Skeeter's Wooden Nickel Tea Room

While Stashia had been listening to Marlee's secret, but she also had heard chattering of both humans and a pesky squirrel outside. Oh she wanted Marlee to leave the room so she could get at that squirrel. He had always given her so much trouble. This time was different though. This time the squirrel almost sounded like he was laughing. "I'm getting old I guess. Since he isn't bothering and teasing me today,  I will just go have a nap."

Skeeter, the chattering squirrel, was the owner of a very what some folks call "shady or not very nice," business. Long ago he had started Skeeter's Wooden Nickel Tea Room in a hollowed out old tree that he had discovered close by Grandma B's house.

 He would invite other animals in for his food and tea and charge them a huge amount of sunflower seeds, berries, acorns,and other juicy morsels for him to eat or store away for his winter food. Rabbits and skunks and chipmunks were so easy to trick. In return he would give them bad food and plain water. If they complained about the service he would give them a wooden nickel. He told them that they could trade those wooden nickels for valuable things that other animals would trade for. Needless to say, Skeeter had handed out many many wooden nickels because he got lots of complaints. He had a lot of food stored and wasn't out much because those wooden nickels weren't worth anything at all. Once in a great while humans would find his tea room. He hated that because they expected something to eat that humans liked, like sandwiches and cupcakes and lemonade. He would try to get them to leave as quickly as possible by giving them sunflower seeds and honey. He was such a naughty squirrel, wasn't he?

One day two ladies that were best friends for a very long time decided that they would go out for the day. They planned to go shopping and then go to a tea room for lunch. When Katie left her home to pick up her friend, Melissa, her family said, "Don't take any wooden nickels!" Everyone laughed and they went on their way.

They had a wonderful day. They found lots of bargains. They both decided that they would search for a new tea room for their lunch; somewhere they had never been. They loved to eat at new places. As they were walking Katie looked down and said, "Oh, you are not going to believe this; I just found a wooden nickel." They both looked at it and shook their heads and chuckled. They hadn't seen a wooden nickel for years and years.  She picked it up and put it in her purse to show her family. They walked to the car and started looking for a fun little Tea Room.

 It seemed like they had driven quite awhile when Katie said, "Oh oh. I think a tire just went flat. I'm going to pull over and take a look." Sure enough one of her tires had gone flat. The friends got to work and changed the tire. As they were getting ready to get in the car they noticed a sign that said, "Skeeter's Wooden Nickel Tea Room." They looked ahead and saw an old hollowed out tree. They started to giggle and Katie said, "Well, are you game? I've got a wooden nickel." Oh they laughed. It seemed to them that this was just the kind of adventure they were looking for today. They walked over an old bridge deep into the timber. There in front of them was the tea room.

When they walked in the tiny door they felt like they were in the Alice In Wonderland story. It was very small and so were the tables. A pretty little hostess came to greet them and said,  "Hello, my name is Riley. Would you like a table for two?"

Marlee Has A Secret

Marlee was so excited! She had a secret. She was beside herself. She needed to tell somebody, but she couldn't because you can't tell secrets. Then she remembered Stashia, her Grandma B's big old wrinkled dog. Stashia was her first and best friend; she could tell Stashia anything. She and Stashia had been sharing secrets for a long time. They had shared treats, gone through potty training, and gotten into trouble many times throughout the years. Marlee had even talked Stashia out of running away once when Grandma B had scolded her for knocking down her curtain rods. Those pesky squirrels were the cause of that. It was certainly not Stashia's fault.

Stashia had gotten lost during a blizzard trying to save Marlee's life as well as going with her to strike it rich panning for gold.

Then Marlee and her family went on a long long vacation and left her home. She got so lonesome for that little girl. She would sit on the porch and wait and wait hoping that she and Grandma B would soon come home.

Stashia made a noise in her throat when she remembered that Marlee had this great idea of going on a hot air balloon to find the magic apple.

She "dog grinned" remembering Marlee's job interview. "That had been something. She always wanted to make money. What she got was ice cream. I can't fault the girl for that."

Marlee had gone on an exciting Pirate Adventure too. Stashia loved her little pirate outfit and her gorgeous princess picture. "Someday there will be another story about that," Stashia thought.

Stashia sighed and thought, "Then Grandma B had the brilliant idea of getting cats and a goat. I thought for awhile that Marlee loved them more than me. But she still loves me. I see her coming to me now with a big smile on her face. She has some mischief on her mind or a new adventure I'm not sure which. Well, bring it on, Little One. Am I going to get into trouble again?"

Marlee was giggling and was so excited. She finally said, "Okay, Stashia, I'm going to tell you a secret, but you can't tell anyone, okay?"
Stashia thought, "Like who do you think I'm going to tell?"
Marlee leaned over and whispered in Stashia's ear, "I am going to have a tea party for my birthday tomorrow. Isn't that going to be fun?"

Stashia laid her head down and thought, "I know I won't get to go to the party, but you have fun. I'll keep the house safe and sound for you, but bring me back some treats, okay?"

The Hired Hand Getting Pushed Out Of The Hayloft Was Only A Rumor

"Well we lived in the state of Iowa. Oh it was a cold place in the winter and a hot place in the summer because in those days we had no air conditioning. I was four years old before we even had a fan. I can remember my mother talking about that fan for years when she was telling stories. She always said that it saved her life it was so hot that summer.

Well, Bonnie and I didn't always get into trouble. It was said that someone pushed the hired hand out the hayloft that summer, but I think that was just a rumor..

Bonnie and I grew up so differently and far away from each other throughout the years. I lived in South Dakota and then to Missouri. She remained in Iowa. We kept in touch with each other but sometimes it was a long time in between talks.
We always knew where the other one lived. It seemed like Bonnie was always there when I needed her though.

We grew up, went to school. We got married, had some hard times, but we also had lots of fun times.

We had our pictures taken, had children, and worked hard at different jobs and suddenly discovered that we had grandchildren. All at once we found that we were not only grandmothers, but our grandchildren had babies. So then we were great grandmothers. Oh the years flew by.

It seemed like as we grew older people started taking our pictures more. They wanted to remember us having fun. However, when we were young our parents couldn't afford to have our pictures taken. There were no cell phones then. You had to pay to have your picture taken or made in those days.

Grandma Lu got out her phone and showed Marlee a picture of her and her cousin's Grandmother Johnson. Bonnie looks just like she did. She had brown eyes and brown hair too.

I can remember sending this picture to Bonnie one day. She said, "Oh my goodness, we do look alike don't we?"

  My husband and I traveled a long way to go see Bonnie Jean's family last week. They were all going to get together to remember and honor her.

On the way there we stopped at a rest area and I saw something that I think you should see. This is called a pay phone. You can't take it anywhere. You have to put money in it to talk on it. I took a picture of it so you could see what I used to talk on when I wasn't at home. Do you notice that there isn't a telephone book? If you want to call someone you have to know their number.

Bonnie Jean and I had planned on seeing each other in May. There was terrible flooding of the roads, so our trip was postponed. On our way there we saw that the fields were still flooded. So much rain and ruined crops in the fields. We saw many houses that were still surrounded by flood waters.

She has gone to a different place now so I can't visit with her anymore, but I can look at all the fun pictures and read the stories that she was in. She has a huge family that can tell her fun stories to their children. She will always be remembered. Her life from beginning to end was full of adventures both real and make believe. She has now started on an equally exciting adventure that we can only imagine.

One of the things that she was known to say frequently was, "I love you to the moon and back." She said that to me also. But on July 16, 2019 I had been very sick. In a comment Bonnie said to me, "Girl, you got this. I love you to the moon..."

Bonnie Jean Haralson
December 14, 1944-August 4, 2019

Grandma Lu Tells On Herself

"Oh, Grandma Lu, I didn't think that you were ever bad. You are too old to be bad," said Marlee. Grandma Lu chuckled and said, "You are absolutely right. I was never bad; I was the perfect child!" Grandma B started choking on her coffee and spewed coffee all over her lap. "I can't believe you just said that Grandma Lu. There is no way that you were good all the time."

Some grownups had walked into the Sitting Room and were listening to the stories that Grandma Lu was telling about her cousin, Bonnie Jean. They laughed too, because they knew that none of us are perfect. Everyone gets into mischief at one time or another.

"Well, I thought I was perfect, I'll have you know," huffed Grandma Lu. I'm going to tell this story now, so quit your laughing so I can tell this."

"Well, one time when we were about eight or nine, Bonnie Jean's mama got really sick and so was her daddy. Uncle Roy brought Bonnie Jean and her little brother, Jim, out to the farm to stay for awhile. Well, I had never had anyone to play with really. My brother, Keith, was four years younger and my sister was twelve years older, so by the time that Bonnie Jean and her family came to the farm, she had left home to be in nursing school.

My mama had a really big freezer called a Cold Spot. It was about six feet long and held lots of food. In 1955 it cost over $400 so you can imagine how much money that was to my parents. I can remember my daddy selling a cow to get money to buy things. We had a few head of cattle that were out in the field that he didn't milk.

My mother also dressed chickens to sell; she sold eggs and also pints of heavy whipping cream. They sold what milk we didn't need to a dairy. I can remember my mama putting a dozen cinnamon rolls on a paper plate, wrapped them in waxed paper and put a tag on them that said, $.35. Just think, thirty five cents for twelve big cinnamon rolls.

"Well it so happened that my mama and all the rest of the grownups were not in the house one day. Bonnie Jean used to tell this story, but I don't believe a word of it to this day. She said that my mama had made trays and trays of orange cookies with frosting on them to sell to the grocery store. Personally I think they were applesauce cookies with frosting on them. She said that we ate all the frosting off the top of the cookies."
Grandma Lu let out a gasp and covered her mouth with both hands. Oh Grandma B and the other grownups laughed. "You knew you and your cousin did that, didn't you, Grandma Lu? So you really weren't the perfect child after all."
Then Grandma Lu had to laugh at herself. "No I wasn't the perfect child at all I'm afraid. I had my days of getting into mischief just like the rest of you."

(Grandma Lu's brother, Keith was quietly sitting in the corner grinning typing on his computer. He was taking notes to tell his children that his sister wasn't perfect like she always told them she was.)

Grandma Lu took out her phone and said, "Here is a picture of the two of us when we were about two or three, just about your age, Marlee. I looked like my dad and Bonnie Jean looked just like hers. We both had bows in our hair just like you wear. My mama made what she called "long curls" for my hair. She wrapped my hair around her finger in the morning and she said it stayed like that all day."

Someone asked Grandma Lu where she lived when she was a little girl. That started another story.

A Day At Bonnie's House When Grandma Lu Was Five Years Old

After they had their yummy peach crisp, they decided to go into the Sitting Room. Grandma Lu stretched and cuddled up to her quilt that was always on her easy chair. Marlee and her friends, Finnley and Avery had come in also. They just sat quietly while Grandma Lu was telling Marlee and Grandma B about her cousin, Bonnie. Soon Grandma Lu started to chuckle while she was remembering things and said, "Oh we were so different. Our parents raised us almost like only children because we were so far apart in years from our brothers and sisters. I'm afraid we were a bit selfish and didn't want to share with other children."

Marlee said, "I know how to share. I even share with Stashia." Oh how they laughed. Grandma B laughed and said, "And the horses have to share their treats with you don't they?" Then everyone laughed because Marlee loves to eat the horses treats.

Soon Savannah came into the Sitting Room with her parents. Everyone sat down and listened to Grandma Lu tell them about when she was just a little girl. It was hard to imagine her being little like they were.

"When we were little the cars weren't very dependable. They would break down on the road sometimes. My Uncle Roy, my cousin's daddy, was a mechanic and could fix cars really well; my daddy watched him." The grown ups laughed. "We didn't have air conditioning in our cars or houses. The cars would overheat sometimes so we would always have to carry jugs of water in the car in case we needed to add water. Any way we didn't get to go to Sioux City to visit very often, but when we did it was fun.

"We were very poor. I didn't have very many toys. I can remember only having two dolls. I loved to read so I had books that I got at the library. I got my first library card when I was seven years old. I still have it. And I took piano lessons."

Marlee said, "Only two dolls? I have a whole bunch of them. The other children nodded and said, "Yes, me too."

When we went to my cousin's house it was so interesting to me. My first memory of going there was when I was five years old. They lived in a basement house. That is a house that is built under ground with just part of it showing above the ground. My parents had lived in a basement house too for years. The basement houses were cool in the summertime and warm in the winter.

 Bonnie had a toy wringer washing machine. Her mama even let her put water in it to wash doll clothes. I didn't have any doll clothes except the ones on my doll. Bonnie had lots of clothes for her doll. It had a little crank on it. If you turned the crank it would make the tiny agitator go swish swish and wash the clothes. Then she put the little clothes in-between the rollers to squeeze the water out of them. I was absolutely fascinated. My mama had a big one just like it only it was run by kerosene. Well, Bonnie wouldn't let me play with it. I couldn't understand this person at all."

 "On that same day I looked up from the floor we were sitting on and saw a lady walking in the living room whom they all called Vernie. Oh, she had on a skirt and blouse and penny loafers. Her shoes had pennies in them! My mama always wore house dresses and plain shoes and ankle socks except for church on Sundays. Vernie was my Aunt Nellie's sister. (Bonnie's aunt.) She has white hair now and lives pretty close to me out in the country."

"The last thing that I remember about that day was squeezing a bag of margarine. Oh, it was over seventy years ago now, but I can still see Bonnie squeezing this bag of white stuff. She wouldn't let me help squeeze it. Oh I wanted to do it so bad. She got yelled at for not sharing the bag with me so I got to do it a little bit. (I can remember getting a "mad look" from my mama.) See  inside the bag was a capsule like a big pill. Inside the capsule was yellow liquid. The more you squeezed the bag the more yellow it became."

On the farm my daddy milked cows. My mama separated the cream from the milk. Then she churned the milk with a paddle and made our butter. I still have that paddle that she squeezed the buttermilk away from the butter. It was a lot of work. Then she put it in dishes that she called Refrigerator Dishes. The lids made a pretty picture on top of the butter.  It wasn't very yellow but that was the only kind of butter I had even known.

Marlee asked, "Did your cousin, Bonnie, ever come to your house in the country?"
Grandma Lu laughed and said, "She sure did. Mercy, we got into trouble, but none of it was ever my fault.....

Some People Called Her Bon Bon

When Grandma B and Marlee drove into the Marleewood parking lot they saw Grandma Lu's car parked there. Marlee said, "Oh good, Grandma Lu is here. She's been gone for awhile, I need a hug." Grandma B chuckled and said, "You know what, I do too. It will be good to see her."
They walked inside, but they didn't see Grandma Lu. "Where is she?" Marlee asked.

Grandma B smiled and said, "I have a feeling she is in the Quiet Room. She had a long trip and may just need a place where she can think and be quiet for awhile. Let's just go out in the kitchen and I'll make a pot of coffee. You know I made a peach crisp I brought along. Let's pop it in the oven. It will make the kitchen smell so good. You know Grandma Lu; she loves a snack. She will be glad to see you too."

In a little while Grandma Lu came out to the kitchen grinning. "Oh, I smell something heavenly. What did you bake, B? Well, hi there, Miss Marlee. I need a hug, do you have an extra one for me today?"

Of course, Marlee gave Grandma Lu a big hug. "Were you in the Quiet Room, Grandma Lu? How did you get in there?"
Grandma Lu said, "Yes, I sure was. I needed a place to think about things where there was no television or noise for awhile."

Marlee said, "Well, how did you get in there? The doors to Marleewood were locked."
Grandma Lu said, "Oh, I guess you didn't know, Marlee. When we designed the Quiet Room we had five key cards made. They just slip in a little box on the door and it opens up. When you you leave, you put the cards back in the box so someone else can use the room. It works really well. Today I put the card back in the box and used the door that goes into the Sitting Room to get into Marleewood.

Grandma B dished up some warm peach crisp and poured some coffee for the grownups and Marlee asked for some sweet tea.
Because Marlee was very curious she asked Grandma Lu what she was thinking about while she was in there.

Grandma Lu said, "Well when I was just a little girl my Aunt and Uncle had a little baby girl just a few months after I was born. They named her Bonnie Jean. You have even seen pictures of her, Marlee. I told about her in some of the stories. Remember she got stuck in the Lost and Found closet. Oh that was so funny."

"One of the names people call her is Bon Bon." Marlee laughed and said, "Some people call my Grandma B 'Bon Bon' too!"

 Grandma Lu chuckled and winked at Marlee and said, "Well, Bonnie Jean and I lived in different places pretty far apart for those days. We didn't get to see each other very often. I lived in the country and she lived in the city. My daddy had cows to milk and my mama baked things for the grocery store. She made lots of cakes, cinnamon rolls, and dozens of cookies to sell. She had her picture in the newspaper once when I was a little girl. Would you like to see it? I have it on my phone." Marlee nodded her head and Grandma B came around the table and looked at the picture.

Grandma B said, "Oh, she had a KitchenAid mixer!' I didn't know they made them when you were a little girl."
Grandma Lu laughed and said, "I know, but they started making those mixers in 1919. Can you even believe it?"

"My mom started having a lot of pain in her shoulder from kneading so much bread dough, so she had to buy this big mixer even though it cost a lot of money. She used the money that she made baking for the store and people to send my sister, Rosie, to nursing school."

Marlee said, "But what did Bon Bon have to do with your mama's baking stuff?"
"Oh my goodness that is quite the story, Miss Marlee. There is so much to tell. Do you want to hear about when I was a little girl on the farm?"
They both answered, "Yes I do!"

The Rescue

Marlee was about to wake up because her dream was so scary. She thought, "Boy, I can't take much more of this dream. I think I had better wake up."
 She had dropped the harp on the way down the beanstalk and she could hear the harp cry out, "Help me please, help me!" Marlee didn't know what to do, save herself, or save the harp. If she saved the harp maybe they both would fall or get caught by the mean old giant.

Arieanna

Suddenly she saw a very tall man looking up at her. "Hey there, Miss Marlee, could you use a little help getting down from there?"

Arieanna said, "Well, I don't know about Marlee, but I sure could use a little help. I've been sitting up here in this tree a long long time waiting for Marlee to get back down here. She was playing on the jungle gym and I was climbing trees. She has been up there a long time."

Maddie

Maddie said, "Yes, you can help me down too! I've been waiting and waiting just like Arieanna. I'm pretty big though, maybe I can get down by myself."

Emma said, "Thank you very much for helping me swing, Mr. Tall Man. That was fun!"

Marlee

Emma

The tall man looked up into the tree and grinned. He reached down and picked up his old straw hat and said, "Okay girls, give me your hands and I will help you down." Then he grinned at Emma and said, "You are very welcome Miss Emma, it was my pleasure." He tipped his straw hat at Emma's mama and walked down the street whistling a happy tune.


The tall man first helped Marlee down and then he helped the other girls down. Everyone was safe. They said, "Thank you!"

Pretty soon Marlee felt someone shaking her. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. She was in a nice soft bed at Marleewood. Grandma B said. "Hurry up, Sleepy Head, we have to get back to the Mini Farm now. We have lots of work to do in the garden. The beans are ready to be picked. It's going to be hot pretty soon if we don't hurry."

Marlee couldn't believe her ears. She was going to have to work in the hot sun picking beans? After all she had gone through in her dream she still had to work. "Oh well, I guess I had better go help Grandma B. She cooks those beans really good."

And that is exactly what Marlee did.

Lucy and her friend were hiding in what was left of the beanstalk after it had been chopped down by the Tall Man. They had been watching all of the excitement. They had seen her being brave and rescuing the giant's harp. They had seen all of the money she had given her mama. They stopped Marlee and said, "Wow, you rescued a magic harp! We heard you even got a hen that laid golden eggs. Can you help us do that too?"

Marlee grinned and said, "Sure, all you have to do is plant one of these magic beans. I have only one left. It will give you everything you ever wanted and then some. Good luck."