Friday Five~Johnny Appleseed

Raise your hand if you know that today is Johnny Appleseed Day!

September 26, 1774 was his birthday. "Johnny Appleseed" (John Chapman) is one of America's great legends. He was a nurseryman who started out planting trees in western New York and Pennsylvania, but he was among those who were captivated by the movement west across the continent.

As Johnny traveled west (at that time, the "West" was places like Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois) he planted apple trees and sold trees to settlers. With every apple tree that was planted, the legend grew. A devout Christian, he was known to preach during his travels. According to legend, Johny Appleseed led a simple life and wanted little. He rarely accepted money and often donated any money he received to churches or charities. He planted hundreds of orchards, considering it his service to humankind. There is some link between Johny Appleseed and very early Arbor Day celebrations.

1. What is your favorite apple dish?

~Apple pie or apple crisp, or how about Ben and Jerry's Apple Pie Ice Cream (which sadly may not exist any more)?

2. Have you ever planted a tree? If so was there a special reason or occasion you can tell us about?

~For several years running when we lived in Florida we bought living Christmas trees and planted them afterwards. They were Leland cyprus, if I recall correctly, and they grew very quickly. The first year the girls and I were living in an apartment complex, and the landscaping crew planted it for us; five years later before we moved to Vermont we rode by to see it and it was already very tall. I wonder if it is still there. Amazingly that was 19 years ago.

3. Does the idea of roaming around the countryside (preaching or otherwise) appeal to you? Why or why not?

I wouldnt' mind taking a trip and visiting lots of interesting places, but otherwise I'm ready to put down some roots.

4. Who is a favorite "historical legend" of yours?

Molly Pitcher--although I'm not sure I would've remembered that if Songbird hadn't listed her. I do remember reading one of those kid biographies of her and loving having a heroine like that.

5. Johnny Appleseed was said to sing to keep up his spirits as he traveled the roads of the west. Do you have a song that comes when you are trying to be cheerful, or is there something else that you often do?

~Whenever I drove distances by myself I used to put on Carly Simon or Linda Ronstadt really loud and sing along...but I haven't done that in ages and ages. Now when the Kid and I travel we often listen to Harry Potter or whatever music he has on his iPod that we both like.

~When I'm trying to be cheerful, there are phrases and bits of pieces of favorite hymns and chants that come to mind lately. But really, no one favorite--depends on the context.

~Bonus answer: When the Kid was in fourth grade his class did a play and he was Johnny Appleseed. He wore a pot on his head and carried a pack and had a solo which he did very well. So when I think of Johnny Appleseed, that's what I think of.