The Goot Blog

This past Monday my friend Bill invited me to join him as a volunteer, essentially doing grunt work out in the hot sun at our nearby botanical gardens. Just the kind of stuff I love doing. So I immediately agreed. Our "boss" – the person supervising all the nursery staff -- turned out to be young woman named Marta. Bill tells me she knows every single plant in the place – which includes nearly every cactus and succulent that grows in Mexico -- by both its common and Latin name. She's also an expert in growing and propagating each of the various species. And she's still in high school!! Bill thinks she's about 16. She already turned down an offer to enroll in the University of Arizona and has a number of other higher education offers on the table. Next time you hear someone use the phrase "dumb Mexicans" keep Marta in mind.