Uncle Tim Hicks And The Paw Paw Trees

Yesterday, while I was mowing my grass, I finally realized for certain that a tree I had left standing for several years on the edge of my lawn is a paw paw.  It is actually blooming with those beautiful rust colored, bell shaped flowers which mean that if I am lucky I will be able to eat paw paws again this fall. 

Uncle Tim & Aunt Ida Hicks

  Instantly, I was reminded of my Uncle Tim Hicks, my father Ballard Hicks' youngest brother.  Uncle Tim lived most of his life in the head of Bear Fork near Mousie, Kentucky, on a small head of the hollow farm.  He made the best "laid hoes" in the area and I would kill to have one of his "laid hoes" in my possession today.  For those of you who don't know what they are, to make a "laid hoe", a blacksmith or welder would take an old garden hoe which had either been broken or worn down beyond usefulness and shape a piece of steel, usually from an old saw blade, and weld it, or "lay" it to the remaining small piece of metal and crook of the worn out hoe.  Tim also loved paw paws with a passion. 

When I was growing up, my parents, Ballard and Mellie Hicks, would sometimes hire a driver on Sunday and take us to the home of some of his siblings for a visit.  Uncle Tim's house was my favorite although I also enjoyed going to my Uncle William and Aunt Liza Hicks', my Uncle Earnest and Aunt Liza Moore's, or my Aunt Ida Hicks Rice's homes but Tim and Aunt Ida's house was my favorite.  Aunt Ida cooked on an old wood burning step stove and her food was awesome.  She could fry chicken and make chicken and dumplings that would melt in your mouth.  Her big fluffy cat head biscuits were also wonderful.  Sometimes, you might see a small black speck of suet in the food but that didn't matter a bit. 

Paw Paws

Uncle Tim was also a rhymer, a writer of rhyming couplets and loved to recite his poems to willing listeners.  I do not have a single preserved copy of his writing and I regret that horribly.  I remember that he wrote one about the Great Society work program known as The Happy Pappy's and I would love to have copies if any of my distant relatives still have copies and would be willing to share them with me.  Uncle Tim was also very funny as was my father and they could have you rolling in the floor when they were together.  They were telling old stories about life in the mountains, riddles, big yarns, and making jokes at each others' expense and it was great stuff for a young boy to see and hear. 

But, getting back to Uncle Tim and paw paws, he loved paw paws so much that when he began to get older he went out and dug up several young paw paw trees from the woods and placed them in a line behind the back fence of his yard. He said that he never wanted to unable to have paw paws to eat.  He even wrapped paw paws in aluminum foil or put them in plastic bags and froze them for the winter.  Early in the day, if he wanted a paw paw, he would take one out of the freezer and let it thaw on the sideboard of the sink so it would be ready for supper. 

Ballard Hicks

Even though I love paw paws, I never really cared for the frozen kind because they were too fragile flesh wise to stand up to the freezing into crystals.  They always went a bit too mushy when they were thawed out.  But is still very pleasant to remember Uncle Tim and how much he loved paw paws just as do I.  It is also very pleasant that I know I can look forward to paw paws in my yard also.  Rest in peace, Uncle Tim.  I hope they have paw paws in Heaven.