Family Tree by Signe Wilkinson for July 01, 2020

When I lived in westfield one of our borders was a stream so I could follow that for miles up onto the Alleghany Plateau without really trespassing, all the signs were on the banks of the ravine. Now I live in Sweden where we have ‘Allemansrätt’ (the right of public access), and I can wander pretty much anywhere.

I always lit out for the territories , especially when there were chores to be done. Unfortunately I didn’t have a stream so i’d end up out in the middle of the duck pond on a raft while getting yelled at to “Get over here and paint this fence you lazy scallywag.” Unfortunately i lived out in the middle of nowhere so i was unable to Tom Sawyer friends into doing the work for me.

And the sign said

“Anybody caught trespassin’

Will be shot on sight"

So I jumped on the fence and I yelled at the house

“Hey! What gives you the right

To put up a fence to keep me out

But to keep Mother Nature in?

If God was here, he’d tell you to your face

‘Man, you’re some kind of sinner’"

Sign, sign

Everywhere a sign

Blockin’ out the scenery

Breakin’ my mind

Do this, don’t do that

Can’t you read the sign?

Signs’ by Five Man Electrical Band

“But on the other side I didn’t see nothing…”—Woody Guthrie, “This Land is Your Land”