Mariton: Wealth Beyond Measure, or More Gold Than I Can Count

by Tim Burris, Preserve Manager

One of my favorite John Denver songs is one called Matthew. It is a lesser known song, unless you are old enough to own the vinyl LP and listened to all the songs.  As I was walking at Mariton on a dark overcast day the fields and forest were aglow with the gold of Sassafras, Tuliptrees, Hickories, and Maples.  It reminded me of the last two lines of the song’s chorus:

“Gold is just a windy Kansas wheat field,

And blue is just a Kansas summer ski.”

Gold is just a fall field full of Sassafras.

The song tells the story of a fictional uncle who suffered great hardships growing up, but still remained positive. I haven’t suffered any hardships, but each day I am reminded of how wealthy I am because I value the richness of Nature.  And oh my, right now the gold is overflowing.