The Best Kind of Friend

A great joy for me as a young girl was sitting with my neighbors on their porch swings. Mrs. Keith lived across the road from our house. According to my calculation, at that time she had the biggest front yard in Curryville with the largest trees. When I saw her on her porch, I would often join her.

Mrs. Keith liked to explain what was happening with the trees. She understood the changing of colors. She told me that the tree did not wait until spring for the leaves to form. She said that the fall already sets the buds ready for the spring. The baby leaves are protected inside the bud, resting...