Chamaenerion Angustifolium
Spring in the valley teased its way well into June. Even July has not breathed its summer dragon in the foothills of the mountains. (I have a narrow comfort zone so I say restrain the beast as long as possible.) And, as the unseasonably cool breezes prompted me to wear a sweatshirt over my worn garden togs, my eyes were drawn to something strange growing in the Physostegia Virginoiana, aka Obedient Plant. I studied the leaves carefully as I touched them with garden gloves. (Why do I wear them? I still get dirt beneath my finger nails!) There was something very familiar about the narrow leaf and the stem that was stretching with impatience to reach the mid morning sun. (The morning shade is a result of the neighbors ancient towering silver maples. They are a love hate relationship.) With recognition, a childhood emotion swept over me. Memories of racing through meadows surrounded by towering firs and cedars. The faint scents of crushed herbs and tiny flowers beneath