The Talent Scout Watched And Learned

The talent scout sat in the back watching and listening to the children and adults that had gathered to hear Grandma Lu tell a story. She noticed that the furniture was mismatched and old, but very clean. There were some paintings on the wall and some children's drawings.  The wallpaper was old and worn. Some of the children were playing "dress up" in fun outfits. She noticed, however, that they were watching Grandma Lu going through the books until she found the one she was looking for. The one about alpacas. They all had smiles on their faces.

When Grandma Lu sat down the children and the grownups got quiet and waited for her to start to tell a story. But she didn't. She said, "Guess what? We are going to have some fun today. We are going to play like we are alpacas. Here is a picture of some alpacas and the man who takes care of them. He is called a herder. These alpacas live far far away in a country called Peru. It is in South America. We live in North America so if we looked on a big globe or round map you would see that it would take a long long time to get there. We would have to take an airplane to go that far. It is over three thousand miles. But even though we took an airplane it would still take almost a whole day."

"Does anyone see mountains or very high hills in the picture? These alpacas live in a mountain range called the Andes.

 Did you know that they can hum? How many of you can hum?"
Not very many raised their hands. Grandma Lu chuckled and said, "Okay here are some clean combs and some waxed paper. Cover your combs with the waxed paper, put it in your mouth and go 'hummm.' Does it sound funny? Does it tickle your mouth?"
Marlee and Orion laughed and said, "That was silly," Grandma Lu."
Grandma Lu chuckled and said, "But it was fun, wasn't it? Learning is so much fun. I always think we should learn something new every day."

The talent scout and Grandma Lu both heard a strange humming  sound coming from the far corner. Grandma Lu laughed and said, "Okay okay. You can quit humming now." (It was her husband.)
 Grownups like to have fun with the stories too, don't they?

                                                          *******
This is a video that I got from YouTube that has a young 6 month old alpaca humming. Anderson Family Farms told me that every time they try to catch their
alpacas humming they quit because they think it is time to eat. They are such fun.

The Storm Coat

The talent scout drove her car into the parking lot and watched people go in the back door. There wasn't a crowd, just some grownups and children all talking and smiling.
"Why on earth aren't they going in the front door? I am going in the front door like regular people do."
When she opened the front door a little girl greeted her and said, "Hi, I am Marlee. Did you come to hear Grandma Lu tell a story? I can show you where she is. I can't stay very long today because I have a dance lesson. I want to hear about alpacas first then I have to leave. I think there are some snacks. Just help yourself." (That's what my Grandma B always tells people. 'Just help yourself.')

Marlee pointed to the trays of cookies and snacks and went into the Sitting Room to listen to Grandma Lu.

 "Hello, everyone. I am Grandma Lu to those of you that haven't been here before, welcome! I love to tell stories and I just happen to have one today about me when I was a little girl."

Just as she was getting comfortable in her easy chair with an old quilt for her lap a little child said, "Did you have wrinkles when you were a little girl?" Oh how that made Grandma Lu laugh. "No, I didn't get them until after I got old. Okay, I'm going to tell you about a coat I got when I was about nine years old called a Storm Coat."
 Charlie put her fingers to her lips to let everyone know to be quiet while Grandma Lu told her story.

"When I was a little girl we lived on a farm. Our winters were very cold. We lived in a state called Iowa. We had lots of snow in the winter time. I had a little green coat that I just loved. It had snow pants to match it. I didn't like the snow pants much because I had to take them off when I got to school. It was so much trouble because first I had to take my coat and hat off, then I had to hang it up on a hook. Then I had to take my snow boots off and put them on the floor under my coat, then I finally had to take off my snow pants. In those days, little girls didn't wear jeans or pants so my dress would get all wrinkled from getting stuffed into those silly old  snow pants."

"Just like all children do I grew and grew and finally I had to have a new coat. Oh I hated the thought of getting a new coat, but the fact was my green coat was just getting too small."

My mother and father took me to town to buy a new coat. They didn't have any pretty colors like my green coat. All they had were dull tan coats with brown stuff for a lining. It had a big brown fur collar. I looked like a round furry ball. I was so unhappy. I didn't even want to go to school I was so upset."

Our farm house was a long ways from where the school bus stopped to pick up my little brother and I. Sometimes if it was really bad my parents let us stay home. In those days there was no means of communication like we have nowadays. We had no television or cellphones.  If we were really lucky my father would drive the quarter mile driveway and let us wait for the bus in the car. That didn't happen very often because he was extremely busy feeding and milking the cows."

"One day my little brother and I had to walk the long long driveway to meet the school bus. Oh I can still remember how bundled up we were. We had hats, heavy mittens and scarves, but it was still so very cold. My little brother was shivering and shaking so I opened up my coat and closed it around him to keep him out of the wind. It was so much warmer. We were snug as a bug in a rug. My little brother is all grown up now, but he still reminds me of those days."

Now guess what the lining of my coat was made out of? It was alpaca fiber.
Does anyone know what an alpaca is or looks like? Well, I will get out a book and we will look together and learn all about alpacas.

Where In The World Is Marleeworld

Needless to say the talent scout was disappointed that she wasn't allowed to pitch the sale of a movie to a talent agency about the Anderson Family Farm. However, she did take Mrs. Anderson's advice and traveled back into Marlee's small hometown to see if she could find Marleewood. Mrs. Anderson had told her that it was close by where Mrs.Owens had lived. She smiled when she remembered Mrs. Owens. She was the self-professed historian of this little town.

She did know a lot of the history and had made little booklets with pictures and stories as well as some history that needed to be remembered for generations to come. "Now there was a famous woman," she thought.

After driving around and around trying to find Marleewood she stopped at the local cafe and asked, "Where in the world is Marleewood?" She was answered with a smile and was told, "That's easy. It's where Grandma Lu tells stories and where Marlee and her family and friends hang out. They have great snacks that Grandma B makes. It has a lot of special rooms and most of all they have a place to be safe and happy and learn how to be kind to one another."

"They have lots of parties and if you want to learn how to cook there is always someone there to help you learn. If you are feeling a little bit down and out you will always find someone there to give you a hug and a smile. One of the fun things they do is play dress up. They have so much fun there."

"We have been hearing that Grandma Lu is there now. I think that she will be telling them about how alpacas kept her warm when she was just a little girl in Iowa. You should go listen. She tells fun stories and wears funny hats. She's a little bit forgetful sometimes. She has a terrible sweet tooth, but the most important thing about her is that she always has time to listen as well as talk. Yes, you should go to Marleewood. It's just up the street. Oh one more thing. She has a terrible allergy to cats, so don't take a cat in with you. That's okay. You will like her. She should be in the Sitting Room in her easy chair with a favorite quilt on it."

The talent scout went out to her car thinking, "I don't have a clue where I'm going. 'Just up the street.' What kind of directions are those? I haven't been here in years. She started her car, rolled down the window and pulled out into the street. There were no other cars which she wasn't used to. In Hollywood the traffic was terrible. She could actually hear the birds sing and children laughing in this little town. She continued to drive down the street and then she saw it; Marleewood. She knew it had to be Marleewood. It was decorated with pumpkins and mums and children and adults were outside in the yard heading for the back door. They all had smiles on their faces. "Why is everyone smiling? Surely not everyone is happy."

She Said No Movie

The three friends had been walking around the farm while they told the story of Donk and Abilene. They missed them, but they had built up the number of animal friends a lot in the last few years. They had a lot of goats that they enjoyed. Some of them were mini goats. One they showed Cheryl was a little stinker. His name was Frost because he was born on a cold winter day. He like to head-but them during feeding time or any time he decided to have a little fun. He would go after the feed in the bucket as well as the hay. Their dog, Mika, loved the alpacas and goats too. They had been friends since he was a puppy.

Cheryl enjoyed the goats and the alpacas, especially Butters, the cream colored alpaca, but she still felt some nostalgia when she saw an old old picnic table out in the yard that was overgrown with grass and trees. She had fond memories of that picnic table when she was a child. Such wonderful memories.
 Oh and they still had some old farm machinery too." Oh those bring back such fond memories for me," she thought.

She suddenly had a great idea. "You guys! You could be famous. The story about Donk.  All of these wonderful animals, my memories, your memories. I could sell this to a movie production company. I just know I could. We all would make lots and lots of money. We could be famous!"

About that time they looked over by the fence. The brother's grandmother was feeding some little goats. Oh she loved them. Sometimes she held them on her lap and enjoyed their company. She was a good friend to them and they to her.

Mrs. Anderson heard what the young woman had said and shook her head. "Oh my goodness. We are famous in our own right. We are good friends with our neighbors. Everyone waves and smiles when they see us in town. They call us by name and invite us into their homes for coffee sometimes. We do the same. We always welcome visitors to our family farm to come and meet our animals. But no movie, my dear. However, you are welcome to write a story about our farm if you would like. Maybe some people would read it. Maybe it would even get published and eventually wind up in our library where Sharon works."

 "Oh I would like that. You could use some pictures of our animals. Maybe a children's story. Yes, I think it would make a nice children's story. We are so glad you came back to visit us, my dear. Oh by the way, I just got a telephone call from Grandma Lu. She is telling the children at Marleewood all about alpacas and explaining something very important to them as well. You might want to pay them a visit. They are right across the street from where Mary Owens used to live. Remember her?"

They Were Just Passing Through

Tony and David had been watching their friend sitting in the driveway looking all around her. David said, "She is really surprised at how the farm has changed isn't she? It has been many years since we have seen her, but she will always be our friend regardless how far away she lives. Let's go get a hug and show her where to park her car."

They did just that. They laughed and walked and talked about all of the changes that had been made since she had been there. They were about to go in the house for something cool to drink when their friend happened to think about the donkey. So she asked them where he was. Well, it happened to be that he no longer was at the farm, but there was a story about Donk. The brothers said that he had come from a very famous line of donkeys or at least they would like to think so.
Cheryl, the talent scout, said, "No, I heard a donkey bray when I first drove in the driveway. I know I did."
The brothers gave each other a knowing look and proceeded to tell their friend that when they were remodeling some pens they had found some old papers. Among them was an old old book. They told her the story.

                                DONK: A Good Friend Just Passing Through

Many many years ago there lived a very old man who lived far far away on a little farm. He lived all by himself and was very lonely. His only friends were books. He loved to read and had read so many books that his little house was full of them. He had books on some shelves. He had books on his table and he had books in his bedroom. He even had books out on his porch.

Even though he was an old man he loved to read all kinds of books. He read history books, fun stories that weren't true that were called novels. He read children's books and his Bible. He could make believe that he could travel all over the world and even see people that were very famous.
 Once he even read about Queen Victoria of England. Oh she lived many many years ago, but one thing he always smiled about was that when she was just a little girl she had a favorite uncle. He gave her a little donkey. Oh she loved that donkey his name was Dickey. Even when she got really old she had donkeys pull her about London in her carriage.

The old man was sad because he didn't have any pets at all. He didn't even have a friendly mouse that he could feed and talk to.

One day he was reading his Bible. Since it was close to the holidays he thought that he might read the Christmas Story. He was reading about Mary riding a donkey into Bethlehem the night that her baby was born.

"My goodness, there are so many donkeys in my books. I would love to have a donkey. I have lots of grass that he could eat. I would brush him and give him some apple slices every day for a treat. I have two apple trees in my back yard. I could sing to him and tell him my thoughts every day. I'm sure that we would be very good friends. I really need a friend because I am very old and lonely."
That night when the old man said his prayers before he went to bed he asked the Lord to bless him with a friend that he could love. He thanked him for all of his blessings that he had been given throughout his many years and went to sleep.

The next day when the old man woke up he looked and looked for an animal to be his friend and pet. Every day for many weeks he would look; he found no animal for a friend.

One day when he woke up he heard a loud noise in the yard. It was not a dog, it was not a cat or a mouse. It was a donkey. The noise they make is called braying. Many people laugh and say, 'Hee Haw' to make their sound.
Oh the old man was so very happy. At long last he had a friend. He named him Donk because he couldn't think of a fancy name.  He sang to him and fed him apple slices. He even read books to his new friend.

One day the old man told his donkey that he wasn't feeling well. He said that he needed to go live with his daughter and couldn't take him with him, but he knew that the neighbor man had lots of hay and a lady that would feed him apple slices.
The next morning the old man left to live with his daughter. The donkey missed his friend so much. He was getting old too, but he took his friend's advice and walked slowly over to a broken down fence. He carefully stepped over it and found that there were some buildings that he could stay in and keep warm. It was just like the Christmas story that the old man had read to him. One of them looked like a stable.
The next morning he found that there were very nice people that lived on the farm. They gave him good hay and fresh water to drink. One day there was even a lady that gave him some apple slices.

While he was at the farm he made some new friends. He knew that he was just passing through, but it was nice to have someone to visit with. There were alpacas and goats and a dog or two.  One day a baby alpaca was born. The baby was so little. Donk, watched the humans care for the baby. He saw some worry in their eyes. He walked over to it and softly whispered in it's ear, "It's okay, little one. I am just passing through.  Would you like to go with me to a beautiful new place?"
Abilene, the baby alpaca, gave Donk a small smile and said, "I will go first and find a new home for us. Is that okay with you, my friend?"

Donk and the baby alpaca made plans that soon they would leave. They knew exactly where they were going. An old man that lived on the edge of the city needed a friend or two. The word was that his daughter had married and moved away. But that was alright. He knew that while he was on his travels he would meet two friends; one old and one new. They were just passing through.

Memories Can Make You Sad And Glad

As the talent scout pulled into the Anderson Farm driveway everything looked strange to her. This was not what she remembered as a child when she visited here. The house and the outbuildings were modern and painted. There were no dairy cows here anymore, at least not that she could see. She saw cattle, goats and animals that resembled llamas. Maybe they were alpacas. She had seen pictures of them, but had never seen them in person. Things had changed that's for sure. She felt a little sad. She suddenly missed the old days.

She closed her eyes and could see in her mind the way it used to be when she was young. The buildings were completely different in those days. She and her cousin, Emma, would go out to the farm and visit. They would make apple pies and have so much fun while they were learning.

She could just see the fireplace in the kitchen. Actually it was one big room. The fireplace heated the living room and kitchen and a big bedroom. They used to cook on it too. That's what they used to call it; a cook stove. Oh my that was a long time ago. She smiled when she thought of the wet mittens that always hung above that old wood stove in the winter. When they would play outside in the snow they would get wet. Her grandma would hang them on little pegs of wood to dry.

She drove the car a little further up the old gravel road and could almost see herself playing in the timber.

She grinned to herself when she remembered how she and her old Uncle Darrell played in the yard. It seemed like that old pup, Herc, was always by his feet. He was a good old dog. They had had so much fun. He used to tell her stories about all kinds of things he did when he was little that made her laugh. "I have a feeling he was a hand full, " she thought.

A loud noise like the braying of a donkey startled her. Was there a donkey out in the farm yard? "Hmm, I think I remember David and Tony telling me a story about that donkey. If I remember right they sent me some pictures of him. He has a funny name. Donk. How cute is that? She went to her pictures on her phone and found a video of the old donkey.

I'll have to find those two and get them to tell me the story of how that donkey came to be on their farm.

Hollywood Fever In Marlee's Hometown

Hollywood fever was running high around Marlee's small hometown. Even some grownups even though they wouldn't admit it were thinking how fun it would be to be a movie actor or actress. Kaysyn had not given up hope and neither had Charlie. Charlie even had started driving around with sunglasses on just in case she was seen by the talent scout that she had heard was heading their way.

Savannah and Marlee, Brandon, and Emma were still hopeful too. A group of friends at the local cafe were having fun with it too. They all wore Hollywood style hats and sunglasses just in case they were "discovered" by the talent scout.








Little did the folks in Marlee's hometown know that the talent scout had actually stopped in their city park. She had taken a wrong turn and needed to stop and check her directions. It had been a long time since she had visited. She saw the pretty trees, flowers and falling leaves and thought to herself, "Hey, girl, you are on vacation you have no where to be at a certain time. My friends are expecting me today
but not at an exact time.





















The lady walked towards one of the tables in what was called a pavilion or shelter and noticed something orange and white sticking out of the grass. She stooped over and grinned. "Look at this. I have heard of folks painting rocks and leaving them for folks to find. I wonder where this one is from." She turned it over and there was Arieanna's name on the back of it. "
"I wonder who she is and where she lives. This is a wonderful souvenir for me to keep. It will always remind me of my vacation when I look at it. I may put it someplace back home and someone else can find it. I'll have to decide. I really want to keep it for awhile. I will leave one here for someone else to find and enjoy. Such fun. I don't usually have time to have fun..."

If the talent scout had stopped just a few minutes earlier she would have seen Arieanna put the painted rocks in the grass on her way to the Halloween party at Marleewood.

It was time to leave the park and get out to the farm. She discovered she was only about a mile away. She was anxious to see the old place. She had made happy memories there years ago when she was just a small child.