Sterling wrote:
http://home.comcast.net/~sterhill/plant/plant.html

has some close ups with a ruler and a better pix of the whole plant - I
took it out to the porch... which is a good thing as I was photographing
it, I noticed some tiny webs on the main thorns and will give it a good
spray today.

No one has ever been able to identify this plant so I am hopeful I will
get an answer - I'll be happy to take more pictures...

TIA,
Sterling

Sterling,
With those thorns, I think that your plant is a species of Acacia.
There are many species, and some have flattened leaf stalks called
phyllodes, rather than pinnate leaves. Maybe someone can give you a
species.
Emilie
NorCal