I recently read a quote that went something like this: “I figure a lot of predictions are best. People will forget the ones I get wrong and marvel over the rest.” So please read carefully, but remember selectively.

What really makes a garden? For one, it might be the comfortable reading chair tucked under a shade tree in the back of the garden. For another, it’s a cutting garden or vegetable garden that puts a smile on the face of its creator. But for many, a garden isn't a garden until it gets that personal touch.

Summer afternoons in the Arkansas delta are endless. After a lunch that might include collard greens and hot-water cornbread, townspeople traditionally stave off the heat and humidity by taking a nap.