The Rag Hankie

 She had been at her mother's home for almost three weeks. She had cried and she had laughed. Some of the things her mother saved made her chuckle like roll after roll of toilet paper, but then others made her so very sad. Like when she found the shoes, socks and lunch pail of her five year old sister that she had never met all neatly stored in the back of a bottom cupboard. Her mother had fallen and was now in the nursing home where she worked. She had sorted her mother's things into a keep pile, a throw away pile and a sell pile. She hated to sell anything of her mother's, but she had no choice. Her brother was better and had been transferred to a condo near by the hospital where he was recuperating until the time where he could travel home by plane. She was still worried about him, but she knew he had good care. His daughter and wife were with him and they called on a regular basis. She thought of the last picture she had of her mother. It was on her 90th birthday celebration. Oh she loved the presents that day.

 She had made decision after decision with no sounding board other than talking to herself to see if she was making the right ones. She smiled a sad smile when she handed the keys to the man that had purchased her parents' home. As she walked out the door into the cold cold weather she saw the brown and barren looking rose garden of her mother's. Then she grinned remembering the day her dad had mowed off all of her rose bushes. "My goodness my mom could get noisy when she was upset," she thought. But all had turned out well when the next spring the roses had more than doubled in blooms. Dad was out of the doghouse once again.

As she got in her car to make the long trip to her own home the tears started as she knew they would. Her mother had lived in this mobile home for thirty years. So many memories. She reached into her sweater pocket and grabbed something to wipe away the tears. Then tears came streaming down her face. She had saved on purpose a "rag hankie" for a keepsake. Rag hankies were from the farm. For some reason her mother had saved some. These tears would probably be the last tears this little soft piece of material would dry, but she thought it was fitting. She smiled as she turned onto the interstate. She could just see her mama now tearing up those old sheets. Someday she would tell her children the story of before Kleenex, but she stored it in her mind for now. She had a family to get home to and a mother to check on. She was back to work in a couple of days. Work. "I wonder if any of my residents had rag hankies. I bet they did." She loved the folks that lived there. She would encourage her mother to attend a small group. Reminiscing was so much fun for both young and old. Maybe she would enjoy talking about the old days. She hoped so. 

She thought about those rag hankies and thought, "I have never torn up a sheet in my life. I've cut them for dust cloths at one time or another, but mom's sheets were absolutely beat to death on the clothes line nine months out of the year. She boiled water for her laundry. The white clothes came first and of course, in those days the sheets were always white. They were agitated in her old wringer washer that always leaked oil, then wrung out as dry as possible between two wringers. Then hung up outside where often the wind would beat the wrinkles almost out. They were never soft but were put in the "ironing basket" and ironed along with most other things.  In her mind's eye she could see the clothes pin bag on the line, her mother's mouth full of clothes pins and basket after basket of wet clothes waiting their turn to get hung on the line. In the winter time her dad hung clothes line rope in the dining room. On wash days we dodged the wet clothes. We always ate in the kitchen except when company came, so it wasn't a big deal, but with only a space heater in that room it took a long long time for those overalls to dry. "Rag hankies were the very first thing I ever got to iron on my little ironing board. I had a little iron that barely got warm. I soon graduated to ironing my dad's farm hankies then his going to church handkerchiefs. They had to be folded just right so they would fit in his suit jacket pocket.

"Oh, I remember learning how to hem material on those rag hankies. Yuk! I never had the patience or the mind set to do things perfectly like you mom. You always said, 'the underside has to look as good as the top side.' In my way of thinking who cares what the underneath looks like no one is ever going to see it. I made sure I told my mother it made no difference and she quickly changed my mind with "the look."  I think my mom learned that "look" from her father. My grandma was sweet and a tender loving woman. I wonder what wash days were like for her and her mother. I never heard any stories about that from Mom or Grandma. It was probably hard work; even harder than mom's wash days were. I can't even imagine.

This is the last picture of my mother. It was taken at Shalom in Overland Park, Kansas. The complex where I worked and watched over her. It was shortly after her 90th birthday. My brother and his wife, my daughter and I all got to help her celebrate. I'll never forget how much she enjoyed her gifts. When they had all been opened she turned to me and said "More?" That was the chuckle of the day. That was our mom and grandma forever in our hearts and memories.

Grandma Lu's World Is Starting To Make Sense Again

 After Grandma Lu and her husband had eaten their lunch they took the car over to Marleewood. Grandma Lu's trunk that she had had there for years was getting too heavy for her to move by herself. People had been sending her pictures and invitations and announcements for years. She was such a sentimental lady she just couldn't part with any of it. Every child's picture sparked a memory for her, every child's award from school made her proud as if they were her own grandchildren. No matter her husband's grumbling she was keeping her old trunk, however, she might get herself another one...

While they were moving things around they heard some commotion coming from the front of Marleewood.  Grandma Lu went to see who was there and it was Avery and Finnley cleaning up all of the twigs that had fallen on the yard. "Oh you two are such good girls. Are you hungry or thirsty? If you are I'll get you something. Just say the word." As she was going back to tell her husband about the girls she saw something out of the corner of her eye.

There was Regan out on the playground all wrapped up in a towel. What in the world was that little girl doing?

Well, land sakes, there was her grandma and Jeff planting flowers! "Fran, come look. Look outside. The children are back. They are decorating just like they did last year. Oh this makes me want to cry.  I have missed them so much. Quick go out to the kitchen and start some coffee and I will check the fridge and see if there is something cold for them to drink."

"Oh good, looks like B has been here. There's ice tea and lemonade and even some cookies in a tin on the counter. Oh this is such fun." As she was putting everything on trays she saw Kane and Abbi planting seeds. Oh my goodness. I think they are going to have a small garden out there. We just might have some fresh vegetables for snacks. Oh it's going to be beautiful again. My dear Marleewood  you survived another winter and a really bad time in the world. Those dear people out there are making my little world  make sense again."

Then she saw a car pull up and that really made her smile. Getting out of the car was Marlee and Whitlee and her friend, B. Then more cars were coming in the drive. "Oh this is just like old times, old girl. Just what you love. Friends young and old make this old building come alive."

When she turned around there was Charlie and Connelly with their nanny grinning up a storm and talking to Marlee. "We are back and I think everyone else is too. They are setting up picnic tables outside, Grandma Lu. I think people are ready to get out and about. Besides that we missed you at Marleewood. What have you been doing? Grandma Lu didn't have time to answer because Marleewood was buzzing! There were children everywhere and grownups all visiting and having such a great time. It seemed like the doors were opening every other minute. She was so happy!

Soon Grandma Lu was hearing about birthdays, and Easter Egg hunts, She heard about a Mud Run  and fishing. She was so surprised that Bella and her brothers had gone kayaking. Besides that everyone had grown a foot! And there even were some new babies. So much had happened during this last year. She heard about basketball games and soccer games. She was hearing bits and pieces about school. Even prom! She felt like she was in a revolving door! There was so much she had missed out on. Suddenly she had a terrible thought. There surely wouldn't be any cats in the bathroom or in the Quiet Room or in the cupboards. She had to make sure. She was so terrible allergic to cats. Then she heard a clap of thunder. It was raining. Oh no! That Mother Nature was going to ruin her fun day.

The thunder was so loud that Grandma Lu didn't hear a soft meow as Felix was coming in the door as someone ran out to roll up their windows on their car.

Grandma Lu Remembers Nell

 Grandma Lu was stumped on her ability to get Zeke and Whitlee to learn how to speak and understand each other's language. She could remember having Stashia and Marlee talk to each other all the time. She had no clue how she was going to do it, but she needed to get busy and do some other things around the house. As she was dusting and vacuuming the living room she kept kicking her boxes of pictures and old newspapers away from her favorite rocking chair. She frowned when she thought of her husband calling her little area her "nest".  She picked up his slippers and moved his little Kindle table around and thought, "He's the one with a "nest". As she  turned around she almost stumbled on one of the oldest boxes and a picture of Nell popped out. "Look at you, Miss Nell. You were the one that started this whole thing. You and your sewing machine."

You had quite the journey coming from St. Louis to Iowa. It was still a territory back in those days. You lost your sewing machine in the river and almost froze to death in Marlee Ada's family's barn. Grandma Lu sat down in her rocking chair and stared at the old picture. She said, "It seems to me that Marlee Ada and her family had a big old dog like Zeke. I just wonder if I have any pictures of them together. After carefully going through the old books, papers, and pictures. She found what she was looking for. "I have this feeling that Zeke had ancestors in Iowa as well as Missouri. I think I will fix me a snack and a cold drink and do some digging. The dust can wait a bit..."

I wonder if Zeke had pups that stayed in that area. I just can't remember what kind of dog we had at the farm when we were little. It seemed like we only had strays. Grandma Lu heard a doorbell sound. That meant that someone was sending her a text. She grinned she had sent her first text just a few months ago. She was having to keep up with the new age technology even if she didn't want to. She went to the kitchen and here it was a text from her new group about ancestors. "Well isn't this something. A distant cousin I never knew I has sent me pictures of the old homestead oh so many years ago.

I wonder if they had a dog like Zeke. I'll never know. Oh my look at this little picture. This looks just like my Grandma Lulu when she was just a little girl. And those lilacs. They had lilacs on our farm way back then. Think of that. I loved them so much because they bloomed for my birthday. I used to think it was just for me. It's so hard to think of my grandma being a little girl and growing up on the same farm that I did. I just had a thought; her birthday was in May too! Oh how fun. She probably thought the lilacs were just for her too.

I can remember a wash basin just like that sitting on a dry sink out on our porch. That's where all the men washed up before they ate. My mom was a stickler about that. She could remember watching all those men at threshing time and baling time wash up to their rolled up shirt sleeves with mom's lye soap. She had old raggedy towels for them to dry off with. She chuckled and decided that she had better get busy and fix some lunch for that husband of hers. She had some things she needed him to do for her. They needed to go to Marleewood and get out her trunk of pictures. It was getting so heavy she needed him to help. The children would be getting out of school soon. She thought there might be some Mother's Day cards or pictures in that old truck that might give her an idea on how to help her get Whitlee and Zeke together for a story.

Stashia Was One Of The Lucky Shar Pei Born In America

                                                             Zeke

 Zeke and Whitlee had always been friends. He remembered the day that she saw her first bubbles out on the front porch. Oh how she laughed. She gave me a big hug that day. I should have started talking to her then, but didn't think she was much interested in being my friend. I whispered to her that day, but she was more interested in the bubbles. She was so little.  I was a pretty big lunk to be in the house even when I was just a puppy. I took up a lot of room in the living room. I'm a little stubborn just like the rest of my family so when I don't want you to go anywhere I lay in front of your chair or the door. I like to keep you company.

Later on that day, she did put her little arm around me, I just didn't go with my instinct. I think I'll have a talk with Stashia and see what she thinks. I get this feeling she doesn't like me much though....

                                                                   Stashia

Stashia was very much aware of what was going on with Zeke. Stashia was not a bit pleased about it either. Zeke was trying to take her place with these little girls and it wasn't going to happen on her watch if she could help it. 

She could remember when Zeke was just a puppy. His fur was all fluffy and white. Hers was  short, and rough like sand paper and bristly. (In fact that's why I am called Shar Pei. It means sandy skin.) She had watched Zeke listen to the grandmas talking about ancestors. Zeke thought he was just so important because his kind was named  the Royal Dog of France. She sighed and thought, "My ancestors worked for peasants or very poor farmers in China. My ancestors only go back two thousand years, but we were really good hunters. We also served as guardians of our master's homes. We are so smart and strong and because of our wrinkles when we barked we would scare off thieves to protect our humans. At one time some bad people took our ancestors and did bad things to them. Soon there were very few of us. To make matters worse the Communist Party in China considered us a luxury and imposed such a heavy tax on our owners they couldn't afford to keep us. 

Then one day in 1971 one of my ancestors had his picture taken. It was put in a magazine called Dogs. It was published in New York. Some how or another that magazine traveled all the way to China. A very nice man whose name was Mr. Matgo Law read the article. It said that soon there wouldn't be any more Shar Pei dogs.  At that time there were only twelve us living that he was aware of. Well, he just couldn't stand the thought of that so he did what a lot of people do in newspapers. He wrote a letter to the editor of Dogs Magazine. Soon many many letters came rolling into the magazine's office. They all wanted to help adopt a Shar Pei and raise puppies. I am one of the lucky puppies to grow up in America. I was really lucky when Grandma B adopted me and I got to live on the Mini Farm.

"Oh just look at that Zeke. He sneaked inside to wake up Miss Marlee. I just know it!"

Sure enough Zeke came sneaking in to see if he could talk to Stashia, not to wake up Marlee. He figured he could sweet talk the old girl into giving him some advice on how to get Whitlee to talk to him like Marlee did to her. He had heard some stories that some of the animals had told him about how Stashia had helped her in her adventures. She also kept her from getting lost, getting potty trained, prospecting for gold and had even helped her solve a few mysteries. Well, he didn't want to do all that. He sure didn't want to be on a hot air balloon going apple picking. He was busy keeping the mini horses and donkeys safe, he just wanted little Whitlee to tell his stories to either Grandma B or Grandma Lu or both. Hopefully Stashia would help him make Whitlee Jo understand him 

Grandma Lu had gone back home after a wonderful day at the mini farm with her friend and her friend's two little granddaughters. She had taken some cute pictures with her phone. She put her phone on her lap and thought, "Now how am I going to have Whitlee and Zeke talk to each other? It was so easy with Marlee and Stashia. There has to be a way.Whitlee wants to be in a story so badly.

Zeke Had So Many Stories But How To Share Them

 Zeke immediately liked Grandma Lu when she came out to visit. His kind of dog lift their paw to people to get their attention. They don't like to be ignored, so he loved it when Grandma Lu loved on him and told him how handsome he was. He heard Grandma B and Grandma Lu talk about the olden days.  If he could only make them understand he had a much better understanding of his ancestors than even Grandma Lu did about hers. When they went inside he didn't come in but watched them from the living room window. He was so full of stories about his ancestors. How was he going to get their attention?

From the time Zeke was just a small puppy his mother told him all about his grandmother and her grandmother. She said that his ancestors had been  passing on their stories for generations, thousands of years even. He couldn't imagine that many years, but he did love the stories she told him and his brothers and sisters.

One day before he went to the mini farm his mama told him all bout his many times great grandfather. He lived in a place called Asia Minor. It's now part of a country called Turkey. It was a wonderful place where people met each other on their way to and from Europe to Asia.

 Then time went by and his family moved to a beautiful mountain range called the Pyrenees Mountains. Those beautiful mountains were between two countries; France and Spain. The way his mother told it the peasant shepherds loved their dogs because they didn't sleep much at night. They watched and protected the sheep while the shepherds slept. 

He grinned to himself because his mama said, "We bark a lot at night because that's what we have to do to scare off animals like wolves, bears, and other animals that might hurt the ones we are supposed to protect. We are their guardians and we take this job seriously." Zeke loved this part because he loved to bark.

After their family moved to the Pyrenees Mountains  the French royals noticed how big and beautiful they were. Actually Zeke had royalty in his family! Oh how he wished he could tell Grandma Lu all about it because one day she was saying she joined this ancestry group hoping she would find herself related to a king or queen along the way. He wanted to tell her he was! Yes, King Louis the XIV declared the Great Pyrenees Dogs the Royal Dog of France in 1675. Even the Queen of England, Queen Victoria had a Great Pyrenees in the 1800's. He was so proud of that. How could he get his fun news to Grandma Lu?

Zeke's grandmother told him a funny story about the king. He wore high heeled shoes. The higher and the redder the better, but only royalty could wear them. He had seen Marlee wearing red high heels. She was a fun little girl and he loved her.

His grandfather told him a story one time about one of those royal men who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He brought one of his ancestors to America with him. George Washington, America's first president, also had one. His ancestors went on to help win the WWII by hauling supplies and artillery over and through the the mountains in between Spain and France.

Zeke took a look at his little girls playing pioneer out in the yard. He had an idea. Grandma B's dog, Stashia had a running conversation with Marlee when she was just Whitlee's age. I wonder if Whitlee and I could talk like they do. If I can make her understand then she can tell my story.

Zeke had a plan....

Stereoscopes And View Masters No Cell Phones And Television..

 Grandma Lu was chuckling to herself as she bustled around and grabbed a package of store bought cookies to take out to her friend's mini farm. She couldn't believe what B had bought for her two little granddaughters. She made sure her phone was charged and threw it in her purse, put the cookies in a sack and headed out to see what those two little monkeys were up to. This was so much fun. She felt a little guilty about taking store bought cookies out to her friend. B always had homemade snacks for her at Marleewood, but she didn't want to take the time to bake. She didn't even grab her hat off the hook when she rushed out the door.  As she drove down the driveway there they were all dressed up in their new prairie dresses. Oh she loved those little girls like they were her own.

Sometime back Whitlee had told her that she wanted to be in one of her "old" stories, so evidently B had helped it along by getting these precious little dresses, aprons, and bonnets for these two. She stopped the car and got out and said, "What are you two doing?" Marlee and Whitlee said together, "We are playing pioneer!" Marlee said, "Come see. Grandma B told us all about when you were little. We want to do some of those things so you can write a story about us and take our pictures. Can we be in a story?"

Grandma Lu laughed and said, "Of course, you can. But first I want to take some pictures of you two." About that time, Grandma B came out with her camera. "Ok, you guys. Why don't you go sit on the swing. We don't have a picture of all three of you together. This will be fun to have." She showed them the swing and thought that would be a good place for a picture. Zeek thought so too. So he joined in the fun and barked 'hello' to Grandma Lu.

After that picture was taken Grandma Lu said, "Well what things did your grandma tell you that I did when I was little?" Marlee said, "Well she said that your mama washed clothes in a bucket and didn't have a washer and dryer. She said you didn't even have a microwave. Did you have a big flat screen like we do? What kind of music did you listen to?  How good was your phone? Did you have a favorite video you liked to watch? Did your phone take good pictures?"

As anxious as Grandma Lu was to take their pictures she took a minute and said, "Mercy on us, I have to tell you that I didn't have any of those things until I was much older. My mama and daddy had a big old radio and I played the piano. I can remember my mom and dad listening to radio shows at night while she ironed or dad read a book. He often read to her while she ironed, or mended.

One day I was snooping around in the store room and I found a record player. You had to crank it to make it play music. No one used it. I guess because they had a radio. I had my mom show me how to use it. You had to crank it enough times to play a whole record through. I didn't like it much. I have no idea whatever happened to that thing.

That was the music I listened to, but my grandparents did have a stereoscope. Have you ever heard of one of those? Well when I was just your age, Marlee, we would go to my Grandma and Grandpa Banister's house for dinner after church sometimes. In those days, kids couldn't talk at the table. After we finished our dinner (that's what we called lunch in Iowa) we were sent to the living room or parlor and were told that we could sit on the sofa and use the stereoscope while the grownups visited. Let me tell you that was the most boring thing I ever did in my life. You put cardboard picture cards through the clips on the back of it. They were mostly of old people and scenery. The cards had two pictures just alike black and white or brown and white pictures on them. When you looked through the eye piece it looked like 3D does now. Boring! Let me tell you that sofa was horsehair and was so slippery. I was told not to fidget both at church and at my grandparents' house. It was hard work to sit still on that thing. That was my Sunday until I got home to the farm. Then I could read or play piano or go for walks. I mostly read my books."

Grandma B said, "Those were kind of like View Masters weren't they?" Grandma Lu said, "They sure were. The View Master was not invented to use as a toy. A Mr. Grueber was touring a scenic park with two cameras taped together. Another man whose name was Mr. Sawyer watched him. He sold post cards for a living. The two of them got together and invented the View Master. It was first shown in 1939-1940 at the World's Fair. The government actually used this to help them during the WWII. They really caught on. Even movie stars would advertise them and so did Disney. I bought my children View Masters when they were just your age, Marlee and Whitlee. They loved them. I think they were about five dollars when they were little, now they are considered antiques and are very expensive as are the stereoscopes because they are very old.

"Now that I think about it, my grandparents probably were proud of that stereoscope because it was pretty new in the stores back then. 

Marlee told Grandma Lu that their grandma had told her about her mother's big garden and how the sheep ate all of her pea plants one year. She said, "I have a dishpan full of peas in the house that Grandma B had me practice shelling. This is fun to do. How come you said it was hard work?"

Grandma Lu said, "Well, she had to do that sometimes after we were all in bed. To get enough peas to put in jars took lots of days. She was so busy during the day that she hardly ever got to sit down to rest. She always said, "I'm not like my mother, I think eating fresh vegetables are the best. Mother never let us eat fresh because she was always afraid we wouldn't have enough to last the winter." Grandma Lu said," I can remember Mom making creamed peas and new baby potatoes. She made them with butter she churned and cream she had separated from the milk." 

Whitlee said, "Grandma Lu when is it my turn? I'm Lulu in the story, 'member?"

Zeke barked in agreement and gave Grandma Lu a minute to think while she was chuckling to the dog's antics. What story can I tell about my Grandmother Banister? She remembered her mother's memory box at home. Yes there were stories in there, but how could Whitlee understand? I must think of something this little one could relate to. Shopping?  Puppies? Yes, those would be good stories."

Moving To Town Was A Cultural Shock

 Grandma Lu had been working for several days on her mother's memory box. It was full of keepsakes and newspaper clippings, and of course, old letters. Some of the things she kept were happy, some were sad, but most of all so very interesting. The newspapers were so old and brittle she had to be careful handling them, but they were full of news from when she was just an eleven or twelve year old child. "Oh I remember moving into town that year. What a shock. The water didn't taste good, the milk didn't taste right (there was no cream floating on it) and my mother had gone to work at a grocery store! Dad had gone to work at the local newspaper as a linotype operator. Oh my goodness, here is one of my favorite pictures of dad. He's reading a book. He loved to read. Here's another one of him at the newspaper. Oh I loved that man. I actually made this picture at the photography studio I worked at when I was only fourteen years old.

 Oh what a change for my brother and I. We were on our own for the first time in our lives. He was about seven and I was four years older. He and his friends would be the mighty hunters of snakes and terrorized the wildlife in the woods and the creek that was close by. My friend and I would eat ice cream like it was going out of style. The only time we had ice cream on the farm was for holidays and large family gatherings. Mom made it and the men would crank that old ice cream freezer. Oh it was so good! We didn't have ice cubes, but chunks of ice that she or the men would chop with an ice pick. At one time we had an ice box that held ice in the bottom. I called him the ice man when he came in to deliver the ice. Sometimes the ice would melt and over flow onto the floor. I think I still have that ice pick somewhere.

When we moved into town I had a change in my chores that I had to do. I no longer had to wash all of those hateful baking dishes because Mom no longer baked for the grocery stores for money, but she worked at the grocery store until six o'clock in the evening. It was my job to keep an eye on my brother and to start the potatoes for supper at five-thirty. That doesn't sound like such a hard job, does it? "Oh, I used to get into so much trouble because I burned the potatoes at least every other night and those were my dad's favorite. Mercy, my friend that loved ice cream as much as I did also loved to play piano. We would play all kinds of duets and forget the time to start the potatoes or burn them. Oh, those were the days.

 Oh then there was the can can stage. They were ruffled slips that we wore under our poodle skirts or any full skirts for that matter. Here's a picture of me wearing my disco skirt I made in Home Ec. My mother really came down on me for that. I got a C+. Her sewing was meticulous. I did it to get it done.

I would starch my can cans with her sugar. It was a really bad idea because when it was hot my can can would stick to my legs when I sat down and made a little crunchy noise. They also would drop tiny little flakes of sugar as I walked down the halls at school. Oh the memories. My goodness, this old newspaper said that sugar was thirty-seven cents for five pounds in those days. But, I can see she only made twenty-five dollars a week and I have a feeling that finding the pantry empty of sugar was just a tiny bit irritating. I know for a fact that the flies loved my can can slips because as soon as I hung them on the clothes line there were hundreds of them making a snack of my handiwork. She chuckled to herself as she was going through all of the fun things her mother had saved. 

"Well, I believe I'll give my friend , Grandma B a call. I miss her and the girls. I've been busy going through these things. I haven't even been up to Marleewood lately.  "Hello, B? Do you happen to have the girls today? Great put the coffee on. I'll bring the snacks today. I'll be over in a while. They are doing what? You bought them what? You have got to be kidding me. Well Whitlee said she wanted to be in my "old" stories. I can't wait to see this. Tell them I'll be there in about ten minutes. I'll make sure to bring my cell phone so I can take lots of pictures. Bye!"

Grandma Lu was in for a very fun time.....

Taking A Walk With Sarah

 Sarah walked through the house yard on her family's farm and smiled as she remembered so many things she did as a child. "Look at all those Spirea bushes. Those were my wedding bushes. I can remember that those bushes grew all along the side of the house and made a kind of pathway to the lawn on the north side. I would make what I called a wreath for my hair and a bouquet of lilacs for my wedding bouquet. For my real wedding in two days I am going to carry lilacs. I read in a book that Thomas Jefferson and our first president, George Washington loved lilacs and had them at their beautiful homes. I wonder where our bushes came from. It would be fun if they were starters to two of our presidents. They always bloom around my birthday, so I will have a beautiful bouquet. Oh they smell so good.

If someone was close enough to hear her they would hear her chuckle to herself as she remembered telling her ma that the cats sure didn't like her. Her ma told her 'if you wouldn't hold them around their neck they might'. The cats were always part of her pretend weddings. She would put those that she could catch and put them in Lulu's buggy and stuff it with flowers; peonies, and lilacs if they were blooming. "Those cats sure didn't like weddings!" She grinned to herself thinking of all the wonderful memories she could tell her children and grandchildren.

She had so many good memories of this farm. The barn raising and the fun her brothers and she had. She especially liked exploring the farmland and still did. She walked up towards her ma's large garden and saw the tree. Her tree she called it. It was a mulberry tree. Oh the fruit was so good with sugar and cream on those big fat purple berries. It was such fun shaking the berries out of the tree onto old sheets ma had given them. I think Lulu ate more than she put in the bucket. I don't blame her. They were so good.

As she walked she realized she had come to the farm boundary. The Hayes farm ended and her new home began. As she looked over the fence she grinned. "Oh that was one day Ma wasn't happy with me." She walked over and reached into one of the many plum trees. Some of them were ripe. Yummy!

She had taken her apron out to the plum thicket that day and picked as many plums as her apron would hold. She had felt so grownup filling her apron with plums. Her ma had always used her apron to carry vegetables from the garden. "And a hundred other things for that matter," she thought.

She had taken them to the house and announced to her ma that they should make jam that day. Oh my, ma was not a bit happy. She had her day planned, and my wishes did not fit into her plans. I was twelve years old and was confident that I could make the jam if my mother would only let me work in her kitchen. She smiled as she remembered her ma fussing and saying that sugar was expensive and why didn't she ask first. Then one of her brothers saved the day. He came in the back door and saw the dishpan full of plums and said, "Great job, Sarah. Now we can have jam for our biscuits in the morning.

Yes, they did indeed have jam on their biscuits the next morning. As she walked back to the house she soon would be leaving she wondered what her children would be like. Would they be like her or her husband? She would even miss leaving her sister. She would have to put up with the boys' antics soon. She wished her well. 

"My those lilacs smell good. I believe I'll pick Ma a bouquet for the kitchen table. The white ones will be beautiful for my bouquet as well."