There's garlic mustard, ready to add a bitter tang to my salads. Here's tender galium (wild madder) tops, delighted to be included in my spring meals. There and here and everywhere are wild chives eager to enliven everything from salad to butter.

You have weeds around you, too. No matter how big the city, weeds are there. No matter how chem-lawned the suburbs, weeds find ways to grow. No matter how well tended your garden, there are weeds aplenty.

When you are friends with the weeds, you are never alone. Weeds provide lavish amounts of vitamins and minerals - far more effectively than any pill or "supplement." Weeds make remedies that work simply and safely. Weeds are there for us.

So come with me, outside into the sun, into the rain, into the breeze, into the stillness, outside where the weeds await. Grab your scissors and basket and let's make Angel-ed Eggs, my answer to Deviled Eggs. Eggs (and rabbits) are sacred to Ostara, goddess of spring. Let's celebrate