I was trying to ascertain the name of the flowering herb, growing wild, or possibly xeriscaped, but obviously quite prominent in drought-stricken New Mexico. In the process, I caught an image of this flower, a purple lupine of one form or another. I don’t recall the name. Sort of common in the high desert. Point and click photography is iffy at best, but that one image fascinated me.
The herb I was trying to identify? I pulled up a picture on my phone.
“Oh that? It’s ‘Russian Sage,'” answered a cowboy. ‘One Loop.’ Nickname. He could tie a calf with one loop. Most ropers require two loops. Never mind, if you don’t get the real rodeo reference.