iRide.2020.05.08 Socksworth

The natural world is far from being benign; however, I realized today that I have not encountered a stinging nettle in this millennium after relocating to the Southwest USA. My mother often said, "If it's not one thing then it's another", and today, when I ventured onto some untamed desert to photograph this cactus flower, I discovered what that 'other' actually means hereabouts: two socksworths of one-inch long darts. Yes, 'socksworth' is a word; it's an old Imperial measure just like the inch was before metrication. I had to use tweezers to remove two handfuls (aka one 'gowpin') of them when I arrived back at base.

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