I remember meeting Opal Brown many years ago -- (mid 70's?) She was a very kindly lady, and showed me around her somewhat weedy and unkempt iris patch in Milton Freewater, Oregon.
I'll never forget what she said to me -- and she had a rather pre-emptory tone in her voice, but a smile on her face.
"You young people will take up, where we older folks leave off, in the iris world -- DO BETTER!"
To me, it was like the Mother Goddess had spoken herself and given me a command. Oh, and i scored a couple of Winter Olympics as a result of the encounter.
