Love Is Not Gifts And 'Maybe' Is A Very Long Word

 He had a beautiful home and a warm fire. He had a ranch that was bought and paid for. He had memories of what he considered a happy life and a few pictures. He haphazardly looked through an old photo album that his wife had left behind. "She had asked me for very little and that's exactly what I gave her. She wanted to travel, I wanted to make money and get rich. She wanted to go fishing and I told her we needed to stay on the ranch and take care of the horses. She told me one day that she had always dreamed of riding a motorcycle and seeing the country. I told her she was nuts; you could get killed on one of those things. After months of telling me that's all she wanted for Christmas I bought her one. We even had our picture taken on it and she had New Years cards made. She sent them out wishing everyone a happy New Year. He looked up on the wall and frowned when he saw her happy face. "A motorcycle wasn't really what she wanted. I guess she didn't want all the money and jewelry I gave her either. She wanted my attention and my company. I gave her an empty chair and half eaten meals because the mine and the ranch was more important to me than she was."

"I just didn't realize how rich I was with her as my wife. The mine wasn't my wealth, it was her love and her companionship. Now since she has left I am the poorest of the poor. I want nothing to do with this ranch anymore. I haven't listed it with a realtor yet, but I've let it be known that I'm done ranching."

The older man paid no attention to the weather on his television. There was a tornado warning out for his area. He had left a cigar burning on the coffee table that went unnoticed as his eyes burned with unshed tears. He had finally fallen asleep after many nights of pacing the floor at night and watching for her car coming down the driveway during the long and lonely days.

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Through the torrential rain and the bitter words that were screamed at each other in competition with the raging wind, Maddison and the man she loved to hate settled her horse and changed her tire. Her spare was worn and not capable of getting her far. There was no choice but to stay the night in the nearest motel.

She followed the dratted man slowly and ever so carefully until she saw his blinkers flash and his truck and trailer turn off the interstate. "Oh goodie. That looks like bed bug city. I can't believe he intends for me to stay in that horrible place. I'd rather stay in my truck. I will not do it!" However, she did pull into the parking lot and watched his stooped back fight the rain and walk through the office door. "Well, good for him. He can get eaten up for all I care." She was so cold and wet and for that matter she was starving! She hadn't eaten anything, but a candy bar for hours. "If he was half a man he would buy me  a can of soda, or some chips. But he's so selfish all he thinks about is himself. A skunk is always blank and white. They never ever change their colors. That's what he is; a skunk for sure."

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He was relieved to hear the clerk behind the desk tell him that there were two rooms left in his motel. He paid for them and turned around and looked out the window. The rain was coming down in sheets. It was all he could do to make out Maddie's truck and trailer. She would always be Maddie to him. She had been the love of his life, but chose his path of training and showing horses instead of being her husband. "I just wasn't ready to settle down, but she was. We each had our own dreams and paths to follow. Oh well, maybe we can be friends. This mishap might give us a chance to catch up on each other's lives. Maybe is a very long word sometimes, especially in Maddie's book." He shook his head and went to the door and waved at her to come in. Nothing. "Oh boy, that's Maddie for you. She'd rather stay out there with a tornado coming than come inside with me. Stubborn stubborn woman.! If she even thinks that I will go out there and force her to come inside she has another think coming!" With that he opened the door and ran out to Maddie's truck to do just that.

Maddie saw his hand on her window, but couldn't believe that he would brave the storm to come and get her. "No, go away. I'm staying out here. I'm not going to get eaten up with bed bugs or what else could be living in that place. No!"

Just then she felt the truck move and rock to one side.  Her door jerked open and she felt herself being dragged through the storm into safety. He really was her love even after all these years of being a jerk.

Marlee Wonders If Her Picture Will Be In Grandma Lu's Stories

 Marlee was looking at the pictures on her I Pad that Grandma Lu had put in the stories she had written. She would smile, frown, and sometimes laugh as she scrolled through the many adventures. Grandma Lu was nice, but she didn't get to see her very often any more. She was a big girl now and was in school. Grandma Lu, Joann, and Grandma B used to go out for lunch and have a good time, but like B told her; 'Things change as we get older.' Today she didn't have school. There was some kind of teacher meeting she thought.

Grandma Lu still wrote stories, but she wasn't in them all the time, just sometimes. Lately she was in pictures wearing her prairie dress. She loved that dress and so did Whitlee. Hers was pink and Whitlee's was yellow. She had worn that dress several times in the last couple of years. B told her that the latest story was in Texas. Supposedly she and her family had gone to Texas on vacation and her mom had accidently bought a horse ranch. "That would be fun. I like horses. Mom used to have a horse. I've seen pictures of me on it when I was a baby."

She heard Grandma B talking on the phone. Soon her grandma came in and said, "How would you like to go over to Grandma Lu's house? She asked if we could help her clean out some cupboards that she can't reach. It's hard for her to stoop over nowadays." Marlee grinned and said, "Sure!"

When they got to Grandma Lu's house she got a great big hug. It had been a long long time since they had seen each other. She and B got busy and grabbed up some cleaning rags and went to work on those bottom cupboards. It seemed like fun working along side her grandma, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Grandma Lu out on her porch cleaning. "Is it alright if I go see what Grandma Lu is doing? Maybe she needs my help out on the porch too." Grandma B grinned and said, "Sure. Go see if you can help. I'll be done here in a minute then I'll come out there too."

Well, it was about fifteen minutes and B was finished. She decided she'd better see what Marlee was up to. This is what she saw when she followed the sounds of giggles and laughter. Marlee and Grandma Lu were playing shuffleboard!

"Hmm, did you really need help cleaning cupboards, old friend, or did you just want a little company today? she grinned. That looks like fun, Marlee!"

After a little more shuffleboard they all had pizza and had a grand time. On the way home Marlee said, "That was so much fun! I wonder if Grandma Lu will put my picture in the stories playing shuffleboard." Grandma B said, "I wouldn't be a bit surprised, Marlee. Not a bit."

The house seemed awfully quiet after B and Marlee left. She mentioned it to her husband and said, "Yeah, they really livened the place up, didn't they? What's for supper?"

What do you mean? You just ate pizza! I'm going to go write for awhile. We'll figure out something for supper, but not quite yet. You go watch your tv. I'll be around in a bit."

"After their visit it's kind of hard to remember where I was at in the story. Oh yes, Madison had a blowout on her front tire and the weather was terrible. She was on her way to The Double D Ranch to see if it was still up for sale. It was in the '60s. Someone had stopped to help her. Someone she hadn't seen for many years and had hoped to never see again. Okay, I'd better see what I can do for those two. They both want the same thing; the ranch. Is it possible for them both to live their dream? You need to work at it sometimes, that's for sure. I definitely think that these two need a lot of work. Mercy, they are stubborn; the two of them! Let's see what I can do."

If It Wasn't For Bad Luck She Wouldn't Have Any Luck

 As Madison was driving she noticed some black clouds in the south. "I'm sure my luck will be that I'll be headed into a storm. I have my personal black cloud that follows me around just for the fun of it. I've got to quit thinking like that. I'm off to Texas to start a new life. I'm just hoping that the old man that used to own the Double D hasn't sold it yet."

She looked in the rear view mirror to check on the horse trailer. Cooter, and her love, her only love at the moment seemed to settle into the trip quite easily. That made her smile when she remembered the last time she had ridden him. What she really wanted to do was barrel racing. When she saw youngsters at the shows she always had this feeling that she would be a good teacher. "Yes, if I get the Double D that will be a large part of my life. I'd love to see the smiles and the sparkling eyes of the kids when they show their stuff; stuff that I can teach them."

Sure enough with each mile she drove the sky got darker. "Well, this is just great. I suppose I'd better find a place to stay the night. I'm not anxious to drive through a wicked looking storm today." She started looking for motels that were close to the highway and had large parking lots. Large drops started to splat on her windshield. "Come on, people. I have to find a place. I'm not looking forward to this at all!" About that time her truck veered to the right and at the same time she heard a loud bang. "No! I just blew a tire. How could this happen to me at the same time it's raining cats and dogs."

The sky had suddenly turned an odd shade of green and black with a wind that made her heavy truck seem like a child's toy. "Surely, there isn't going to be a tornado. No, no, no." She edged her truck and trailer over to the side of the road. Noticing that there was barely enough room to let traffic by her. "Cooter is going crazy back there. I've got to get out there and reassure him he is safe. I have to be good at this and make him believe me. This is going to take some doing." About that time a crack of thunder was so loud it made her ears ring. She noticed that it was getting colder too. Soon the hail hit her truck with a vengeance. She could hear Cooter in the trailer. He was scared to death. She could see the size of the hail stones were getting bigger and bigger. They were getting as big as golf balls so she couldn't get out of the truck yet. Just as her windshield cracked with the biggest hail stone she'd ever seen she could see a hand banging on the window and a black shadow.

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He saw the truck and trailer swerve and then pull over to the side of the road. "Pretty fancy driving there, fella. You picked a terrible time to have a blowout though. I'm really glad I threw an oil skin coat in the truck. You just never know what the weather is going to be like in Texas. As he got out of his truck he ducked his head and ran ahead and knocked on the driver's window. "Hey, can I help you out? It looks like your horse is in trouble back there." 

His words were lost in the raging wind and rain, but when he saw the driver turn to look at him his thoughts were lost as well. "No. I can't do this. Not again." He turned to leave.  She could just sit in the rain, but of course, he turned back. "Madison! Come on! Get back to my truck. Let's check on your horse first. I'll help you change your tire as soon as the storm lets up. Yes! No, now come on! You are just being stubborn like always. Here, get under my coat. Let's go! My horse is none too happy either. Let's move it, girl."

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"I'm going to look at that old book that Marlee bought at the auction. She seems like she's fascinated with it." Marlee's mom walked over to the chair by the lamp to look over the "treasure" that Marlee had bought at the auction. "I wish I had only spent two dollars at the auction. Oh well, it will soon be over and we can go back home. I'm getting tired of four of us living in this camper.  Let's see now. Oh wait a minute. This old picture looks a little like Marlee did when she was little. No wonder she loves this book.

 Who is this? It looks a little like the little girl at the cafe. Hmm. I wonder if this isn't an ancestry book of some sort. I think I will try to make out some of the entries. The writing is so faded with age it's hard to read."

"No way! This says that there is a silver mine on this property! Come look at this! We might be rich! And there's that little girl again sitting by what looks like an old mine! This is weird!"

As her husband walked over to look at the book he said, "Something just dropped out of that book. What is this?"

Two Hearts Broken; Two Hearts To Be Reunited

 Juliette had won enough awards to help him build up his savings account over the years. She was stubborn for sure, but she was made of strong stuff. She was not only beautiful, but produced a set of twins which was rare. He felt like the time was right to buy his own place. Dude ranches were becoming a popular vacation spot for rich people. He wondered if the Double D ranch was still in business. "I believe I'll take a little trip to Texas and see if the old man wants to sell. He was hurting for money the last time I was there. He sold Juliette to me for a song. Hopefully he will sell the ranch to me as well. I'd take Juliette with me. I can see it now. A Dude Ranch with music, trail rides, good food. If he sells it cheap enough I could buy some good horses. Yes, that's just what I'll do. I'll be raking in the dough and make a name for myself. I won't have to work hard like my brother does. Crazy guy. He's still working as hard as any ranch hand and for what? A dollar or two a day. Says he likes the wide open spaces and the stars in the sky. Stars in the sky. Stars don't pad your bank account, little brother. I have a feeling that yours needs a lot of padding. I'm not liking what I hear about your gambling either. Guess I'll get to packing. Maybe I can help my brother and myself in one trip." With those happy thoughts he walked out to the barn to tell his stubborn but beautiful horse the news. "Hey, filly. You and I are going to Texas to start a new life. Hopefully we can leave tomorrow."

Juliette listened to his plans for her and a new home. She shook her head and snorted. Then backed away and looked out the open barn door. "Hey, what's with you? I thought that you would love to show your stuff to those Texans. You have done a great job in Missouri. Come on. Let's go. You know you were born in Texas. That's where I first saw you and knew that you and I would be friends." He laughed and said, "Well, not at first we weren't You bucked me more times that I can count. Anyway we can start a whole new life and maybe you can find a handsome stallion that suits your fancy. What do you say? Huh?"

He smiled when she walked back and made a soft vibrating sound from her throat. He loved her sweet nickering. "Oh, now it sounds better, does it? You are something else. I'm going in the house and make some calls. If everything goes alright we will be on the road by noon tomorrow."

When he got in the house he got out his suitcase and went to put his scrapbook on the bottom. He had been saving her ribbons and programs for years. The last one he had put in the book was kind of loose. Then they all fell out.  He grinned when he saw it. "That was the day, girl. That was the day." He put his pocket watch in the bottom and shook his head. "No sad thoughts today. I thought I was going to marry that girl, but it just didn't work out." He saw the other programs and thought, "It's okay. We need to get a new start. I guess I'd better make that call first just to make sure this is not just a pipe dream."

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Madison had cried enough tears to float a boat; probably a battle ship. Her smile was tight and almost hurt her face as she finished her packing. It had been a few years, but the hurt never seemed to go away completely. She had been so young when she first met him. He was handsome and cocky and knew where he was going; to the top. That's what he always told her; to the top. Well, ducky, you made it to the top without me. Your filly meant more to you than I ever did. Once I realized that I should have parted ways, but no. I thought I could change you. I knew better and so did my mom. She tried to tell me about you. Funny thing about it, when I finally broke up with you, you didn't understand why."

 She finished packing her last suitcase. She was headed for Texas. There was a ranch there called the Double D. that she had heard was up for sale. She had done well for herself in the arena on several levels. It was time for her to settle down and do something with her life that would make other folks happy. Dude ranches were becoming the thing that drew people from the east; rich people. Even the political big wigs were going to them. "Aww look at this. Oh my gosh I was so little. That must have been  my very first pony. Teddy. She smiled as she read the writing on the back of the old photo. Maddie's first pony, Teddie. 27" Maddie 18 months old. Wow,  He was only twenty-seven inches tall. We were about the same size. I think I can remember him when I was older. We were best buddies." She turned the photo over in her hands and thought, " I was a cute little thing wasn't I?" 

She looked on her night stand and stared at the young man that broke her heart. "Okay, woman, enough is enough." She picked up the picture and put it in a drawer. "Another day, duckie. Not another day if I have my way about it."

As she sat in her bedroom chair she remembered the horses and the fun. She hoped that someday she could bring joy to another little girl just like she had had growing up. Yes, she needed to buy that ranch if at all possible. As she sat in her chair her memories took her to a place they always did when she allowed them to. She once again was a young girl on a farm with a horse to show and dreams to make come true and they did for the most part; except for him...

The Dust Bowl Years

 The heat and dirt seemed to not only seep through the cracks in the old house, but in her eyes, nose and in her hair. Sometimes it would get in her mouth. She had taken old dish towels and soaked them in dishwater then wrung them out with her chapped hands. She wearily tugged them into the corners or her windows where calk used to keep out the weather. The damp towels helped to keep the dust out, but some always seemed to get in. She couldn't afford to buy new calk. She couldn't afford anything. The job of keeping the fine dirt out of her house was never ending. Only in her dreams at night did she remember the green grass and flowers that bloomed in the spring. Flowers. When was the last time she had seen the red, yellow and orange zinnias that she would plant every year? It seemed forever. "I wish just for a minute that I could walk outside and draw a breath of fresh air. I've heard tell of folks getting dust pneumonia from this dirt. I sure don't need that." She had taken a short break that morning even though it was already hot to see if there was any water at all left in the creek. Not to her surprise she had seen that the leaves lay in the creek bottom; brown crisps of nature's folly. Soon they would be ready to fly with the next gust of wind. "I wonder if I will live to see my boys grown. I wonder if this will ever end. They call it the Dust Bowl. I call it the Devil's work. Preacher says not to think or say things like that, but what am I to think? My love died trying to work this land. He dug a well only to have it dry up. I don't think I can go on much longer. When she got back to the house she picked up her old journal that she had written in since she was a child and simply wrote, "Not much longer. I am sick of heart and soul and body. I worry about my boys."

The Double D was in trouble. The heat and the dust was hard on the horses. The hands had to keep them in the barn to keep the flying dirt out of their eyes and nostrils. Feed for the horses was scarce. The owner was thinking of selling out. "How am I going to keep these animals fed? Yes the mine is full of silver, but I need water to mine it. I still have some water in my wells. I had the foresight to dig them deep, but only God knows how long this drought will last. For now, I think I will sell that filly. She looks like she's going to be a good horse for someone that wants to work with her. She's a little stubborn and not worth my time.

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His mother had been gone for several years now. He and his brother had sold the little farm after she had died. Thousands of people died during those terrible years and over two million folks were homeless. Wheat, oats, and corn crops were cut in half because of the lack of rain. The brothers had different ways of thinking. One was a cattle man and had made a life for himself working his way up to foreman on a cattle ranch next to the Double D Dude Ranch. He was saving for his own ranch. J smiled when he remembered his brother when he was a boy. I worked for the Double D long enough to save enough money to buy the filly from the old man. In those days I felt like I had made it big time. I was eighteen and on my own. I had a horse, a little house and a two stall barn that I rented for thirty dollars a month. Life was good.

 I was determined not to end up like Ma and Pa did. They worked their fingers to the bone and for what? Nothing, that's what. Not me. Horses can be your living or your worst best friend.  Oh how I remember that little filly I bought. She threw me every time she got a chance. I even named her Juliet after a pretty young gal that turned me down every time I asked her to the movies. She was stubborn, willful, but beautiful. She was my ticket. My ticket to a way of life that was nothing like the way I grew up. I'll never forget going to the American Royal in Kansas City, Missouri. I think I was about twenty or a little older. It might have cost me a couple of bucks to enter. but my beautiful American Saddlebred won ribbon after ribbon and several awards.

  Marlee smiled in her sleep as she dreamed of the boy that was at the fair. It was a really big fair. There were horses and cattle and lots of good food to eat.    He looked like he was a little bit older than she was, but he was wearing a cowboy hat and looked like to her he was having a birthday party. She smiled at him and he smiled back. Then he waved for her to come over and have a piece of cake. 

Marlee's mom and dad checked on Marlee before they went to bed. Marlee's dad whispered, "I wonder what she is smiling about? She's probably planning her next adventure or her next prank on Whitlee. "I would like to take a look at that book of hers. It might be interesting reading. She does love those old pictures."                                       

She said, "You can't make a livin' dreamin'"

 Times were hard, but the young boy couldn't help but dream his dreams. The Great Depression seemed to make everyone he knew poor and somehow mad at the world. But he wasn't thinking about money or people. He was thinking about a horse. Someday he would own a horse. He knew if he worked hard enough he would, he just knew it. His mom had gotten him and his brother each a new shirt. They were cautioned to keep them clean because the money she spent on them would be the last until she could find another job doing laundry or cleaning another house. If she was lucky enough to find another job she'd have to add it to the already long list of chores she had signed on to do for the townsfolks. She was a single mom with two boys that seemed like were always hungry. She ignored her own belly growling and set to fixing a meal of potatoes and tomatoes. That was all that was left in the cellar. When she had canned and preserved all the vegetables from her tiny garden that she could she knew that the years' long drought had left her with little to feed her boys. She looked out her kitchen window and saw them sitting on the fence. "Dreamin' their dreams again. Lands, I don't understand them. They are so much like their father was and his father. Dreamers! You can't make a livin' dreamin'. It takes work and lots of it. How can I make them boys understand. A hungry belly should do it, but I can't take away their only pleasure; food. What little I got, I'll give 'em. I do so love those boys, dreamers or not."

"What ya thinkin' about Jay? Ma said we shouldn't be dreamin' about stuff. She said no good would come of it. 'member? I know you want a horse, but you know doggone well there isn't hardly enough food for the three of us let alone a horse. You and me gonna have to help ma with the food. I'm gonna see if the neighbor will hire me on to work with his cattle. Me and cattle seem to get along good. Come on let's cut some wood for ma. Maybe we could even wash up after supper. She's lookin' kind of tired lately."

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After supper Marlee went to her room to look at the old book that seemed to always make her happy. She couldn't understand it, but looking at the old pictures made her smile. When she picked it up she saw some things drop onto the floor. She picked them up and saw that one was a red ribbon. "Hmm, this looks like a prize ribbon I've seen at fairs and carnivals. I wonder who got this. What is this? It looks like some kind of an old paper. I can't wait until I can read good. I'm going to have to ask mom or dad to read this to me. Wait. This is a really big acorn. Weird. Who would save an acorn? I don't think it would have been in the book. I wonder where it came from."

When Marlee picked it up she saw tiny little sprinkles of lights and could smell the smell of animals and smoke and cooking meat. She felt herself grinning and she felt so very happy. She almost felt like a queen or a princess. She laid down on her bed and looked through her precious book. Soon Marlee was dreaming that she was at some kind of  fair.  A Royal fair with horses and cattle and really good barbeque like her daddy makes. She couldn't wait to see the horses. She needed to go see the horses! She knew that there was a boy waiting for her. It's in the book. I know it's in the book," she thought as she closed her eyes and joined the crowd at the American Royal in Kansas City in 1932.

That Old Book Felt Like Magic

 When the two little girls, both named Marlee looked up they saw their mother's faces. One looked stern, the other had a tiny lift on one corner of her bottom lip. "I think we shouldn't giggle any more, My mom has a mad face." "You are probably right, Marlee whispered back. My mom was in a hurry and I forgot to get her a loaf of bread. "I'm sorry Mom. I'll go get the bread right now. Bye, Marlee." She got up and started to push her cart away. Her mother looked at the other lady and said, "Your daughter's name is Marlee? So is mine! That name is fairly rare. I chose that name just because of that." "So did I!" They smiled and both ladies looked at their two daughters. The two little girls didn't know exactly what to expect when one of the ladies said, "Well, I'd better get going. My husband and Marlee's little sister are waiting for me out at the Double D campground." The other lady said, "I know what you mean. I need to get home too. I have a little boy that's hungry. Of course, he's always hungry, she laughed. Wait a minute. Did you say the Double D campground? You aren't by any chance the lady that bought the Double D at the auction a few weeks ago are you? You know, you are kind of famous around these parts."

Marlee's mom shook her head and said, "I'm afraid I am. However, I don't think it will be long before we are going to be able to go back home and get our life back to normal. At least that's what the lawyer told us last week. It was nice meeting you, but we really need to get going."

On the way home Marlee's mom said, "That was kind of neat wasn't it? I am so surprised that you met a little girl who has the same name as you have and is exactly almost to the day the same age as you. Are you  still carrying around that old book? Why do you like it so much, Marlee?"

"I just really like the old pictures in it, Mom. I can't read the writing in it, but it's fun to look at the pictures. I feel good every time I open it up. It's kind of s strange feeling. It's almost like magic. I just know I have to have it with me all the time for some reason." Her mom smiled and said, "That's cool. It has survived many many years and an auction and then that man almost stole it out of the car. I wonder if they ever caught that guy. I heard that he was seen out at the sunflower field at the edge of town. Oh well. I'm glad you like your book. That was two dollars well spent wasn't it?" 

On the way home from the grocery store Marlee's mom said, "Well, you had some fun at the grocery store, didn't you? It's not every day that you meet someone to have fun with while you are supposed to be helping me shop, she laughed. So what all did you talk about except what kind of candy you both liked? Hey, are you asleep? Well, go ahead and take a short nap. We need to get home and get busy making supper. Kyler will attack us when we get home. That boy is always hungry."

Marlee didn't hear her mom because she was dreaming of being a ballerina and unicorns and chickens. Oh yes, her great great grandmother, Allie, had chickens at the Double D Ranch. She saw the pictures in an old book that other new to town Marlee showed to her at the grocery store. She looked a little bit like her...

It All Started In The Candy Aisle

 Marlee and her family had been living in the camper for about three weeks. It was close quarters for four people even though the camper was a big one. Marlee noticed that sometimes her mom and dad were kind of grouchy and so was her sister! She was really grouchy. She constantly wanted to go home. Marlee missed her home too, but the ranch was big and had lots of  cool places and things to see.  She loved the horses and other animals that lived there. Her mom had accidentally bought the ranch at an auction, but soon they would leave to go back home, at least that's what she had been told. Her parents talked a lot about lawyers and paperwork; stuff she didn't understand. Marlee was six years old now and knew that school was starting in just a few days. She really wanted to go back home to be with her friends that she had made in pre-school last year. She hoped all of her friends would be in kindergarten with her too.

She heard her mom say that she was going into town to get some groceries. So Marlee hurried out to the car to go along. She kind of liked the little town that was not too far from the ranch. She had met some girls about her age at the auction and at the cafe. They had invited her to have ice cream with them not too long ago. Grocery shopping used to be fun, but they didn't have a big refrigerator or freezer in the camper so they had to buy small amounts of things more often.

When they got to the grocery store Marlee's mom asked her to get a small basket and look for some bananas and three other things that she and Whitlee would like for snacks. She and Whitlee were going to take a bigger cart and pick up some meat and other larger items. Marlee found the fruit aisle and was about to put some bananas in her basket when her phone rang. It was her mom. "Marlee, please pick up a loaf of bread for me. I'm way on the other side of the store. I'll meet you up front in just a few minutes."

Marlee had passed by the bread aisle when she was looking for the bananas. She quickly turned around and ran right into another little girl that was pushing a grocery cart. "Oh, I am so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going. Are you okay?"

"The other little girl laughed and said, "Oh sure. I'm the one that was rushing around the store. My mom is waiting for me." Marlee said, "So is mine." The other girl said, "My name is Marlee, what's yours? I haven't seen you in here before." Marlee said, "My name is Marlee too! I don't know anyone named Marlee. I"m six years old and soon will be going to Kindergarten." Marlee said, "I'm six years old too! My birthday is in August." Marlee said, "My birthday is in August too!" Marlee said, "We are living in a camper on the Double D Ranch then we are going home." Marlee said, "We live in a small town, but my grandparents live on a farm. My brother and I love it there." They both giggled and that's where their moms found them several minutes later; giggling and comparing likes and dislikes in the candy aisle. They both had completely forgotten their moms. but would soon discover they had more in common than they knew.

Marlee's Life Was Busy While Grandma Lu Was On Vacation

 Grandma Lu opened the door with a big smile on her face. "Well, my goodness, Marlee. I had no idea you were coming over. Does Grandma B know you are here? Oh good. I'll be glad to see her. Well, come on in. How about a cookie? Great. Now sit down and tell me all about what's been going on in your life while Fran and I were on vacation.  I knew you were going to have your tonsils out. How did that go? Oh, well that happens, but your sore throat is all better now, isn't it? Just think you hopefully won't get sore throats and sick any more. You know my little girl was only four years old when she had hers out. That's been over fifty years ago. Time sure flies by. I can remember that day like it was yesterday. Would you like a glass of water with that cookie? Great.

 No I haven't started another story yet. I've been busy unloading the camper and getting things put away. Sure, I don't see why I couldn't add your picture to a story. That will make it a good memory for you. I still have my daughter's certificate that says she is a member of the Tonsils out club. I probably keep things too long, but they are fun to look at.

Did you and Whitlee go to the Fall Festival? I heard that it was a good one. Your daddy had men sign up for a beard contest? I bet that was fun. Did you go on rides? They are fun aren't they? Did your friends go too? Hopefully, Grandma B has some pictures to show me when she gets here. Oh I see her coming down the sidewalk now.

Grandma Lu gave her friend a big hug and told her to sit while she got her a cup of coffee and a cookie. "So tell me everything that's been going on since I left. Marlee told me a lot about her tonsillectomy and the festival. Oh good. I love pictures. Let me see.

Look at Paisley's funnel cake! Oh my. Those are my very favorite. The float is wonderful. Lady Tigers  celebrating their one hundred fifty years. Imagine that!

This is the month and also next month for fall festivals all over the place! You know Stockton had it's annual Walnut Festival too. I think it was the 62nd. I'm not for sure. But they had beautiful weather. Margaret had her boys there. She sent me a picture. Just a minute. There. They are getting so big too. They looked like they had a ball watching the parade.

You know Marlee, there is another little girl whose name is Marlee in my stories. You might have seen her picture. Her little brother just had his tonsils and adenoids out too. He is doing very well. You kids are tough. He especially likes slushies!

B look. Face painting is a thing isn't it? I don't ever remember face painting when my kids were little. Look this is Regan and here's Myla. It looks like fun.

You know, Marlee, I've been thinking. When I was little and even when I was a grownup there never was anyone I knew with the same name as mine. There aren't very many Marlees either. I think it would be fun to put you and the other Marlee in the same town in Texas. What do you think? She gave Marlee a hug and laughed, "My name hasn't always been Grandma Lu. My real first name is LuAnne. I was named after my two grandmothers.  I'm just about ready to start writing again. Okay. I think next week the two Marlee's just might meet each other in a grocery store. Grocery stores are always a fun place to meet new people. Maybe they will end up being friends. Okay then. How about another cookie? Don't mind if I do.

Grandma Lu Strolls Down Her Own Memory Lane

 Grandma Lu looked lovingly at her computer and whispered, "Not yet. We still have a lot of unloading of the camper to do. Mercy it takes a lot to load and unload a camper. But I sure do love it. It's just like a little house that we can take anywhere we want to. The high school reunion was such fun and of course, I got to see probably for the last time my home town of Cherokee, Iowa. Cherokee has changed a great deal since I was young, not for the best in my opinion. It still was fun to look at the main street and "see" my old hangouts like the Soda Grille and Penny's. So many places are gone, but my memories are still pretty fresh even at my age. She looked at her phone laying on the end table and said, "Okay, just for a minute. I took a lot of pictures, but probably not enough. Oh yes, the very last picture I took. Just look at the fog hovering over Spring Lake the morning that we left the camp ground. It was beautiful with the sun shining and Fran and I nice and warm in our new warm clothes. We had forgotten that Iowa and South Dakota sometimes gets a might chilly this time of year. So we did a bit of shopping; also included were Bing candy bars. The very best treat only made in Iowa!

She smiled as she thought of her time there with her friends from school and a life time friend and her husband. Of course, there has to be hiccups along the way to make memories. Oh yes, there were hiccups. No Wi fi at least not enough to run anything but this little phone. No television, no I Pads. I realized how addicted I had become to the technical world and wasn't happy about that. Of course, after grilling steaks with friends we soon found out we had no hot water! Yes that was a bill I wasn't expecting, but so very happy my little town had a RV repair shop that made house calls. I guess in our new camper the water heater needs to be plugged in! That was an expensive Oops.

There were so many memories that swirled about the cemetery as I decorated my family's graves. I remember the 'no excuse to miss Decoration Day' when I was a teenager. It was a given that we remember those who paved the way for us and that we respect their legacy. That is a tradition that is difficult to do now because of the miles and our ages.

Then on to South Dakota. We took backroads all the way from Cherokee to Flandreau, South Dakota. Oh how I loved it. This little town reminded me of this, and that little town reminded me of that. I was constantly giving Fran a personal history lesson for three hours. He didn't even mind, because he had never been there before. He got to see buffalo grazing in the fields as well as pipestone showing its cream and pink crowns as it had done for centuries. He had no knowledge of that of course, so I proceeded to teach and tell story after story. The Pipestone rock is soft and can only be "harvested" by American Indians that are enrolled in a tribe recognized by the U.S. government. The pink stone is believed by some to represent the blood of their ancestors and that the  land is a sacred place to all tribes. The smoke from the pipes these folks carve from pipestone is believed to carry their prayers to the heavens. Oh there's my Mike standing by the rushing water and pipestone rocks. That was taken about four years ago.

Oh how I remember the house we bought in Flandreau. It had pipestone dust all over the walls and floors. American Indians had lived there before us and made their prayer pipes there. It was not easy to wash away. It took a lot of family members to help clean before it could be painted.

There's pictures of Carolyn and Gary. We hadn't seen each other for so many years. The last time was at my children's father's funeral, but like she said it seemed like yesterday. We laughed and reminisced the hours away. Oh how good the banana sour cream cake was that she had made for Gary's birthday. I must get that recipe.

Then trip to another cemetery to decorate my late husband's grave. I whispered, "This is only goodbye for now."

On the way back home we took the interstate. The memories I had for those roads were of going to Sioux Falls shopping while the guys watched their football games. There were hurried trips back and forth to Sioux Falls or to see my family in Sioux City, Iowa to celebrate holidays or in times of illness. Mainly my only thoughts of those trips was to keep my speed within the 80 MPH speed limit. Oh I did find myself going a bit over occasionally. She chuckled to herself when she thought of the "boat" of a car that would go as fast as she wanted it to.

 I caught myself frequently looking through Fran's window thinking that we were driving parallel to those old back roads that held so many memories for me. It was a bittersweet trip for sure. 

As Grandma Lu put her phone down she looked at one last picture and grinned. "Not too many people can say they attended their sixtieth high school reunion in their home town. A town that her ancestors helped to settle so many years ago. It was such fun, but now it's time to sweep out the camper and plan next year's trip."

As she got out her broom and dustpan she heard a knock on the door. One of her favorite little girls had come to visit!

Grandma Lu Reminisces And Pats Her Computer Goodbye For Awhile

 "That little girl isn't my real granddaughter, but I worry about her like she is. She will be just fine, but she's so little." She shook her head as she headed back to her computer. She saw the cowboy hat laying on the chair and grinned. "I have such fun writing stories for Marlee and now her little sister. Of course, over the years she has had lots of children and grownups join her in her adventures. It's been such  fun. And Marleewood! Now that was the perfect place for making friends, getting your hair done and even your picture taken. Marlee had her own cooking show there. It had a huge community room where her friends and parents and grandparents would sometimes listen to Grandma Lu tell stories. Oh and the parties they had! The best room that it had though was the Quiet Room. Oh what a perfect place. A place with a bay window, book shelves and of course, an easy chair to just rest and unwind. Oh how I loved Marleewood. However, things change, the world changes as well as the people. Folks get old and children grow up, just look at Marlee. She was sixteen months old and in a stroller for her first story. Since then she has been on one adventure after another. Now she is starting a new adventure of her own, not one that I write for her. She's in school now and she will make friends and together they will have their own stories to share. 

Grandma Lu sat down in front of her computer and thought, "I really don't have time to write another chapter for Marlee today. Fran is anxious to get the camper ready for our trip. I guess I am too. It will be such fun to go see the "kids" I graduated from high school with over sixty years ago. I can't forget to put my year books in the camper." 

She went to the cupboard where she kept her year books and her ancient scrapbooks and grinned. "Not a wrinkle on that eighteen year old face in those days. Oh well, I'm sure my classmates have a few wrinkles too."

"Okay computer. I'll be back in a couple of weeks and we will get back to the Next Generation on the Double D Dude Ranch." She shut her computer down, patted  the edge of her desk and thought, "Okay, old girl. Get packin'. You just might have an adventure of your own!"