Finding a bastard makes me happy

Not a toadlflax! An early botanist named it because of its look-alike toadflax leaves. Apparently he was none too happy to be fooled by this chicanery and let loose with something the legal community refers to as an “excited utterance”. Hence: BASTARD toadflax.

This aggravating move from Colorado Springs to Denver has my hubbers and I in quite a state. Months of sorting, donating, trashing, packing, and “staging” our space like a souless airport hotel culminated in our home sale last week. There was a subsequent 60-mile move from our beloved family home into a cozy rental. It’s been physically and emotionally demanding on our 70-something lifeforms, but we look at each other, chins raised, stiff-lipped and say, “on to the next chapter”. Thank the universe for wildflowers. Getting out on a trail and sighting a new species like this one renews my spirit and calms my anxious brain.