Weeding & Wondering

I love to pull weeds! Not only can my thoughts wander and , perhaps, work on pressing problems, weeding can be very therapeutic. There is something quite satisfying about getting a good grip near the heart of a weed and pulling it up, roots and all. The satisfaction is multiplied by tossing the offensive thing to one side to die a slow, lingering death in the relentlessly hot Texas sun. Sometimes, I even give my weeds names.
"Take that, ..........! And that,......., you scoundrel!!"
No, I don't feel at all guilty by engaging in this behavior. It leaves me spent and lacking in the energy to remain angry / frustrated / mad / you name it. The person I name in the weeds is much better off for my having vented my frustrations.

There are several weeds that give great satisfaction in the pulling. Crab grass, clover, and silver dollar weed, provide a great deal of exposed earth after being pulled. With a little care, great gobs or long trains of them provide the satisfaction of a job well-done. You can actually see your progress. Nut grass, of course, does just the opposite. You go to great lengths to pull up the nut (which I have heared is edible and used in folk medicines) , the next day there are two in its place and they are 2" taller.
I am learning to pile on the mulch after weeding and it helps keeps things in order a little bit longer. The deer and rabbits only eat my good plants, they never touch the stuff I have to pull out.

I wonder how folk remedies are discovered.