Way Down Yonder in the Paw Paw Patch
As we went further north, through Kentucky and into Ohio, I watched the scenery change from the passenger side window. Mountains gave way to rolling hills, and I could see paw paw trees on the forest edges, with large yellowing leaves. Those paw paws call me back to the woods every year after the summer. I had a mind to get an armful of fruit to attract butterflies and seed the compost. Yesterday, being in such a foul mood after work, and having left the office early to run to the bank, I decided to stop by Mason Farm on my way home. I think the last time I was there was in the spring. Benji and I walked downstream, following the wide, sandy creek, buffered on one side by an earthen retaining wall (it must be a spill-over floodplain for the creek and sewer line). When the year is young, I feel a great drive to go to the woods, and again, as the year wanes, I feel the same, but in the long, hot and dry of summer, I tend to focus my attention on the gardens around my house. So, the