E D S Peaches

There was a time in the 1970s when my wife and I often travelled on I-75 between Cordele, Georgia and Atlanta. Just below Macon, on the right side of the northbound lanes, there was a handmade sign, which said “E D S Peaches.” I assumed it was a local farmer's roadside stand, and I always wondered why he or she chose such a corporate sounding name. The sign was replaced every few years, but the handwritten message always remained “E D S Peaches.” I always looked for the sign because it signaled that I had completed one-third of my journey back to Atlanta. I often passed time on the trip wondering what the letters stood for. The most logical conclusion was that the letters represented the initials of the farmer's daughters. I imagined Elizabeth, Doris and Sarah posing with tourists for pictures in front of the stand. Three Georgia Peaches minding their dad's roadside stand.

In 1983, we attended my grandmother's funeral in south Georgia. On the return trip to Atlanta, I was emotional. Both my parents and all four of my grandparents had passed on. The funeral marked the end of my family in south Georgia. My wife and I would probably never travel this road again. I joked that we should stop at E D S Peaches so I could find out the meaning of the name.

As we approached the exit, curiosity got the best of me. I exited the expressway and found the roadside stand about two hundred yards on the right. Behind the stand stood a grizzled old farmer in overalls and a ragged blue shirt. My wife selected a basket of peaches while I talked to the old man. “Is this your farm?” I asked.

“Since my father left it to me in 1963.” He was the type of man who looked you in the eye as if he were sizing you up. I wondered if he had worn the blue shirt to his dad's funeral.

“You have any kids to help you out?” I wanted to see if my guess about Elizabeth and her sisters was correct.

Becoming a little suspicious of me, he hesitated before answering, “Just my son, Ed Jr.” I thought for a moment and then I smiled one of those smiles that make you warm all over. I knew the meaning of E D S. Also, I realized the importance of an apostrophe!

Old Dawg