Never, Never, Never Give Up

Two lovely but overbearing lantana shrubs have smothered their neighbor for five straight summers. With justified indignance, the blue-green yucca has loudly protested: "I was here first! Give me some light!" Winters brought a short reprieve when the flowering bushes died back to the ground. Then each Spring brought new and increasing growth, so the battle for sunlight resumed.

As you can see, the agave plant refused to give up. Today it stands handsome and tall, reigning from superior heights. Conflict has served to make this yucca strong.

The title is borrowed from Winston Churchhill, who is quoted as saying, "Never, never, never give up!" Years ago, while driving through Los Angeles, I saw those words on towering billboards, along with an image of Mr. Churchhill's face. The message targeted a lower-class community, but tourists also felt the impact. We're not used to seeing encouraging words in letters that large.