Lothlórien from Lord of the Rings

I was a Lord of the Rings admirer as a young teen. I was always a bookworm, and after reading and rereading all of the Walter Farley horse books, and Marguerite Henry's horse books, and the Little House and Anne of Green Gables series, I borrowed a copy of "LOTR" from one of my older brothers, and was smitten. I read it, reread it, and really haven't stopped reading it since. I'm not sure why it resonates with me, but I think I like the idea of lore and wisdom being important in a society. I also like the idea that an individual's bravery and loyalty in what might seem like small things, is elevated and understood to be valiant.

I live very near the world's largest pecan grove, and when the pecan leaves start turning yellow, the area looks, to me, like the fabled Elven wood Lothlórien in the book. 

I love to drive through the orchards during fall. Actually, I love the drive any time of year. The pecans are falling already, and they will soon be harvesting. Here, they do not try for the Christmas market. Our pecans bear later than Southern groves and are harvested too late for the holiday market. But they travel all over the U.S. and the world. The sister farm to the one here is in Australia -- and is the second-largest in the world. Funny how in the middle of the desert, pecans thrive, if given good river water.

And here is some pecan lore! If you have ringworm, take the green husk of a pecan, cut or break a piece off, and rub the juice on the ringworm area. It will cure it. However, pecan "juice," like walnut juice, will stain your skin, nails, and hair quite badly, and you have to just let it wear off. Boys with crewcuts were forever getting ringworm when I was in elementary school, and they often sported the yellow-brown stain of a pecan husk. But if faced with ringworm and no way to cure it, as it was before fungicides became available, I would definitely use the green husk. This spring, get a few green pecans and store them in your freezer, just in case!