Graduates: Don’t Forget To Visit Your Mama
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Hill Country Living
By Coulter Fussell
As I write this column, it isn’t raining outside and rain isn’t in the immediate forecast. But, I have no doubt it will rain anyway. It will rain and storm and trees will fall over into houses and onto cars and over roads. It seems we live in a giant, green snow globe without the snow; only the water, the trees and the shaken-up chaos. A leaf globe, if you will.
The ground in town is so saturated with rainwater that it’s become like a Dutch peat moss bog from the history shows, as if any minute a fully intact bronze-age man will float to the surface from the olden days. I’m not even sure we had a bronze-age in Mississippi but these rains may uncover new evidence. Yesterday, three tall trees in my backyard quite literally slid down the hill into the Wood Street gully and entirely disappeared into the kudzu and wisteria never to be seen again. There’s no evidence that they were ever there. I’d like a bronze-age discovery in return for my three entire trees, please.
I’ve taken to internally saying good-bye to old oaks I admire when I drive by them. I know they aren’t long for this stormy world. The more majestic a tree you are, the less your chances of making it. If you are an old tree between Water Valley and Taylor then you can just call it a day. You’re work here is done. Time to write a will.
A few days ago, I was reading an internet article about how to emotionally deal with your child leaving home after graduating high school and the article suggested finding a hobby. I was vaguely insulted by that suggestion as if I was sad due to lack of anything better to be, but also decided the hobby would be gardening. As a house plant lady, “gardening” was on the verge of being my hobby already as houseplants exist in one of Gardening’s sub-categories. So, I figured it wouldn’t take much effort to make it official in the full sense of the word.
This conclusion was almost entirely based on the fact that it would be a great time to dig beds considering the ground was as soft and mailable as wet beach sand! Well, it hasn’t stopped raining long enough for me to dig a hole. So, now I stare out of my kitchen window at the rain and mourn for the presence of my high school graduate and my imaginary hobby. And even if it stopped raining long enough for me to dig a hole, it would surely immediately fill with rain water and make a little pond. Maybe I should switch my hobby from gardening to goldfish.
As of now, there is no rain predicted for Friday so Water Valley High School’s graduation should go off without a weather-related hitch. I reckon any water works will be Mama/Caretaker tears of joy and relief. Congrats to all the Water Valley grads! We are proud of y’all. Have fun over the summer! But don’t forget to visit with your Mama. Bring her a plant.
