This Ole Bush

I find it hard to tell you what this little pomegranate bush means to me. It resides beside my parents house which is squarely in the middle of our farm. As a child this home was not yet where we lived. Back then it was the home of my great-grandmother (Muzzy). We would walk down to her house as kids when working/playing in the summer heat got to be too much. She would offer us vanilla ice cream, which we always accepted. However, we were way to dirty to actually come into her house. She would bring out a old tin bowl of water and soap for us to "wash up" before she brought out the ice cream. This woman was an avid gardener and was well known for her vast selection of Iris flowers that she grew, bred, and sold. I'm quite sure I was too young to fully appreciate the attention to detail she gave to all her beloved plants, but I can remember bits and pieces from my childhood. I'm sure she tended this pomegranate bush through the years because you see... it predated her. My grandfather (Louie) once told me a story about this bush. When his father bought the farm in 1919, they moved from a small farm in Floyd County. At the direction of Muzzy, my great grand-father dug up the pomegranate that they had on the Floyd county farm and brought it to the new farm in Rockmart. As we prepare for the farm to turn 100 years old next year, it's fun to reflect on how things have changed over the decades. Among the change though, there are veins of consistency that we hold tight to. For me, this Pomegranate is an example of consistency in an ever present state of change. For me, it represents the type of steadfast tenacity that is required to keep a farm operating in the same family for 100 years. I hope each of you will take part next year as we celebrate 100 years. This pomegranate bush has seen all 100 years, and even a few before that.