Homegrown

 

"a goofy tribute to hemp recorded in a much higher version by the Horse."

The sun comes up in the morning

Shines that light around

One day, without no warning

Things start jumping up from the ground

Well, Homegrown's all right with me

Homegrown is the way it should be

Homegrown is a good thing

Plant that bell and let it ring... Neil Young & Crazy Horse

  

Somewhere among the archives of photographs in Mattie Mae's (Dwain's mother) million-and-one photo albums, is a tiny black and white of an ancient couple standing near a house (this is NOT the picture -- I borrowed this one from images on the world-wide web)  Surrounding them in various stages of growth were plants with spread-out skinny leaves.  Let me tell you what, when I saw that picture, my eyebrows shot up immediately.  Dwain's dad, who was alive at that point, explained that people back then (in the 20s or 30s, probably) used "hemp" for various reasons.  It grew wild and everywhere.  People in the rural Ozarks didn't have the tools we have today to mow lawns and keep yards neatly trimmed and tidy, so if it grew, it just stayed unless someone pulled it up.  I wonder who first got the bright idea to smoke it? 

Anyway, lately, that's the way it has been here in Rally Hill, Arkansas (extreme north-central Arkansas for those of you who have no idea whatsoever where that is).  Things are definitely jumping up from the ground:  lots and lots of lush grass (no hemp at our house), gorgeous flowers; always a surprise.  We forget all about them every single year: trees and shrubs of every description have bloomed -- incy little fruits and berries have already formed.  Then we have lettuce and spinach that Dwain planted last fall.  Not only has it come up, but formed beautiful heads that look exactly like the following picture, my favorite, called Strawberry Cabbage Lettuce.

This unique 19th century French heirloom was introduced to America by C.C. Morse in 1906 under the name "Strawberry Cabbage Lettuce." The small cabbage or butterhead type plants are quite charming, with green leaves being splashed in scarlet-red as if a red rain fell upon them, glistening and beautiful. Leaves are tender, mild and of a high quality; yummy!

Finally I got the picture on my blog page exchanged from a wintery-looking one to a more updated spring-looking photo of me planting red and purple bell peppers in my little backyard garden.  I've kind of had to find time between downpours and thunderstorms to put things into the ground though.  We have a wonderful nursery, Westside Nursery, that I get to pass each day on my way home. It has this terrible habit of carrying plants that could win beauty contests.  And they thrive!  On Friday I purchased several herbs, the pepper plants and a jumbo elephant ear.  I kept examining this beauty and that.  The thing that stopped me from spending more was -- hummmmm, where should I put it?   I have a new rule; when you find the perfect place to plant the plant, you may buy it.  

That's not the ONLY thing springing up either.  Roots also grow follicles, and follicles grow HAIR!  I've got hair springing up -- giving definition to my once totally bald head.  It's not coming on fast, but it's making it's way.  Another blogger and breast cancer survivor, Susie Johnson, recently suggested that massaging hair follicles would encourage growth.  She also suggested, fertilizer and rain.  Hilarious!  Susie lives in Australia.  Check out her blog when you get a chance.  I've read it from the beginning.  It's amazing!

I love the way breast cancer survivors encourage each other.

Megan

P. S.  I almost forgot about the album cover at the beginning of this blog.  Neil Young recorded all the songs to go on this album in 1974, it was to be released in January 1975, only it was never released.  Evidently Neil Young was "in love" with a girl, Carrie Snodgrass.  Many of the songs were personal but the romance did not last.  Anyway, I could not imagine why Neil Young said that the album was "too down" to release.  Homegrown?  A 'down' song?  

This is what Wikipedia had to say:   It was so near to being released that a cover had been created. At the last moment however, Neil Young chose to drop Homegrown and release Tonight's the Night instead. Young stated that he had a playback party for Homegrown and Tonight's the Night happened to be on the same reel. He decided to release Tonight's the Night after that listening because of "its overall strength in performance and feeling" and because Homegrown "was just a very down album.