Years ago, we had a home with large grounds. Since my wife and I both loved gardening, it was inevitable that we would have plants poking out all over the place. We had sectioned off various places, one was a large patch in the back for the vegetables. Each year the size and varieties grew. My wife was keen on canning. She produced many memorable preserves for our table. Even today, the thought of her tomato jelly makes my mouth water.

Each year, while planning the garden, we would carefully choose varieties and locations for each kind. We would always add a couple of new types each time. As was our custom, the new additions were planted in the expanded areas along the borders. One year we decided among other things to plant a new variety of zucchini. Time went by and everything grew very well, helped along  with generous heaping of droppings from our rabbit herd. We anxiously awaited the bounty.

We noted that this variety of zucchini was particularly vigorous. That was encouraging because my wife made the best bread and soups and salads and so forth from them. Each evening when we harvested tomatoes, snap peas, Lima beans, radishes, rhubarb, and so on. We would find an ever expanding quantity of zucchini. They started to spread out over the grass adjoining the garden. After a while, I began to take the surplus to work, where they were eagerly snapped up by those who had no green thumb, but good appetites. I took bushel baskets to our neighbors. I gave trunk-loads  to my mother-in-law.

Eventually, the zucchini covered the entire side yard, an area larger than the garden itself. My co-workers finally had their fill. Our larder was brimming with preserves, our freezer with packages. Even the local mission wanted no more. The neighbors would hide and pretend they weren't home. With great regret, I was resigned to heaping huge stacks on the compost pile. I even mowed down batches for green manure. At long last, one night toward October's end, gratefully, the first frost came, the invasion was over. Moral: Never go to the store hungry or plant more than one packet of zucchini!

What has ever taken over your life?