Rocky Road

The Thing from Another World (1951) was my dad’s favorite movie. He paid us a dollar whenever we found it in the TV Guide for him. The plot involves a group of scientists working with the US Air Force at a remote Arctic outpost when a blood-thirsty alien drops in. They discover their visitor is a sentient plant, and Scotty (a news reporter) asks, “Here's the $64 question - what do you do with a vegetable?” Nikki (secretary to one of the scientists) answers, “Boil it, bake it, stew it, fry it.” I take the first approach when enemy weeds invade my space. I actually pour boiling water on them. It kills exactly the plants you target without collateral damage. I have a friend who pickles weeds instead. She mixes a quart of vinegar, 2 tablespoons dish soap, and 1/4 cup salt in a spray bottle and douses weeds with it. Just as effective, and no danger of scalding.