Some things deserve a festival

If he were not 86 years old and having difficulty remembering where he put his teeth, the Would-be Mayor of Welch would have declared today a celebration in the community. He did not but it did not interfere with the festive mood that infects my little wide-place in the road. Today marks the Return of the Bodines.

American progress has its champions: Whitney, Fulton, Edison, Ford, Jobs. Lost among such giants is that humble agricultural engineer and backwoods hobbyist, Jethro Bodine. Or, at least, that is what the folklore is around here. Perplexed by how to assist a tomato to grow upwards instead of creeping along the ground being the vine it is, some scholars might speculate that Bodine undertook rigorous examination of a variety of structures that would provide support without doing any harm to the tender tomato. After hours, maybe even minutes, of experimentation, so the story goes, Bodine happened upon using the lowly privet with which he assembled the now-famous Bodine Tomato Cage. As everyone knows, privet is the sworn enemy of all that is decent and just. Eliminating it is a virtue of the highest order. The genius of Jethro Bodine was his ability to transition beyond the mundane and view the lowly privet as a tool to serve a higher purpose. His inspiration was an instant success in Welch. Numerous neighboring farmers, possibly numbering as many as seven and certainly as many as one, threw themselves into copying the design and gaining insights into construction techniques at the foot of the master inventor. Since those halcyon days, Bodine Tomato Cages are a common sight in Welch and in the surrounding burbs.

The Return of the Bodines signifies the real coming of Spring. The Bodines are brought out of storage and strategically placed over the newly planted tomatoes. During the growing season, these clever structures will provide support for the ripening fruit. It is a day that transforms the garden from field to treasure. The day could be marked by marching bands, pretty little girls twirling batons and intoxicated fireman driving their shiney equipment through downtown Welch, assuming there were one. Perhaps someday it will. In the meantime, the absence of fireworks, fly-overs, political speeches and bar-be-que does not diminish the excitement of the Return of the Bodines to the fields. They mean warm days, ice tea under the oak tree, fishing instead of hoeing, screen doors, and fans. The Return of the Bodines is one of the best days of the year.