While there was still an opportunity to do some outdoor work in the morning, later on in the day I had the pleasant task of handwriting thank you notes to well-wishers and colleagues.
One of the several presents I received Monday was from friend Beth Krueger. It succinctly sums up my professional career and present situation in life!
Before dinner I was out again, this time making a second pass at getting a bed of hollyhocks going under our south-facing windows. My previous attempts saw the seeds wash away, so this time I was employing a new strategy -- a mini greenhouse to start the seedlings.
I discovered that the seeds I bought didn't fill all the pellets in the "greenhouse," so I went rummaging to find an envelope with a couple of seed pods that I picked up from a tree on Ferris State University's campus. I identified the species at the time but have since mislaid it. I think they are Sycamore seeds. The attraction of that particular tree is that it is identical to ones that used to surround Lincoln Elementary School in Prescott, Arizona, where I attended grade school in the late 1950's - early 1960's.
My brother and I did not receive an allowance as kids, but earned our spending money from mowing lawns, selling flower seeds, etc. Because of our thrifty habits, I looked for ways to stretch meager resources. I began collecting Popsicle Pete points and wrote away for their premium catalog. I saved enough points to get a roll film camera with detachable flash unit. One day in the 6th grade (1962) I took it to school and snapped several photos, including this one with Scott Hveem, Ray Hill and Steven Matthews in the foreground.
And this one, of Josephine Parra, Julie Gilbert, Marilyn Watts, and Debbie Balmus:
The trees that are behind the girls are of the same variety I found at Ferris State, and the seeds of their Midwest cousins are now planted in my mini greenhouse.
Time will tell if I can germinate a long-ago memory of growing up in the Grand Canyon State!
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