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I should disclose that this week’s discussion of the Norton/Cynthiana grape arose from my own experience. In March, I planted several of the vines in my backyard, just to watch them grow. Root stock for the Norton/Cynthiana is not easy to find this time of year, I have learned, but I was lucky enough to score a few plants from a winery/nursery in Arkansas. My fascination with this historic American grape is genuine enough; I think it’s a very interesting story. The Norton grape and grapevines in general are supposed to favor poor soil. I am expecting a bumper crop. People ask where I get my ideas. I suppose this is one answer. Things I do, things that interest me, find their way into my creative work, usually by circuitous seepage, seldom by direct transcription.