"Look-At-Me" Weeds

I’ll never forget the first time I understood what was meant by a specimen plant. I had always associated “specimen” with my annual health physical. I learned that it meant a “look-at-me” plant, shrub or tree. Japanese maples are commonly referred to as specimen trees because of their distinctive forms and beautiful colors. My favorite specimen in the New Hope Farm garden is a butterfly weed. Aslcepias physocarpa (recently reclassified as Gomphocarpus physocarpa) has the unflattering common name “Hairy Balls.” The blooms are tiny, white, and easily overlooked. The eye-catching fruits are a little larger than a half-dollar coin and look like, well, hairy balls. Mine have nourished a wide variety of caterpillars this year.  The narrow plants reach four feet tall in full sun, and have not needed irrigation. Indeed, Look At Me.

My Personal Fitness Program

There is no better home fitness program than owning an Australian Cattle Dog. Blue enjoys both AKC Rally and Obedience events. We are at the very lowest level of both, but we're having fun together.

The Royal Story

The Royal typewriter pictured on my home page belonged to my mother in law. She used it in the  office of Startex Mills in Spartanburg, SC, where she was employed for over 40 years. The carriage is oversized to allow insertion of  large forms used in recording data on cotton (weight, quality, source, etc.). My mother in law was a remarkable woman. In the twelve years I knew her before her death, I never heard her say a bad word about anyone. At worst, when confronted with an unpleasant person or poor behavior, she would sigh, compress her lips and shake her head as she said, "My, my."