WILD OREGANO

WILD OREGANO PLANT...

...FLOWER PANICLES...

...LEAVES

Wednesday,7:30 AM.  71 degrees F at the ferry dock, 65 on the back porch.  Wind SSW, light to moderate.  The sky is clear with some haze on the horizon.  The humidity is 88%, the barometer 30.02" and falling.  We are in for some hot, humid and hazy weather, with the chance of thunderstorms throughout the next week.
   We are going to Northwoods Nursery in Rhinelander today to tag evergreens for fall digging.  The road is open to light vehicles where the bridge has washed out on Hwy 2 at Odanah.  We'll see how the rest of the roads are.

   Wild oregano, or wild marjoram, Origanum vulgare, in the Mint Family ( Labiatae), grows readily on slightly acid to acid soils in fields and along roadsides in the Bayfield area.  The genus name is from the Latin for the plant, and the species name simply refers to its being common.

   Oregano is much used in Italian, Greek and other ethnic foods, and very specifically on pizza. It's essential oils are said to have medicinal qualities, particularly for strengthening the immune system.  There are a number of species and varieties of Origanum, and many differences in strength and flavor.  The wild oregano, also known as wild marjoram, does not seem to me to be very strong in flavor or smell, although I have not dried any, which would increase its strength.

   Wild oregano, which is an herbaceous perennial,  competes surprisingly well with other plants in the right location, and can make a really pretty and aromatic ground cover for a sunny location with calcareous soil.

OFF THE CUFF

   So Donald Trump, despite many twists and turns, has clinched the GOP nomination.  The Old Guard has gone off in a corner somewhere to plot and pout.  The Romnys and the Bushes have had their chance and their day.  They need to get over it.

   Donald Trump is often a rough guy, obviously comfortable with the demeanor of construction crews and the often crude language of New York.  Get over that, too. 

   Donald Trump is a builder. He thinks higher and bigger.  He likes to win.  He has his faults, but he is a believer in America, in its promise and its people.  

   Give him a football and he'd be Vince Lombardy. Give him a Bowie knife and he'd be Andrew Jackson.   Give him a horse and a pistol and he'd be Teddy Roosevelt. 

   Considering the alternative, I think we should all give him a chance.