Hey, I Know That Plant!

Day 236: "Hey, I know that plant!" I am willing to bet that at least 99% of my readers will recognize this common species. Chances are, you even played with it as a kid, bending the stem in a circle, folding the end down behind the head, and then sliding the bent stem forward until the tip popped off and launched toward the back of a friend's head. We called them "shooters," and my aim was deadly. They grew along the roadsides, in cracks in sidewalks and driveways, and around the edge of the school playground where they were readily accessible during recess. Yeah, those! You remember, don't you?

Okay, let's see a show of hands. Who knows what they're really called? Yep, I thought I'd stump you!

Plantago lanceolata, aka Buckhorn, English Plantain or half a dozen other common names is as familiar to us as dandelions and clover, yet most people will not be able to supply even one correct answer when quizzed. Why? I'm afraid I have no answer to that question, but we can remedy it easily enough. The next time you see Buckhorn in this phase, pick a handful of "shooters" and pop a few of your friends. In the split second that their minds revert to the days and games of childhood, shout, "BUCKHORN! Gotcha!" Kids learn most quickly when it's fun.

Learn Something New

Day 28: I cannot recall when I heard this piece of advice, but it was a very long time ago and I have sought to live by it ever since. Perhaps it's because my maternal grandmother was a schoolteacher, and instilled in me a desire to inquire into the whys and wherefores of many subjects. "Knowledge," she would say, "is the most valuable thing you can have."

The last ten days have brought me to greater manipulative skills as far as post-processing of photos is concerned. Not only did I learn how to create a "tiny planet" with my PaintShop Pro photo editing suite, I also had a breakthrough with regard to adding curved text to an image. The manual which came with the program was sorely lacking in instructive material for the process, so I resorted to an on-line source which explained how to effect curved text using a much later version of the program. Substantial trial and error and many notes-to-self on a scratch pad finally brought me to a repeatable set of directions for text which followed a circular path. However, I was not content. I wanted to be able to add upright text to the lower portion of the image, as opposed to letters which went upside-down as they marched around the rim of the circle. I was less successful in finding details on line, but having accomplished the first part gave me some clues for achieving my goal.

As you might guess from the photo above, all other projects have been in suspension as I sought to master this skill. Now, if you'll excuse me, I really need to tend to my knitting!