Johnny Appleseed Friday Five

OOOOOOOh, the Lord is good to me, and so I thank the Lord
For giving me the things I need, the sun and the rain and the appleseed,
The Lord is good to me. Amen. Amen. Amen amen amen. AAAAAAAAmen!

From RevGalBlogPals:

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.

So, in honor of this interesting fellow, let's get on with the questions!

1. What is your favorite apple dish? (BIG BONUS points if you share the recipe.)

Kristin’s Grandmother’s Brown Bag Apple Pie. Will share the recipe early next week. GOOOD stuff.

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

We helped my Dad plant a few trees around our house when we were kids, but other than that I haven’t. Now that I’m a homeowner, I hope to plant a tree or two either here or somewhere else before my time is done. Of course, being a native Nebraskan (home of Arbor Day) planting trees is as much in my DNA as Cornhusker football!

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

Roaming, yes – being an itinerant preacher, NO. I’m way too settled for the latter. But I enjoy finding backroads and getting to know the lay of the land wherever I go – much to Kristin’s occasional chagrin, especially when we take a new route and get lost.

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

King Arthur. I LOVED Le Morte d’Arthur in high school, and I’ve read The Once and Future King several times, along with The Dark Is Rising sequence by Susan Cooper. Granted, it’s not an American historical legend, but it’s my favorite.

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?

I love many different genres of music, so my “happy songs” tend to come and go quite a bit. This is going to sound twisted, but lately Green Day’s “American Idiot” has been a favorite. “To live and not to breathe / is to die in tragedy…” There’s a passion for authenticity there that I find so very inspiring. I think “Jesus of Suburbia” is one of the greatest rock songs ever written. Eh, it’s what gets me right now, right?

Anyway, there’s some seeds sown for you! Have a great weekend, everyone – see you Sunday with the sermon.