Before I left Louisiana to return to Texas, I was doing some backyard study of how things grow. One of the last bits of info I’d heard was that though we all seem to know we can grow a tree from a seed, few of us realize you can grow a tree from a stick. Some people take a cutting and keep it in a vase or jar of water until roots appear, usually a few weeks, then plant it in the earth. Lazy me, I was trying just jabbing interesting looking twigs into the good dirt where I’d already been watering and composting. I left for Texas before I could see for myself if nature’s way worked. However, I took with me a pail of very moist Louisiana dirt with a few twigs in it. This week I noticed the poinsettia has come to life with small pale green leaves pushing outward from the top of the stick.