For Tom Springer, the usual four seasons can't begin to describe the mini-solstices of a Midwestern year Does summer really begin on June 21 No, the first ripe Michigan strawberries say summer to me ... just as a sumac that flames crimson in an August fencerow sends up the first semaphore flag of autumn. While these milestones aren't measured by celestial reckoning, learning to know and observe them can greatly enrich a life.pbrpemThe Star in the Sycamoreem takes readers on a journey of rare insight and local discovery. In the ecstasy of a dusk feeding frenzy, Springer catches a slew of fat bass and toothsome pike in a little river gone wild in the city. In his love for country dogs, un-pampered on their beds of barn straw, he sees an ancient link to musky, wild pleasures that fur babies will never know. In his quest to learn dozens of star constellations, he reveals a striking connection between stars, trees and souls.pbrpAlong the way, he meets people forever changed and healed by wi