Where Josiah Spent His Summer

All summer long, if I was in the house and called for Josiah without hearing an answer back from him, I knew immediately where he was: here.

Here under this strong old maple tree.

 Here on this patch of ground by the corner of the house.

 This was Josiah's spot.

 I cannot count the number of hours he spent there this summer...

 ...nor the number of foes that he fought and defeated.

 I can't fathom the business plans he mentally sketched out...

 ...most involving, from what I could tell, his desire to have an ostrich farm someday.

 Sometimes he would come into the house and call out, "Mom, can I look up the price of ostrich eggs?" or some such question.

 He would get the information he needed, then return to his post: watching, defending, dreaming.

 Now that the weather is getting cooler, he doesn't get to spend as much time there as he did during the hotter months; but he's not deterred for long.  Donning a sweatshirt and jeans rather than the shorts-and-no-shirt outfit that he usually wore in summertime's heat, he still faithfully returns to this spot.

In fact, after too much time indoors, he's a little like a caged animal.  "Can I please go outside?" he pleads sometimes when he's been cooped up for too long.  "Go," I say, knowing that the time outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine will do him good.

There's just something about this tree and this spot that brings him great joy and contentment.  His affection for it has given rise to a new name for the tree.

It is now Josiah's Tree!  :)