This photo was found on a federal poster educating the public about noxious weeds. This particular part of the poster was the example for tansy ragwort, an invasive plant here in the Pacific Northwest that can be deadly to some livestock. I remember my grandmother (who was born here in Washington in 1891) telling us about women who wanted to shed themselves of unwanted pregnancies in the early 20th century found that tansy tea did the trick.
Anyway, what caught my eye here was the fact this photo was taken on the 55 acre farm where I grew up. In the summer of 1980 I came back home and helped Dad put the roof on that little pumphouse on the right. And I put up that barb-wire fence in the same summer, or in 1981. Every time the posthole digger hit the ground, little puffs of Mt. St. Helens volcanic ash would poof up.
I can tell this was taken after my father died and we sold the place. There are several tipoffs. First, we didn't let tansy grow to that size. Second, I don't see any Shetlands grazing in the field. Third, the ever present horse trailer next to barn is missing. And last, Dad would have shot anyone sneaking into the field with a camera, especially a Fed. You could say he was sort of libertarian in his outlook.
