Its rather a long story. When I was active in the Master Gardener program I planted a lot of perennials including irises throughout the county. As I went about my duties I always kept an eye out for native plants. One beautiful sunny morning as I drove down a rural road I noticed bright golden yellow blooms down an embankment along a stream bed just under the canopy of forest trees. I was in my car but no matter I turned around and drove by again. IRISES! Growing along the creek…almost in the water. There were hundreds. I looked the situation over. No place to park unless I could sort of hang off the road. I had not seen another vehicle on this road all day. I had my spade, gloves and bucket in the back. I WOULD DO IT! I parked the car barely clinging onto the narrow shoulder, took out my gloves and shovel and began a dangerous descent down a steep weedy embankment. Then…. I heard a vehicle. It was a truck….a monster truck. Its wheels were bigger than my car! It slowed down as it drew near me. I pretended not to notice. There were at least a dozen rifles on a rack in the rear window! Now if you are from Arkansas you know that is not unusual. Even the preacher’s wife gets a new rifle nearly every Christmas to put in her truck rack. However, the man behind the steering wheel did give me pause. He was a bear of a man and he was liberally tattooed. Even. On. His. Head. He drove on by. I thought 'I need to get this done and get back to my garden'. I slipped/slid/did the splits down the embankment and proceeded to dig up one shovel full of the irises. They were growing atop matted roots that I had to cut through with the spade. Then….I heard a vehicle. He was back. Driving more slowly down the road and peering at me like a hungry hawk looks at a bunny. Now I am not afraid at my age and size (I am a bit of a dumpling) of being assaulted by a man. If a car full of rapists stop they will just be asking ‘where are all the good lookin’ skinny young women’. So I got my spade full of irises and started back up to the car. A Sherpa would have been proud of the way I scaled that embankment! Nearly to the top and then…… I heard a vehicle. The truck slooooooly came alongside me as I reached the back of my car, he leaned out of the window, looking at the yellow irises seemingly growing out of the spade. as I stood frozen and said in a voice exceedingly soft ‘Did you get what you need hon?’ I said yes and smiled. He smiled and drove on. Those irises have adapted to my garden and every time I look at them I think about how I should never judge a book by its cover.
