We had a plum tree that was quite large that sit in front of the house near the road. Pa sit under it all the time because it was the shady part of the yard. The ground was worn and no grass grew because thats where we sat most of the time. Pa always had a switch and would sit there and holler at folks as they drove by the house. Many would stop and chat a while and there was always just enough room to pass if folks didnt want to wait until the conversation ended. Sometimes folks would just park their cars in the road and sit with Pa under the old plum shade tree. Everyone who traveled Greasy Creek on a regular basis knew Leon Miniard would be sitting in the shade of the plum tree and if he missed a few days folks would stop to check on him to make sure he was ok. Pas yell sounded something like Yeahhhh yeeee and when he hollered he would wave his switch in the air and be grinning ear to ear. Then in the early 80s our plum tree was struck by lightning and Pa had to trim it back to all that was left was a little part of the trunk. Not only did the tree die but Pa lost his favorite spot and a vital part of Greasy Creek history died that day. All of us missed that tree even the folks who stopped by all the time missed that tree. Pa couldnt bring himself to dig up what was left of the tree so it sit there as a cruel reminder that things can change instantly. Summer continued then fall and winter came. Next spring rolled around and the tree sprouted some new growth and all of us were smiling. The old plum tree never grew as big as it was but it never died and that too served as a reminder that things are not always as they seem.
Posted on: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 02:48:52 +0000
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