Marlee Learns What Real Gold Is

Even Grandma B was a little frightened. She and Marlee didn't like thunderstorms, but this was different. The ground was shaking a little and it was windy. Finally Grandma B noticed that the sack that they had forgotten to put back in the Ranger was moving up and down and all around. It looked like the sack was making the ground shake. "I guess I'm really tired. I could swear that that little sack is moving around almost like it's doing a jig. That's it, I'm going to get wet, but I'm going to go pick up that sack and put it in the Ranger, then we are going home once and for all."
Once Grandma B stooped over and picked up the sack she jumped a foot and threw the sack up in the air. She ran back to the Ranger and yelled, "Kids, we are going home right now!"
Before Grandma B could move the Ranger, the sun started to shine and a beautiful rainbow appeared. It seemed like it was shining right over them. Everybody got quiet, even the dogs didn't make a sound, then all of a sudden a strange little green creature jumped right on the hood of the Ranger and started dancing a jig. Now that's the Irish truth I be tellin' ya! The little green leprechaun was dancing and singing Marlee Marlee Marlee, I be needing to talk to Marlee O'Weaver. (big grin)
Grandma B yelled out the window, "You get down off my hood and you can talk to Marlee, but she stays in the Ranger."

The jolly little man jumped off the hood and said, "Miss Marlee, I was sent here in a little sack by the Queen of the Fairies (Aine) who lives in your Grandmother B's flower garden. She told me that you wanted to get rich. "Faith and Begorrah, wee child, you are already so very rich. You have a big family. Yes, little one, Grandma B and Grandma Marie down the road have been sharing their families with you, as well as Grandma Lu and Grandpa Fran because you needed help on your adventures. Grandma Marie has had her family be your tour guides. Her family was at the Gold Mine and in the Mining Creek. Grandma B had her family watching out for you the whole time that you were bound and determined to head out on this adventure. These pictures will show you that you have been
rich for your  entire life.

Those Texans in the back seat are part of Grandma Marie's family also. Marlee look at those pictures and look at all of the other pictures. These people will help you and support you for the rest of your life, even when you are all grown up. But for now you and all of your families enjoy the pictures.
 Grandma B has agreed that Marie Rose Aubin Lizotte would love to look at all of these pictures and enjoy the stories also. When Grandmother Marie was 102 years old she loved to look at the computer and read your stories and her family's stories. She especially loved looking at your pictures. You don't know a lot of these people, and you may never meet them, but they each and everyone of them have helped you along the way. Part of an old Irish Blessing says "Until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand."
"Since you have the Irish, the Canadian French other nationalities and a multitude of aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents and great grandparents to support you throughout your young life, you will do well. Yes, you will do very well."

Marlee Says Prospectin' Is Hard Work!

Marlee couldn't understand why she just couldn't go to the creek, put her flower pot in the water a couple of times and bring out some gold. Grandma B and the boys were trying to explain to Marlee that things that were worth doing were worth working hard for. What does a little girl like Marlee know about worth? Nothing, that's what. Marlee's family has always loved her and helped her do

everything. Why should panning for gold be any different? After a couple of hours Marlee, Grandma B and the boys were about ready to pack up their gear and go back home. They had not seen any gold at all. They were all tired and ready to give up.

All of a sudden Marlee started yelling and screaming and said, "Hurry, hurry, I found some gold. Come look! Yay! Yay! I'm going to be rich!" Grandma B had found out that when you found gold that you rang a bell. So she had Marlee ring her bell over and over. Everyone was so happy.

  Marlee's screaming got the attention of all the people and children that were panning for gold. Two tour guides came over with a sad look on their faces and said, "I'm sorry folks, but that gold you have is not real gold. It looks like gold, but it is not worth any money. It is called "fools gold." People find a lot of "fools gold" in mines that are really big holes under the ground. Many many people have been sad when they found out that their gold wasn't real.

Grandma B said, "You know what, there are some really pretty gold rocks in your pan, Marlee. I think we should take them home and put them in your treasure bucket. What do you think, guys? Is everyone okay with that? These gold rocks are great souvenirs. It didn't take long for everyone to agree that Grandma B had a great idea. Grandma B handed everybody bags that she had packed to carry all of their gold home. There was a big one and little ones. They were just right to divide up the gold rocks so that everyone had some.
 Marlee was learning to share with a happy heart.

 Everyone helped load up the Ranger. They had a cooler, and bags of gear and now the three bags of golden rocks.
 Wait, they all forgot the sack! They left it lay on the ground.
When they got into the Ranger and all buckled up the sky got dark, the rain started to fall, then all of a sudden the ground started to shake. What was happening?

Marlee, There Is A Gold Mine!

Marlee was dirty and tired, thirsty and hungry. It seems that Marlee knew more about prospectin' for gold than Grandma B thought she did. She did need a blanket and she did need food, but what about water, and what about a nap? She couldn't take a nap while she was prospectin' so she was just going to have to girl up again like she did when she wanted a Big Wheel;  suffer through.  Let's hope she doesn't get grumpy again. Grandma B drove the Ranger carefully through the gravel roads. All at once she yelled out, "Look, there's a gold mine! Oh, oh. There is someone sitting on it. Does that mean we can't dig for gold here?" That was exactly what it meant. Those people were there first. They looked kind of familiar, but they didn't say Hi, so Grandma B and Marlee and the brothers drove on. And there it was. The creek that Marlee had seen in the old magazine. Just like the picture, but no, no, no. There was a lady yelling, "It's all mine, all mine." Things were just not going like Marlee had planned at all. Maybe that wasn't what Marlee heard. Maybe she heard, "Hello, hello it's a gold mine and there IS gold in these hills. Come join us, let's mine!"

So everyone piled out of the Ranger, two (2) dogs, three (3) kids, and Grandma B. You could hear dogs barking; one (1) dog, Zoe. She was so happy to get out and run and explore. Stashia, on the other hand, was glad to get out and walk around a bit. However, she was always on the lookout for suspicious characters. She just did not know what to think of those people at the mine and that woman at the creek, good grief!
They helped Grandma B unload the Ranger and all of the gear including food and tools and a sack that no one seemed to pay any attention to. Hmm.
They all walked down to the creek with their pans and drainers, and rakes and picks. Grandma B finally said, "Okay, guys, we are not going to do any panning for gold until we eat something." They all agreed even though they were excited to get going.  Grandma B was very wise and packed sandwiches and chips for their outing. They finished their lunch quick like a fox and headed on down the creek. Orion and J.J. had brought bottles of water, thank goodness, but only two (2). Maybe Grandma B remembered water...
 Again, another disappointment. There were all kinds of children panning for gold in that creek. There were also practice panning stations that had been set up by the tour guides. These were small plastic swimming pools filled with sand. After you practiced for awhile you were ready for the creek panning.
 And you could hear bells going off all over the place. What did bells ringing have to do with panning for gold?
Do you have a guess? Will, Marlee get to ring a bell later that afternoon?

Bebe and Mona Refuse To Carry Prospectin' Stuff

The mini donkeys loved Marlee and they were excited to help carry some of her gear on her prospecting for gold adventure until they saw what she expected them to carry. They could not believe their eyes. There were pots and pans, drainers, of every color, pillow, an umbrella, sacks of stuff and a basket. What in the world was she going to do with all that stuff? There was a lot of hee hawing going on out at the corral. Mona told Bebe she just was not going to do it. "Grandma B lets that little girl have her crazy adventures and that's just fine, but I'm too little to haul around all that junk." Bebe hee hawed back in agreement.
"And don't forget all of those tools she has gathered up. Oh my goodness, look, she has a huge cooler underneath all those things! No way, there is no way I'm going to go along with this crazy adventure. I probably wouldn't be able to walk and neither would you. Let's go hide under a tree somewhere where Marlee can't find us."

While the donkeys were walking away the Texas brothers were walking up the lane with their prospectin' stuff too. Oh, oh, what is Marlee going to do now?
When all else fails you go to your family for help. So of course, Marlee went to her Grandma B. She showed B that the donkeys had walked away and were not going to help her. Grandma B looked at all the prospectin' stuff on the ground and told Marlee that she could not take everything because Mona and Bebe were too little. But there was another option: the Ranger. Well, Marlee was disappointed that her little donkey friends refused to go along, but she dearly loved going for a ride in her Grandma B's Ranger. So Marlee, the Mason brothers, and B loaded up the Ranger and away they went. They were all so excited to go on an adventure together.

The first thing that they saw was the opening to the forest which they had to go through. It was so beautiful; the sun was shining through the trees making it look like they were going through a magical field complete with birds and flowers and big big horses!
They drove through the forest and suddenly they saw the most beautiful things that they had ever seen in their whole lives. They saw mountains and mountain springs and a beautiful bridge that had trees and flowers growing around it. They had never seen such a beautiful place! But wait a minute, the air was starting to get cooler. Marlee was glad that she had brought along a blanket. She was hungry too. Boy, was she happy that the Mason brothers had brought more snacks along. All she had was horse treats and some cheese balls. Marlee was suddenly thirsty. She didn't pack any water because she thought they could drink water from the stream. She didn't pack anything to drink from either. Oh dear. What to do? Who would have the answer do you think? Look at that water! It looks like it might be dangerous. Marlee doesn't want to go close to that water and neither does Grandma B. It was really pretty to look at though. Maybe those young cowboys will come up with some ideas next time we read this story. Or there might be a stowaway in Marlee's gear. Oh my goodness. Poor Grandma B.

The Texas Cowboys Decide To Help

Orion was not a bit happy about the way that Marlee had talked to him. She tried to get him to come back to the porch, but he wasn't having it yet. He had to talk this over with his big brother, J.J. He found him out at a big tree at his Grandpa Fran's house. He told him what had happened. They laughed about it and J.J. said, "Aw, she's just a little girl. If we will be nice then she will be nice. It's our job to help her in her adventure. Her Grandma B and us will get her to her


destination all right. We will see to it! That's why they call on the Mason Brothers to help folks, right?" Orion agreed. Orion asked his brother how come he was so smart about stuff. J.J. answered him saying, "Well, I was little like Marlee once.

 Boy, I had to go through so much trouble before I finally got older and wiser. " Orion said, "Yeah, but that little girl even made fun of how I talk, J.J. How can I stand for that?" J.J. just did the "Lizotte Shrug" with the same attitude as his great grandpa Fran and said, "Y'all get used to it little brother, y'all get used to it. Come on let's get our stuff together. Hard telling what that little girl packed and we might get hungry." They both packed graham crackers, apples, and bananas and a couple of bottles of water. I wonder what Marlee finally packed...

 After they got all their gear and snacks  together they walked back to Grandma B's and couldn't believe their eyes when they looked out at the corral. There was Grandma B and Marlee. Marlee was sharing her hat with B like a good girl. She was not only sharing with B but also with poor Zoe! It's a good thing that Marlee wasn't trying to share her hat with Stashia. I just don't think she would have liked that much. She gets grumpy sometimes.

Zoe was supposed to be all for this adventure, wasn't she? The donkeys, Mona and Bebe are ready and willing to go on Marlee's Prospecting Adventure. They have always liked Marlee. She likes to pet their noses. She even gives them kisses sometimes. Bebe and Mona were not aware of what was going to happen when Marlee and the Texas Cowboys were finally ready to go though, so things just might change.

Marlee Is Off To A Rocky Start

The next morning  Marlee was suddenly awakened by  hearing Grandma B saying, "Marlee Ada Weaver, you get out of bed and come out to the porch this instant!"
Marlee rubbed her eyes and walked slowly out to the porch. She couldn't figure out why "B" was using her mad voice.

 "Good grief, I've been sleeping all night. I have no idea why "B" is upset," she thought.

When Marlee got out to the porch there stood Grandma B holding a paper sack that was dripping melted ice cream all over the carpet on the porch with one hand. With her other hand she was holding a paper sack that had spoiled fish sticks and waffles in it along with some dog snacks. It also had some Marlee snacks, and maybe a horse treat or two. Well Marlee figured out right then and there that whoever said growing up was fun was wrong, wrong, wrong. There was so much to learn and it seemed like every time she turned around she was making mistakes. Whew!
Grandma B told Marlee that when she wanted something out of the fridge and freezer that she must ask first.
Now the snacks that she had put together were ruined. Everything that needed to be cold had to be put in a cooler. One more lesson learned for Miss Marlee.

Stashia made a low sound in her throat, and thought, "Yes, I knew this was a bad idea, but nobody listens to me. Marlee keeps trying to sweet talk me to get me to go along with this Prospecting business. I'm not quite sure how Grandma B and I are going to handle this. And that cowboy that was here yesterday. Trouble I tell you, trouble."

About then there was a knock on the door. It was another cowboy. Once again Marlee answered the door without telling Grandma B. This time the cowboy said he was another Mason Brother. His name was Orion and he wanted in on the Prospectin' Adventure. After all J.J. was his older brother and he was going. Orion told Marlee that he wanted to go along too. Just 'cause J.J. was older didn't mean he should be the only one to get rich.

Marlee thought, "What? All these cowboys think they are going to horn in on my gold. I think it's time I talked to Stashia about this. She may have been right about not letting people in the house without telling Grandma B. But he did say he knew Grandma Lu."
Once again Marlee made up her mind to include the young cowboy without asking permission or discussing it with Stashia. She told him to go home and get his gear together with lots of food. "Y'all hurry.  I want to leave as soon as I can." Marlee grinned to herself, "I can talk funny just like those boys do. Hope I didn't make him mad. It might be fun being his friend."
When Orion left Grandma B's house  he was not happy. He needed to talk to J.J.. He did not like the way that Marlee had talked to him. Then he heard Marlee yell at him to come back. She yelled "I'm sorry. My Grandma B used her mad voice at me this morning and I got kind of grumpy." Orion had had his feelings hurt a bit and so he just kept right on walking. He needed to think about this whole Prospecting Adventure. "It just might not be for me," he thought. I will go  along with J. J. whatever he thinks I should do."
                                                  ***********
What advice do you think that J.J. gave his little brother? Do you think that because J.J. is older that he should make decisions for both of them?

A Handsome Cowboy Comes A'Knockin'

If you have been reading Marlee's new adventure this week it seems that she is getting forgetful. She goes so head first into some of her crazy ideas that she tends to forget the most important thing of all.
Marlee was getting all of her gear together on the porch. She had gone over and over everything that she needed a dozen times. She still had this niggly feeling that she had forgotten something but could not for the life of her figure out what it could be. Marlee being Marlee decided to just go on about her packing and didn't worry about it anymore.
Marlee heard someone knocking at the door. Grandma B was talking on the phone and didn't answer the door so Marlee answered it. "Whoa, now that's what I call a prospector if I ever saw one," she thought. But instead of saying, "Hello" she said, "Who are you and what do you want?"
The handsome young man held his ground and said, "My name is J.J and I'm here to see Grandma B."

"Why do you want to see my Grandma B? She's busy on the phone. You should probably go home now."
J.J.  casually leaned against the wall and said, "Well, Grandma Lu sent me over here to see if you needed some help on your Prospecting for Gold Adventure. She gave your Grandma B my great great grandmother's walking stick so you wouldn't get tired on your trip. I thought that was pretty nice of her, don't you?"
Marlee thought about what he had said and said, "Yes it was. Wanna come in?" So J.J. and Marlee talked about the Prospecting for Gold. He asked her if she needed any help. Marlee was once again a nice little girl with a bit of a bite to her tone of voice and said, "Why, are you offering?"
J.J. told her that he would be glad to help.  "I'm older than you are, so I will help you carry all of our gold. Marlee thought, "Our gold?" but didn't say anything to him. They decided that they would leave the next morning if the Grandmothers agreed.
J.J. asked Marlee what she needed for him to bring along for the trip. Marlee showed him all of her gear. He immediately said, "Well, that's cool, but where's the food?"

"Oh, oh, oh, I forgot the food. I knew I was forgetting something! You go home and I will get the food together. We had better leave early before it gets hot outside." Together they made a plan. Just like Stashia was afraid of.
Marlee immediately went out to the porch and grabbed some of the snacks that Grandma B kept out on there. Some for the dogs and some for her. "Oh, bother, I'd better get that cowboy some too I suppose." Marlee never packs food without tasting it first. Sometimes you could just tell by looking at her little face that she had "tested" the snacks.

Marlee decided that cobbler and ice cream would be good on their hike so she put some of each in a sack to take tomorrow morning. She put the sack out on the porch next to all of her gear. There was another sack of fish sticks and waffles for the cowboy. He would have to share though. Marlee had been taught to share her toys and food with company and he was company.
"There is no need to pack juice, we will drink water out of the creek where the gold is."
                                                    *************
Marlee sounds quite confident about coming home with a bag of gold.
 Can she trust that Texas cowboy? Can she be sure that there was "gold in them there hills?"
We shall see next time.

Marlee Needs The Right Prospectin' Stuff

Starting a new adventure is always a long process for Marlee. First, she has no money and no way to go shopping. Second of all she has only that old magazine of Grandma B's to give her an idea of what she would need for her prospectin' stuff. She had gone through her checklist the other day and figured she had it covered.

Then she wondered about hats. She had gotten into an old trash bag that she found of Grandma B's and found a whole bunch of hats. She wanted to choose the perfect one because she figured; right tools and right hat, she would strike gold for sure. Marlee sure did wish that she had people friends to tell her which hat she should wear. But there is still something that she is forgetting.... Marlee is getting in a rush and forgetting someone and something very important.

Marlee is planning on getting rich. That means that she will have to have something to haul all of her equipment on or in. Then she had an idea; the mini donkeys! Yes, she had seen pictures of mules carrying stuff, why not Grandma B's little donkeys?

                                 She still felt like she was forgetting something.
 What else would Marlee need to go prospecting? Tools, check. Hats still had to choose, but check. Donkeys to haul all of her stuff, check. Boots, check.
 Remember that the Mini Farm was a pretty big place, what else will she need?
Rumors about Marlee's newest adventure were flying around town. Therefore, Grandma Lu heard about Marlee's new adventure. She brought a very special tool for Marlee to use. It was Grandma Marie's walking stick. It was very very old. The walking stick was also not very tall. Grandma Marie wasn't very tall so it worked well for her to use in her garden. Yes, Marlee could use it for her prospecting adventure!

Marlee suddenly remembered something. Her hat that Mrs. Sandy had given her! It would be perfect. Grandma B could choose one of those other hats. This is the one that she wanted to wear. But what hat would Grandma B choose?

Zoe Says, " Go For It!"

After Marlee had her chicken and dumplings she went to find her friends, Stashia and Zoe. She broached the subject of Prospecting for Gold to Stashia. Just as she thought Stashia said, "Absolutely not! Poor Grandma B needs a rest from your wild schemes. Just be a little girl and play with your dolls, color in your coloring book, and do little girl stuff for a change. You know Grandma B isn't getting any younger. Let the poor woman rest. You know she loves you just the way you are. You don't always have to have these adventures you always want to go on." With a low noise in her throat, Stashia ambled off and left Marlee thinking about her "B".

"I wonder, do I get too interested in doing fun stuff? I'm going to go ask Zoe. I need a second opinion. I've heard "B" say that before."

Marlee found Zoe outside on the patio. She told the big pup about wanting to look for gold out on the mini farm. Zoe leaned up against her and let her pet and love on her back. She loved it when Marlee patted her head. She really liked Marlee's enthusiasm for life because she felt the same way. "Who wants to just lay around in the sun and be lazy; Stashia, that's who. I'll be your guide dog and we'll get rich!" Zoe started rolling over and over and Marlee laughed at the big pup's antics.
"Two of a kind, that's what I say," muttered Stashia from her chair on the porch. "What a pair. Well, I guess once again I am going to have to be involved up to my wrinkles to keep those two out of trouble. I can just smell trouble brewing when those two get their heads together."
Since Zoe had agreed to be her partner in her new adventure, Marlee needed to decide just exactly what kind of equipment she needed.
The magazine showed the kids wearing boots. She and B had boots that they did chores in. So she had that covered.  She had the flower pot with holes in the bottom. She had used that at Green Springs.

"Okay, I have to look at those pictures again to see just what I need. Oh I need something to rake or dig with. I'll have to look out on the porch to see if "B" has things like that. I don't have any money to buy stuff, but maybe I could talk "B" into going prospecting with us. I can smile real pretty and sometimes that works with her."

Do you think just a pretty smile from Marlee will work with Grandma B?

Marlee Is Always Thinking Of New Adventures

The next time Marlee had an overnight visit with Grandma B they decided that they had had enough adventures for awhile. They were going to do fun stuff, but just things that would not give anyone any problems; on or off the Mini Farm.
They had a good time. They baked cookies, and played on the porch. Marlee even did some Karaoke out there and serenaded Grandma B with her hit song among the younger set, "Baa Baa Black Sheep."
Marlee got tired and sat on the couch. She watched cartoons for awhile and decided that it was nap time.

Grandma B thought about all the commotion that happened last week. She decided that the quiet on the farm was what everyone needed.
While Grandma B was thinking quiet, Miss Marlee's mind was anything but quiet. She had seen something in a magazine that got her to thinking that she might like to try something new. She would talk it over with Stashia and Zoe, but prospecting for gold sounded like fun to her!

Marlee at times has a bit of an attitude and tends to make decisions at the drop of a hat. You see she had already been to Green Springs and had found some treasures there.
She had worked hard and saved money for half of her new Big Wheel. Even though she did try some things that didn't work out. Working at the Ice Cream Shoppe and applying to be a chef at Mrs. Sandy's cafe were jobs that were low paying jobs or started too early in the morning for her idea of fun.
 Marlee thought that prospecting for gold would be great fun and easy. Remembering all the gold jewelry in her lavender treasure bucket she grinned to herself thinking, "I can do this. All I need are a few things. I already have a flower pot with holes in the bottom. I have a hat! Oh, I have a wonderful hat that Mrs. Sandy gave me that would be just right for prospecting. Okay, I think I will take a little nap. When I wake up I'll talk to  Stashia and Zoe and see what they say."
Marlee yawned and went sound asleep. Poor Grandma B didn't have a clue what was going to happen to her quiet little Mini Farm.

When Marlee woke up from her nap Grandma B had made some home made chicken and dumplings. Marlee calls them noodles, but it doesn't make any difference what its called. It is so good!
I wonder what Stashia and Zoe will say about her plans. I have a feeling that Stashia will not go along with it, but Zoe is always ready for a new adventure.