Enjoyable short story about a man quietly planting seeds, as he goes about his work, slowly, slowly transforming his local area, without asking for recognition or thanks, until, decades later, the whole region is greener, happier and healthier than it ever was.
I wasn't really sure what to make of the back story, since it seems as though he originally submitted it as a factual tale and then admitted he'd made it up when someone fact-checked it, but that's OK, it's a good story all the same.
The blurb describes it as being ahead of its time as a tale of ecological awareness but I don't think it's quite that. Although that's what's happening outwardly, I think it's more about diligence, and taking care of what's around you, and the power of small acts of kindness.

When I reflect on the fact that one man, with only his own simple physical and moral resources, was able to bring frouth out of the desert this land of Canaan, I can't help feeling the human condition in general is admirable, in spite of everything. 

Thoroughly enjoyed this sweet story, read aloud by Freya.

"Everything was changed. Even the air. Instead of the harsh dry winds that used to attack me, a gentle breeze was blowing, laden with scents. A sound like water came from the mountains: it was the wind in the forest. ..." (p. 30)