There aren’t many similarities between beans and figs, but every time I notice the fig tree in our back yard, I think of the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. I had absolutely no idea how big the fig tree would become. Actually, the fig tree was gifted to me by a former boss. His daughter had purchased it and determined she didn’t want it in her lawn. My boss didn’t have a place where he wanted to plant it either. We had just moved into our home and he thought maybe I’d find a place for it.
I was delighted to have the fig tree. I don’t like the taste of figs, so I’ve never planted a fig tree before. When I was a kid growing up, my paternal grandparents had a fig tree in their back yard. I suspect they ate the figs, but I don’t know. We lived next door. We had a couple of apricot trees in our backyard. To this day, the memory of the homemade fried pies my mother made with apricots makes me wish I was a kid again.
In the world of childhood, I had three favorites that resonated with my taste buds. The taste of any of the three, takes me back in time with happy thoughts. The three are totally unrelated. Nothing tasted better than homemade vanilla ice cream, one of my mother’s homemade apricot fried pies or a meal of fresh fried catfish. Today, I’m still a fan of the taste. Maybe they fall into the category of comfort foods. Each transport me back to childhood and the familial surroundings of home.
From the picture accompanying my blog, you’re probably wondering how I could fail to notice the fig tree in our back yard? Honestly, I had no idea! My grandparents’ fig tree was more like a scrawny bush compared to size of the fig tree in our yard. The same is true of the fig tree a friend has in his back yard.
A little over a year ago, we had a new fence installed around our home. Consequently, we moved the side fence out another twenty feet or so. It gave the fig tree more space. Of course the fig tree was going to take the space that it needed, regardless of the fence. It was a smart call on the General’s part to suggest we take in more lawn.
When it comes to planting trees, I don’t always get it right. The first home we had built when we moved to Midland offered an opportunity to select trees for our lawn. In the hill county, nature had taken care of providing trees long before we showed up to call the land ours. In Midland America, trees are in short supply unless someone plants them.
Consulting a professional landscaper, he came up with a plan that included pine trees along the back fence. We only lived in that home about a year and a half, and when we moved the landscape looked amazing. It is hard to believe, but it has been 28 years since we moved from that home. Today, the pine trees we planted are a little overpowering. They are now twenty-five feet tall.
I saw a T-shirt ad this morning on the computer for a little boy. It read: “When Papa and I get together, we both get into trouble.” My youngest grandson still describes me as the king of adventure. Of course, I planted the idea in his head years ago, but it always makes me feel good to hear him say so.
If I can orchestrate for my grandkids, the kinds of wonderful memories my grandfathers created for me, I’d consider myself blessed indeed. I don’t make New Year’s resolutions much anymore. Obviously, thoughts of having six-pack abs by the end of the year was only a pipedream. Truth be told, I never made that kind of New Year’s resolution. Had I done so, I would have been a candidate for a mental health evaluation. I know my limits.
However, the one thought I associate to New Year’s resolutions is the desire to build memories for my grandchildren. For years, that one resolution got carried over from year to year. Who knows, maybe one day, one of my grandchildren will plant a fig tree in their yard simply for the flashback to provides to Grandad’s yard.
All My Best!
Don
Adver