Hollyhocks!

That's the news. Hollyhocks. Scads of them all along the road. Mostly red but also pink, coral and white.

Hollyhocks used to grow at the old family farm in Southern Illinois. When mom was a little girl, a hollyhock blossom was a little doll with a beautiful dress. 

And I'm sure these little girls, once released from the rigors of standing still for a large family photo, also played with the hollyhocks at the farm, years before mom was born. I like having a connection to my family roots popping up all around me...

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I learned that the name of the street in front of our campus translates to 'New Flower Road' - very apt. At the end of this short video, there's some footage of yellow daisies (or marguerite, I want to call them, but spellcheck doesn't like that). going on for yards and yards, and that's just a portion of the video we shot around the campus. 

We did this video to give anyone thinking of coming here -- but asking the question, "uh..... Zibo?" -- some idea of what it's like to live here. Hope you enjoy it, and check out the great music.