When I was a kid, we had four pecan trees and one magnolia tree in our yard. The pecans were always sour. Some bugs were in the tree or something. But our magnolia tree grew big, beautiful blossoms every year. I remember looking up into the tree around Mother's day hoping I could get one to give my mom (yes, I called her 'mom,' she wouldn't let me call her 'momma' like any normal Southern kid). They always came a little too late for Mother's Day and were gone a little before her birthday in late July.
I was an expert tree climber. I didn't wear shoes and usually had a frog tucked away somewhere, too. You defintely wouldn't guess that now. Magnolia trees are nearly impossible to climb, even for an expert like me. So, I just had to wait for a real crappy one to fall off or stretch my little 7 year old body as much as I could to reach one. I still loved those flowers though. Even the leaves on the tree were pretty. A beautiful dark shade of shiny green on one side and the other was a soft, velvety green.
I can just smell that flower like it's in front of my nose. Takes me back to hot summer days lookin' up that magnolia tree hoping Mrs. Louise across the street don't tell my mom I'm shaking the branches as hard as possible hoping one will fall for me to give her.
The South just makes you happy.
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