SOAPWORT, AND "LOOK FOR THE UNION LABEL"

SOAPWORT ALONG OLD MILITARY ROAD...

...PANICLE OF FLOWERS...

... MUCILAGE FILLED BASE OF FLOWER...

...NOTE INDENTATION AT DISTAL ENDS OF PETALS

Friday,  8:30 AM.  63 degrees F, wind variable, changing from NE to W, light to gusty.  the sky is clear with some haze, the humidity is down to 72% and the barometer is trending down at 29.96%.  It looks like we will have a nice weekend  to travel, as we are heading to a family wedding in Milwaukee and are picking up plants from Northwoods Nursery in Rhinelander on the way back. There may not be a blog for a few days, as internet access may be difficult where we are staying.  Buddy will vacation at Blue Ribbon Kennels in Ashland.  Maybe even get a bath.

   Soapwort, Saponaria officianalis, also called bouncing Bet, in the pink family (Caryophyllaceae), is an old-fashioned garden plant and traditional herb sometimes escaped along the roadside.  I don't see it planted much anymore, although it is not unattractive.  It's common name indicates its former use as a soap substitute due to the slippery mucilaginous substance found at the base of the flower petals.  It also had medicinal uses in the days before antibiotics, mainly for the treatment of syphilis.  The Latin name, loosely translated, refers to soap "sold in shops".

   The flower is easily identified as being in the pink family by its five petals, each which has a characteristic cleft at the distal end.

   I have been looking for a new pair of hunting boots, American made if possible, and found just the right boot, made by Thoroughgood, a Weinbrenner brand, in Wisonsin.  I have had several pairs of their high quality work boots, and the Upland hunting boots look to be beautifully crafted and of the best materials, but at almost three hundred dollars they were too pricey for me.
   A comparable pair of boots made in China is about one hundred dollars less.  It irked me that the American made boots, touting themselves as "Union Made," gave a 27% discount to purchasers who were bonified union members, so I called the company and told them that I was not necessarily anti-union, but that I saw no reason to pay more because I was not a union member.  They agreed, and I ordered the American made boots, for which I will still, willingly, pay a premium.  They are on back order, but when I get them I will write more about them.  

   As the old song says, "Look for the Union label," (but don't pay more for it).  Sometimes the old curmudgeon wins one.