My wife's grandfather, born in 1898, was one of the most interesting men I'll ever know. He was of native American descent, and seemed to know everything about the woodlands, the animals which thrived there, and the native plants that grew in abundance on his property. Among the plants one stands out in my memory; the milkweed! He used the white, sticky sap from a broken leaf node as a medication for corns and calluses on his feet.

Now, I don't know if this ever worked or not, but I do know many of the remedies, recipes and ideas he passed on to us are still used by some. For us our favorite is sassafras tea made from the roots of said tree. "Grandpa", as we called him, was almost like a walking encyclopedia about things from his native American heritage. Sadly he passed away in 1986 leaving us with some pretty great lessons about the natural world of plants. This is a photo of the milkweed he loved. I'm sure we can learn much more about this wonderful plant, and the other cultivars in the genus.

Wow! You're so lucky to have had a grandfather like that...a true naturalist!

Linda, yes he was. He was always proud of his heritage as a descendant of native American ancestors. He often told me that, "the Great Spirit placed us here to care for the land, and to use the resources from it wisely". Those were not his exact words, but that is essentially what he meant. He truly lived by this principle. I could go on and on.

Leon, I'm sure some of the members would like to read those stories. I would! Maybe you could write an Idea for the front page like Sharon does with her Aunt Bett stories. I would love to hear more about his knowledge of plants.

I'll sure give it some thought; maybe for the cold weather months. But, I put Sharon's work at the front of the class!

mellielong said:Leon, I'm sure some of the members would like to read those stories. I would! Maybe you could write an Idea for the front page like Sharon does with her Aunt Bett stories. I would love to hear more about his knowledge of plants.

I second this! I love learning about Native American teachings and things that enlighten us about all of the possibilities found right in nature, without all of the tinkering with chemicals that we humans are fond of doing.

I'm flattered. I must be honest that my writing skills are somewhat lacking, and might not get published. But I'll keep an open mind. Thanks for your confidence.