From: firstinitiallastname@texas.net   
      
   George Kincaid wrote:   
      
   > A case for Gerald' comment. I took a trip to Big Bend National Park in the   
   > 80s. It was a class field trip for a geology course. We hiked all over the   
   > park, got lectures and comments. I got attacked by an eagle claw cactus I   
   > think it was called. I wish we had been told to wear at least jeans. Most of   
   > us went tramping around in shorts. I recall my mom--and later the family   
   > doctor--digging needles or whatever got shot into my leg. We got scorched   
   > and sunburned and Lord knows what else. Could have used a canvas jacket and   
   > a big hat--and leather covers over our pants. Now I see why cowboys wear   
   > chaps!   
      
   Eagle claw cactus is a little barrel type cactus with long straight   
   spines. Very firmly set, so they really sink in. If a shrub, it might   
   have been an acacia. My favorite and, I think, most descriptive names   
   for it are "wait-a-minute" and "tear blanket". Also "car claw."   
      
   Even worse, I think, are the ones with thousands of tiny, delicate   
   thorns. Tape gets some of them out. A razor will pull some of them. The   
   rest just have to fester out. In that country, even if there were no   
   other reasons to wear gloves, ropes pick up thorns.   
   --   
                          Gerald Clough   
       "Nothing has any value, unless you know you can give it up."   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)