Story A Bunch of Wild Thyme
- Thread starter Kathy in FL
- Start date
Chapter LXXI
“What ya doing?”
I turned to find Jude leaning on my bedroom door. “I thought you were going to try and get some stuff done?”
“Did it. Bored. So … what ya doing?”
I rolled my eyes. “You remember what my mom used to do whenever she heard anyone say they were bored?”
He smiled slightly. “Yeah. Even I wasn’t dumb enough to say it around Aunt Malissa more than once. Clewis took a few times beyond that but eventually even he learned to hold his tongue. So … you gonna tell me what ya doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?”
“Spinning a web with all that string.”
“Oh for .. it isn’t string, it’s yarn. And I’m not spinning, I’m sorting; this skein just came undone in the box somehow. I’m trying to figure out whether to sort the yarn by texture, by type, or by color.”
“You sound like Aunt Malissa.”
“Ugh. Not about this. I like things organized but I’m not quite as manic about it as Mom was. She would have sorted by all three. Ick. I’ll be honest, she wouldn’t have had so much organizing to do if she hadn’t been addicted to sales on craft supplies and material or those estate sales and auctions she liked to go to. We’ve got enough here to stock our own store.” Then I sighed. “I’ve got such a mess still to go through. It’s an organized mess but still. And I don’t know where I’m going to put it all.”
“It’ll get done when it gets done. Look, got a question for you.” I looked at him as if to say so ask already. “You got any plans for Christmas? They’re going nuts down at the house trying to figure out what to do.”
“I didn’t think Uncle Roe let that stuff in the house.”
Jude shrugged. “Last couple of years he’s kinda backed off. He even hung around once Travis and Trent got old enough to notice such things. He don’t like things to get too wound up or too much money to be spent but he doesn’t throw a fit and do the ‘damn the commercialism of the season’ speech anymore. So do you have any plans or not?”
“I was going to bake a ham and do some fixings for it. I’ve got something for each of the kids I’ve found and have hidden away. None of it will be new but it will be new to them.”
“I can bring in a tree.”
I squelched my automatic refusal. “Ok.”
He sensed my reluctance and said, “Come out here and sit with me for a minute. I wanna talk.”
“No lectures Jude. I … I can’t handle any more today.”
“I know Sweetheart and since I didn’t say it before I’ll say it now … thanks for going easy on Dad. You didn’t have to but you did and even he doesn’t know it I do. So no lectures but I do wanna talk.”
I figured it was sooner or later so I just followed him out. I blinked at how bright the lamp was when he turned it on. “You shouldn’t be working in so much dark. You’re going to ruin your eyes.”
I responded, “The firelight was fine for what I was doing.”
“Sure it was,” he said a little sarcastically. “You know you could take that wind up lamp in there with you.”
I shook my head. “My room is on the front of the house. Light that bright could draw attention at night.”
“Mebbe so but you still need more light to work with. I’ll see if I can’t think of some kind of reflector. I think I saw a couple of mirrors inst amongst that mess in the attic. Now sit here with me where it is warm.”
Not giving him time to ask too many questions I said, “Jude … it’s … it’s complicated. And hard to explain. Don’t get all over me for it.”
“Paulie didn’t have any trouble explaining. I got it out of him when you avoided your birthday. Knew there had to be something to it; when I found out I didn’t say anything. But now I am. Your … your mother wasn’t quite … well, she wasn’t real stable right then. I’m guessing you protected Paulie from a lot of it but he still sensed that things weren’t right. I’m guessing Dad doesn’t know how bad they were either. You’re a private little thing when you put your mind to it.”
A little protectively I said, “It wasn’t Mom’s fault.”
“I never said it was Sweetheart.”
“She didn’t even remember she did it most of the time, it was like she just fuzzed out and then picked up as if nothing had happened; but every holiday that came after Dad and the boys … you know … she would got a little … little … It was just bad. We had always been flexible with the holidays, waiting until Dad was home or doing them a little early if he had to leave. I tried to do stuff for Paulie but it was just really hard. She’d still sense it and … and really nose dive. She would have worked her way out of it eventually; she even tried for Paulie’s last birthday before she … before she died. There just wasn’t time and at the medical facilities it was just plain hell Jude. Any kind of religious stuff was absolutely forbidden and that meant most of the holidays. Their reasoning was that the populations at the facilities was always so diverse but to be honest I just think some of the staff were plain mean and maybe even sadistic. And holidays mark time passing. They never liked people to ask how much longer they were going to be in quarantine or protective custody or whatever they were calling it. So, I don’t know, maybe I’m just out of the habit.”
“That’s bull and you know it. You got the crap beat out of you at that medical facility by those women because you had a little secret Christmas party for the kids you were taking care of. They didn’t like it because you were being Christian. You know what I’m talking about.”
“Oh Lord,” I whispered horrified. “I told the kids I fell down the stairs. How did they know?”
“Tiffany heard some of the women talking about it when she was getting her blood drawn. Heard you gave as good as you got and they were all for leaving you alone from that point onward. She told Paulie who asked some of the older kids. They told him not to say nothin’ about it because you’d get in trouble. Wanna explain why you would get in trouble when they’re the ones that started it? That part I don’t understand.”
Looking into the fire, remembering, I told him, “I’d already gotten in trouble several times already. Some of the adults could be … could be kinda crazy … and vicious. There never was enough of anything to go around. The kids that had a parent or relative to look out for them did OK but my kids … or kids like my kids … it could be dangerous. It was like living in a prison – or a mental health hospital – and all the psychological stuff that affects people in places like that. The adults would steal our food, our toiletries, shoes, clothes, other belongings … even if it was no use to them they’d take it to trade it for something that they did want. I took to wearing my backpack all the time, even when I slept there for a while. When I got to sleep. I kept us all in the same room and shoved all the mattresses together and since the doors didn’t lock … someone had to keep them safe. The staff didn’t care what we did so long as the rooms were back to being neat and tidy in the morning for inspection. Someone in security finally got a compassion bone – shipped a lot of the kids out to relatives if they still had any that would take them or put them in foster care since people were hollering for kids and Double Negatives were very desirable. Those few that were left they segregated as far away from everyone else as possible. That had its pros and cons. We had privacy but we were also far away from security. The few times people tried something I did whatever it was I had to to keep them from getting the kids. So that brought me some trouble. The biggest trouble though was when Ol’ Hatchet – what we all called least stellar example of doctorhood we had to deal with – found out I was keeping track of the kids’ birthdays and tried to make that date special for them. Basically I was told if they caught me breaking the rules again – and apparently birthdays are religious to somebody so nobody could do them – that they would take the kids from me. I didn’t listen but kept things even quieter. The kids didn’t mind. The place was taking a toll on them too just like it was everyone else, even the staff.”
“So … if you had complained about the beating and they found out why …”
“Yeah. But that’s not the reason I don’t make a big deal of holidays and stuff. I’m just … I’m worried about doing the wrong thing. I have no idea what the background of the other kids are. Bobby … well he’s easy and doesn’t make a fuss. I don’t think he got a lot of stuff like that in foster care and seemed surprised that I would try and do it when it caused me trouble. Tiffany and Mimi, I’m not sure. She doesn’t like a ruckus and the few times I tried to get her to talk about what they used to do she clammed up and didn’t want to talk about it. I think she might have lived with an extended family under one roof … or at least one of her grams lived with them. They might have had money, I’m not sure. Some of the things she has let out makes it sound like it. It’s like she doesn’t want to remember or has chosen just to let it go or something. Mimi doesn’t remember at all … her only memories seem to be from shortly before they became part of our group. There is the bad before and then she was with us … that’s the best she could explain it when I tried to tease it out of her. Tiff used ask to see the pictures in their files every once in a while but she started asking less and less. I asked her when we got here if she wanted me to find a frame or book for them so she could look at them all the time and she said no. Just the one word and she hasn’t asked to see them since. Lonnie is about like Mimi. He just stopped talking about his family a little bit at a time. Corey is so little I doubt he really has any memories of before the medical facilities. He was a little baby when he was taken in and isn’t quite much more than that now. I used to try to get them to talk so they could remember … so I could write things down for them … but they fought me tooth and nail sometimes. I probably should have made them anyway, now it’s too late, and I’m scared I’m going to really ruin them.”
“Why? People who get adopted start new lives and it don’t seem to ruin them.”
“Different circumstances.”
“Not that much. Remember them kids they used to have on those commercials on TV? Them kids would get adopted from places where they were starving and poor and abused. You used to see pictures of kids stacked like cordwood in these foreign orphanages that needed good homes and people to adopt them.”
“I don’t want to replace their parents Jude. Paulie and I would never have let anyone try and replace Mom and Dad. I just want to love on them and try and make their lives as good as I can.”
“Is that why you have all of them call you Dovie instead of Momma?”
I rolled my eyes. “Now wouldn’t that confuse them all to pieces.”
“Maybe not. If that’s the way you want it then fine, I don’t see that hurting them either. But you ain’t gonna destroy ‘em by trying to give them happy memories Dovie. That’s what you want to do, or so you say.”
“Of course that’s what I want!”
“Then just do it. Give ‘em some holiday. Let ‘em know you care enough to take the risk … for them and for yourself.”
I gave him a disgruntled look. “Don’t psychoanalyze me.”
“I’m trying not to. I just wanna understand and help.”
“You do.” I sighed but it was more like I was girding my loins rather than a sigh of sadness. “You’re … you’re right. I’ll give it a try. I just hope they don’t think … I don’t know … I don’t want to replace their good memories, just want them to have more good memories.”
“Then tell ‘em that. Paulie and Tiff will understand and the younger ones will eventually. The holidays are for celebrating. We’re alive … uh … I mean … gosh dang it. I’m sorry Dovie, that didn’t come out right.”
I smiled softly and kissed his cheek. “It came out just fine. I know what you mean. And you’re right. I guess celebrating that we’re alive isn’t the same thing as being happy that other people aren’t.”
He pulled me close and I laid my head on his shoulder. “No it doesn’t Sweetheart.” We sat there quietly for a few moments then he said, “I’ve made something for each of the youngins … ours came first and I’m almost finished with something for those down at the main house. Wanna see?”
“Sure.”
I followed him to his room but he stopped me on the threshold and then got a box out of the chifferobe where I put his clean clothes. Bringing it over he said, “It ain’t much but I figure it’ll fit in the toe of a stocking if we hang ‘em on the fireplace.”
When he opened the box I said, “Oh Jude.”
“Aw don’t. I told you they ain’t much. Just you’re always callin’ ‘em your sheep. They get a kick out of it, ‘specially the little ones when they make that baa noise. So I carved ‘em a sheep and put their names on ‘em. I colored’ em with walnut stain. I know Paulie and Tiff might be a little old for it but …” he shrugged. “I figure I can settle up with Paulie when he needs a pocket knife or something – I got a couple of spare ones that he can take his pick of – and maybe you can do something for Tiff.”
Looking at him and finding out yet another new thing about him I said, “You’re pretty smart at this.”
He shrugged a little bashfully. “I just figured … you know.”
“I know,” I told him giving him a hug. He put the box back and we’d just sat down when I jumped up again. “Snap!”
“What?!” he asked surprised at my sudden upset.
“Do … do you think all of them are going to expect something? I don’t mean … I mean … Oh Lord …”
“Relax,” he said pulling me back down on the sofa. “Dad already laid down the law. He said everyone should focus on the kids. If couples wanna do something for each other then they do it in private and not say nothin’.”
I went limp in relief. “It’s not that I don’t want to but I don’t see how to pull it off … except maybe …”
“Put a brake on them wheels … you’re making smoke,” he said with a chuckle. “Dad doesn’t even expect the houses to get together. It’s to be a quiet day. Some celebrating like a good meal but other than that …” He stopped shrugging.
“Hmmm. About like when we would come here to visit at Christmas time then. We kept to ourselves and y’all did your thing. Most of you were off going to parties and everything on Christmas Eve anyway and then sleeping in on Christmas Day unless there was church.”
“Yeah, sounds about right.” I was able to finally relax and then Jude said, “Dovie?”
“Hmm?”
“I … I’d …” he sighed and it sounded real disappointed. “All of the money I’ve made needs to go to the taxes. I hadn’t counted on this forced day off and the couple of days we were sent home early. There’s no cushion at all. I was hoping there would be a little something left over. I can’t even get you a new hair clip or a package of bobby pins or nothin’.”
“Oh Jude,” I said kissing his cheek. “I don’t need anything. I’m not a little kid that is waiting around for presents.”
“No you’re a young woman that should be able to expect her man to give her nice things. And I can’t. I … I can’t even … Dovie I wanna give you a ring but …”
I blushed. And I felt funny in the pit of my stomach. “We haven’t talked about that yet.”
“Haven’t we?” he asked a little grumpy.
“Well, maybe a little. But talked about waiting a little bit too. And get your face all out of you belt buckle. It isn’t because of money or anything else. I just wanna make sure I’m the right person for you.”
“Shouldn’t that be the other way around.”
“No,” I told him. “I like you just the way you are and I don’t want to mess things up for you and make you wish to start drinking again. I’m … I’m just a little messed up Jude. The holiday thing is just some of it. I’m … I’m still finding my feet and getting comfortable … or stable if you want to say it a different way.”
“Now that I can understand. I still get up every morning and have to remind myself to take it one day at a time. It’s been easier since you and them kids got here. I got more reason but I can’t use you to be the only reason. So … just so long as you know what my intentions are. Suppose we would have to wait anyway. There’s lots that is gonna start happening after the beginning of the year … or so it seems.”
That last phrase was to draw my attention away from the correlation between the beginning of the New Year and that new man taking over. I let it pass; Mom always did when Dad had said something about his work and regretted it. “Will you be done with the expansion by then? By the beginning of the new year?”
“We better or there’s going to be heck to pay. They have us working in all kinds of weather. Speaking of, I better make sure the fire up in the kids’ room is banked for the night and then we both better get some rest.”
I was dozing lightly on the sofa when Jude came down the stairs carrying Corey. “Dovie, he’s hot as a firecracker and breathing funny.”
“What ya doing?”
I turned to find Jude leaning on my bedroom door. “I thought you were going to try and get some stuff done?”
“Did it. Bored. So … what ya doing?”
I rolled my eyes. “You remember what my mom used to do whenever she heard anyone say they were bored?”
He smiled slightly. “Yeah. Even I wasn’t dumb enough to say it around Aunt Malissa more than once. Clewis took a few times beyond that but eventually even he learned to hold his tongue. So … you gonna tell me what ya doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?”
“Spinning a web with all that string.”
“Oh for .. it isn’t string, it’s yarn. And I’m not spinning, I’m sorting; this skein just came undone in the box somehow. I’m trying to figure out whether to sort the yarn by texture, by type, or by color.”
“You sound like Aunt Malissa.”
“Ugh. Not about this. I like things organized but I’m not quite as manic about it as Mom was. She would have sorted by all three. Ick. I’ll be honest, she wouldn’t have had so much organizing to do if she hadn’t been addicted to sales on craft supplies and material or those estate sales and auctions she liked to go to. We’ve got enough here to stock our own store.” Then I sighed. “I’ve got such a mess still to go through. It’s an organized mess but still. And I don’t know where I’m going to put it all.”
“It’ll get done when it gets done. Look, got a question for you.” I looked at him as if to say so ask already. “You got any plans for Christmas? They’re going nuts down at the house trying to figure out what to do.”
“I didn’t think Uncle Roe let that stuff in the house.”
Jude shrugged. “Last couple of years he’s kinda backed off. He even hung around once Travis and Trent got old enough to notice such things. He don’t like things to get too wound up or too much money to be spent but he doesn’t throw a fit and do the ‘damn the commercialism of the season’ speech anymore. So do you have any plans or not?”
“I was going to bake a ham and do some fixings for it. I’ve got something for each of the kids I’ve found and have hidden away. None of it will be new but it will be new to them.”
“I can bring in a tree.”
I squelched my automatic refusal. “Ok.”
He sensed my reluctance and said, “Come out here and sit with me for a minute. I wanna talk.”
“No lectures Jude. I … I can’t handle any more today.”
“I know Sweetheart and since I didn’t say it before I’ll say it now … thanks for going easy on Dad. You didn’t have to but you did and even he doesn’t know it I do. So no lectures but I do wanna talk.”
I figured it was sooner or later so I just followed him out. I blinked at how bright the lamp was when he turned it on. “You shouldn’t be working in so much dark. You’re going to ruin your eyes.”
I responded, “The firelight was fine for what I was doing.”
“Sure it was,” he said a little sarcastically. “You know you could take that wind up lamp in there with you.”
I shook my head. “My room is on the front of the house. Light that bright could draw attention at night.”
“Mebbe so but you still need more light to work with. I’ll see if I can’t think of some kind of reflector. I think I saw a couple of mirrors inst amongst that mess in the attic. Now sit here with me where it is warm.”
Not giving him time to ask too many questions I said, “Jude … it’s … it’s complicated. And hard to explain. Don’t get all over me for it.”
“Paulie didn’t have any trouble explaining. I got it out of him when you avoided your birthday. Knew there had to be something to it; when I found out I didn’t say anything. But now I am. Your … your mother wasn’t quite … well, she wasn’t real stable right then. I’m guessing you protected Paulie from a lot of it but he still sensed that things weren’t right. I’m guessing Dad doesn’t know how bad they were either. You’re a private little thing when you put your mind to it.”
A little protectively I said, “It wasn’t Mom’s fault.”
“I never said it was Sweetheart.”
“She didn’t even remember she did it most of the time, it was like she just fuzzed out and then picked up as if nothing had happened; but every holiday that came after Dad and the boys … you know … she would got a little … little … It was just bad. We had always been flexible with the holidays, waiting until Dad was home or doing them a little early if he had to leave. I tried to do stuff for Paulie but it was just really hard. She’d still sense it and … and really nose dive. She would have worked her way out of it eventually; she even tried for Paulie’s last birthday before she … before she died. There just wasn’t time and at the medical facilities it was just plain hell Jude. Any kind of religious stuff was absolutely forbidden and that meant most of the holidays. Their reasoning was that the populations at the facilities was always so diverse but to be honest I just think some of the staff were plain mean and maybe even sadistic. And holidays mark time passing. They never liked people to ask how much longer they were going to be in quarantine or protective custody or whatever they were calling it. So, I don’t know, maybe I’m just out of the habit.”
“That’s bull and you know it. You got the crap beat out of you at that medical facility by those women because you had a little secret Christmas party for the kids you were taking care of. They didn’t like it because you were being Christian. You know what I’m talking about.”
“Oh Lord,” I whispered horrified. “I told the kids I fell down the stairs. How did they know?”
“Tiffany heard some of the women talking about it when she was getting her blood drawn. Heard you gave as good as you got and they were all for leaving you alone from that point onward. She told Paulie who asked some of the older kids. They told him not to say nothin’ about it because you’d get in trouble. Wanna explain why you would get in trouble when they’re the ones that started it? That part I don’t understand.”
Looking into the fire, remembering, I told him, “I’d already gotten in trouble several times already. Some of the adults could be … could be kinda crazy … and vicious. There never was enough of anything to go around. The kids that had a parent or relative to look out for them did OK but my kids … or kids like my kids … it could be dangerous. It was like living in a prison – or a mental health hospital – and all the psychological stuff that affects people in places like that. The adults would steal our food, our toiletries, shoes, clothes, other belongings … even if it was no use to them they’d take it to trade it for something that they did want. I took to wearing my backpack all the time, even when I slept there for a while. When I got to sleep. I kept us all in the same room and shoved all the mattresses together and since the doors didn’t lock … someone had to keep them safe. The staff didn’t care what we did so long as the rooms were back to being neat and tidy in the morning for inspection. Someone in security finally got a compassion bone – shipped a lot of the kids out to relatives if they still had any that would take them or put them in foster care since people were hollering for kids and Double Negatives were very desirable. Those few that were left they segregated as far away from everyone else as possible. That had its pros and cons. We had privacy but we were also far away from security. The few times people tried something I did whatever it was I had to to keep them from getting the kids. So that brought me some trouble. The biggest trouble though was when Ol’ Hatchet – what we all called least stellar example of doctorhood we had to deal with – found out I was keeping track of the kids’ birthdays and tried to make that date special for them. Basically I was told if they caught me breaking the rules again – and apparently birthdays are religious to somebody so nobody could do them – that they would take the kids from me. I didn’t listen but kept things even quieter. The kids didn’t mind. The place was taking a toll on them too just like it was everyone else, even the staff.”
“So … if you had complained about the beating and they found out why …”
“Yeah. But that’s not the reason I don’t make a big deal of holidays and stuff. I’m just … I’m worried about doing the wrong thing. I have no idea what the background of the other kids are. Bobby … well he’s easy and doesn’t make a fuss. I don’t think he got a lot of stuff like that in foster care and seemed surprised that I would try and do it when it caused me trouble. Tiffany and Mimi, I’m not sure. She doesn’t like a ruckus and the few times I tried to get her to talk about what they used to do she clammed up and didn’t want to talk about it. I think she might have lived with an extended family under one roof … or at least one of her grams lived with them. They might have had money, I’m not sure. Some of the things she has let out makes it sound like it. It’s like she doesn’t want to remember or has chosen just to let it go or something. Mimi doesn’t remember at all … her only memories seem to be from shortly before they became part of our group. There is the bad before and then she was with us … that’s the best she could explain it when I tried to tease it out of her. Tiff used ask to see the pictures in their files every once in a while but she started asking less and less. I asked her when we got here if she wanted me to find a frame or book for them so she could look at them all the time and she said no. Just the one word and she hasn’t asked to see them since. Lonnie is about like Mimi. He just stopped talking about his family a little bit at a time. Corey is so little I doubt he really has any memories of before the medical facilities. He was a little baby when he was taken in and isn’t quite much more than that now. I used to try to get them to talk so they could remember … so I could write things down for them … but they fought me tooth and nail sometimes. I probably should have made them anyway, now it’s too late, and I’m scared I’m going to really ruin them.”
“Why? People who get adopted start new lives and it don’t seem to ruin them.”
“Different circumstances.”
“Not that much. Remember them kids they used to have on those commercials on TV? Them kids would get adopted from places where they were starving and poor and abused. You used to see pictures of kids stacked like cordwood in these foreign orphanages that needed good homes and people to adopt them.”
“I don’t want to replace their parents Jude. Paulie and I would never have let anyone try and replace Mom and Dad. I just want to love on them and try and make their lives as good as I can.”
“Is that why you have all of them call you Dovie instead of Momma?”
I rolled my eyes. “Now wouldn’t that confuse them all to pieces.”
“Maybe not. If that’s the way you want it then fine, I don’t see that hurting them either. But you ain’t gonna destroy ‘em by trying to give them happy memories Dovie. That’s what you want to do, or so you say.”
“Of course that’s what I want!”
“Then just do it. Give ‘em some holiday. Let ‘em know you care enough to take the risk … for them and for yourself.”
I gave him a disgruntled look. “Don’t psychoanalyze me.”
“I’m trying not to. I just wanna understand and help.”
“You do.” I sighed but it was more like I was girding my loins rather than a sigh of sadness. “You’re … you’re right. I’ll give it a try. I just hope they don’t think … I don’t know … I don’t want to replace their good memories, just want them to have more good memories.”
“Then tell ‘em that. Paulie and Tiff will understand and the younger ones will eventually. The holidays are for celebrating. We’re alive … uh … I mean … gosh dang it. I’m sorry Dovie, that didn’t come out right.”
I smiled softly and kissed his cheek. “It came out just fine. I know what you mean. And you’re right. I guess celebrating that we’re alive isn’t the same thing as being happy that other people aren’t.”
He pulled me close and I laid my head on his shoulder. “No it doesn’t Sweetheart.” We sat there quietly for a few moments then he said, “I’ve made something for each of the youngins … ours came first and I’m almost finished with something for those down at the main house. Wanna see?”
“Sure.”
I followed him to his room but he stopped me on the threshold and then got a box out of the chifferobe where I put his clean clothes. Bringing it over he said, “It ain’t much but I figure it’ll fit in the toe of a stocking if we hang ‘em on the fireplace.”
When he opened the box I said, “Oh Jude.”
“Aw don’t. I told you they ain’t much. Just you’re always callin’ ‘em your sheep. They get a kick out of it, ‘specially the little ones when they make that baa noise. So I carved ‘em a sheep and put their names on ‘em. I colored’ em with walnut stain. I know Paulie and Tiff might be a little old for it but …” he shrugged. “I figure I can settle up with Paulie when he needs a pocket knife or something – I got a couple of spare ones that he can take his pick of – and maybe you can do something for Tiff.”
Looking at him and finding out yet another new thing about him I said, “You’re pretty smart at this.”
He shrugged a little bashfully. “I just figured … you know.”
“I know,” I told him giving him a hug. He put the box back and we’d just sat down when I jumped up again. “Snap!”
“What?!” he asked surprised at my sudden upset.
“Do … do you think all of them are going to expect something? I don’t mean … I mean … Oh Lord …”
“Relax,” he said pulling me back down on the sofa. “Dad already laid down the law. He said everyone should focus on the kids. If couples wanna do something for each other then they do it in private and not say nothin’.”
I went limp in relief. “It’s not that I don’t want to but I don’t see how to pull it off … except maybe …”
“Put a brake on them wheels … you’re making smoke,” he said with a chuckle. “Dad doesn’t even expect the houses to get together. It’s to be a quiet day. Some celebrating like a good meal but other than that …” He stopped shrugging.
“Hmmm. About like when we would come here to visit at Christmas time then. We kept to ourselves and y’all did your thing. Most of you were off going to parties and everything on Christmas Eve anyway and then sleeping in on Christmas Day unless there was church.”
“Yeah, sounds about right.” I was able to finally relax and then Jude said, “Dovie?”
“Hmm?”
“I … I’d …” he sighed and it sounded real disappointed. “All of the money I’ve made needs to go to the taxes. I hadn’t counted on this forced day off and the couple of days we were sent home early. There’s no cushion at all. I was hoping there would be a little something left over. I can’t even get you a new hair clip or a package of bobby pins or nothin’.”
“Oh Jude,” I said kissing his cheek. “I don’t need anything. I’m not a little kid that is waiting around for presents.”
“No you’re a young woman that should be able to expect her man to give her nice things. And I can’t. I … I can’t even … Dovie I wanna give you a ring but …”
I blushed. And I felt funny in the pit of my stomach. “We haven’t talked about that yet.”
“Haven’t we?” he asked a little grumpy.
“Well, maybe a little. But talked about waiting a little bit too. And get your face all out of you belt buckle. It isn’t because of money or anything else. I just wanna make sure I’m the right person for you.”
“Shouldn’t that be the other way around.”
“No,” I told him. “I like you just the way you are and I don’t want to mess things up for you and make you wish to start drinking again. I’m … I’m just a little messed up Jude. The holiday thing is just some of it. I’m … I’m still finding my feet and getting comfortable … or stable if you want to say it a different way.”
“Now that I can understand. I still get up every morning and have to remind myself to take it one day at a time. It’s been easier since you and them kids got here. I got more reason but I can’t use you to be the only reason. So … just so long as you know what my intentions are. Suppose we would have to wait anyway. There’s lots that is gonna start happening after the beginning of the year … or so it seems.”
That last phrase was to draw my attention away from the correlation between the beginning of the New Year and that new man taking over. I let it pass; Mom always did when Dad had said something about his work and regretted it. “Will you be done with the expansion by then? By the beginning of the new year?”
“We better or there’s going to be heck to pay. They have us working in all kinds of weather. Speaking of, I better make sure the fire up in the kids’ room is banked for the night and then we both better get some rest.”
I was dozing lightly on the sofa when Jude came down the stairs carrying Corey. “Dovie, he’s hot as a firecracker and breathing funny.”
naturallysweet
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Oh no! Now you have me going to bed worried about little Corey.
Jeepcats 3
Contributing Member
NO fair,
A long day at work, a quick peek in and now I'm going to be wondering about the kid aaaaaaaallllllllllllll night!
I know Cliff isn't fair buuuuuuttttttt!
Geewhiz, not before bedtime please!
Jeepcats3
A long day at work, a quick peek in and now I'm going to be wondering about the kid aaaaaaaallllllllllllll night!
I know Cliff isn't fair buuuuuuttttttt!
Geewhiz, not before bedtime please!
Jeepcats3
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Nice to read this before bed thank you.
Chapter LXXII
“Go to bed Jude. You didn’t get much sleep last night and you worked all day today.”
“When was the last time you got any sleep?” he asked bleary eyed.
“I’m fine. I’ve got my second wind.”
Jude snorted. “I just don’t see how you can still be operating on so little sleep.”
“That’s because I’m not moving engines and stuff around all day.”
“No, you’ve just been carrying Corey in that sling for two days straight.”
“It’s carry him or have him start crying which will start him coughing again. I swear if I didn’t know better I would say this is whooping cough the way it sounds but the kids have all their vaccinations. I’ve even got proof. But Rochelle said there’s cases of it all over. She said it isn’t whooping cough but some kind of virus that mimics it a bit. A baby died of it last night.”
“I heard. And it’s in town too. Sky high fever and then the coughing that doesn’t want to stop. I guess boiling that honey and then watering it down is the only way you could give it to Corey.” He was referring to the fact that you aren’t supposed to give honey to children under two or three; some people even say under four just to be safe.
“Yes and it still scared me to do it but that cough and how awful his throat looked scared me worse. I mixed a little horehound in it and it seemed to soothe him. At the very least he has stopped fighting me when I try and get him to drink. What I wouldn’t give for some ginger ale right now. I’ve got to get some made up so I can have it in the future if I need it.”
“You know how to make soda pop? I haven’t had any in so long I think I’ve forgotten how it tastes.”
“It was one of Mom’s hot buttons. She made soda for us so that she knew what was in it and could control the sugar and stuff. Sometimes she brewed her own … like rootbeer and dark colas. The fruity or lighter stuff she either added soda water to or blew in CO2 from the old syphon. I found the soda syphon and several cases of chargers last week. Mom could be really picky about some stuff.”
He ran into the door frame trying to follow me into the kitchen. I turned around and pushed him back towards his room. “Go … to … bed. You’re starting to get silly.”
“Hmmph. Ok, but you gotta promise …”
“Jude. Go. To. Bed. I’m fine now that Corey’s fever has broken. I swear he has drenched me again. I’m going to get him to drink some more and then more than likely, if he’ll settle, I’ll sit in the rocker in front of the fire with that big kettle of water going and we’ll both doze. I just want to fill this little kettle again before I forget.”
I watched Jude stumble to bed and breathed a sigh of relief. I worried he was going to get sick with it too. Both Butch and Clewis have a nasty cough and Uncle Roe seemed to be getting one until Rochelle dosed him with a lot of Vitamin D and Vitamin C. I was surprised that Uncle Roe was so compliant until I heard that Rochelle had told him that he could give it to the kids if they weren’t already sick with it. Boo is very sick and may have been who brought it in as the blacksmith he is working with had his whole family come down with whatever this crud is. Neither Lorne nor Rochelle has gotten it yet and it is a wonder considering the fact that they are both all over the place looking in on people to make sure no one is about to die. Rochelle is the one that had to hold that baby when it passed as the young mother had to be sedated. She didn’t have too many nice words for the mother as she hadn’t been much of one before the baby got sick … sometimes you find out too late what you have I guess. Rick and Wendalene coughed for about half a day, spit up some gunk, and that was it. I haven’t even had a tickle in my throat. The only one sick here is Corey.
I wouldn’t admit it to Jude but I’m exhausted. Corey is no lightweight lately as he’s getting to be nearly two-years old. He’s going to be taller than Mimi in record time if he keeps this up, of course she is small for her age as is Tiff … their height is likely hereditary. Corey is still a little behind in some areas like his hand eye coordination but he is getting better and loves the big duplo blocks that used to be Paulie’s at that age. But I’m not going to make the same mistake those doctors did. There’s nothing wrong with Corey, he is just excelling in some areas and not in others.
He potty trained real easy considering he’s a boy but he’s been so miserable sick I wound up having to put a cloth diaper on him and that seemed to make him more miserable however being peed on once was enough for me. I didn’t shame him of course but you would have thought I was abusing him the way he threw a fit. I wound up having to pull his little underwear up over the diaper to get him to stop being so upset. He’s still pulls at it so just as soon as I’m sure he can sit on the pot without falling over I’m going to put the diapers away again. Kids are so funny about things, I swear.
He wouldn’t take a sippy cup either. But for that I don’t think it upset him to use something he’d outgrown so much as the sucking really hurt his throat. I wound up having to spoon my special comfort tea into him; tea made from poultry seasoning. Rochelle has started passing the recipe around and joy of joys I heard today that it seems to be helping. I told Rochelle that it was the thyme primarily that was doing the work but that the rosemary and marjoram didn’t hurt to help it along.
I was rocking Corey who was completely asleep for the first time in a while when steps on the stairs had me cracking one eye open. It was Tiffany.
I was scared to ask. “Are you sick? Anyone else up there?”
“No. I just needed to know how Corey is.”
I noticed she said needed and not wanted. “Corey is fine. Go on up to bed and get some rest.”
“Is … is he gonna be ok? I heard Aunt Rochelle say a baby died.”
Upset that Tiff had overheard that I told her, “Corey is gonna be fine. That baby died mostly because the mother hadn’t been doing what she was supposed to.”
“Is that what happened to Baby? The mother was like that?”
It had been so long since any of the kids had mentioned Baby that I paused before answering. “I’m not sure why Baby was left like he was Tiff. All I know is that I couldn’t do what it required to make him all better.”
“But you can for Corey?”
Understanding dawning I said, “Yeah. Corey just has a virus, this isn’t something he was born with.”
“Do you think Baby is OK … that he’s still … you know …”
“Alive? Yes, yes I do. I’ve got a peace about that.”
“I wish I did. Sometimes …”
I pointed to the sofa after glancing at her feet to make sure she had socks on. “Sometimes what?” I asked her after she sat down.
“Sometimes I have bad dreams. I dream we are back in that bad place only you all are sick with the T-virus … all of you. Baby is there too. I’m the only one not sick and I don’t know what to do.”
“Sometimes I have bad dreams too. Those kind of dreams are your mind expressing worries you can’t talk out yet. You wanna talk about it?”
She shook her head. “No. Not … not yet. But, you … you promise Corey is going to be ok?”
“Yep, it’s just going to take a little bit and we’re going to have to be careful he doesn’t get in a draft and catch a chill and relapse. I took care of your guys when all of you had the sniffles didn’t I?”
“You don’t die from the sniffles,” she said with absolute logic.
She looked so uncertain I asked, “You wanna stay down here?”
“No ‘cause they’re waiting on me to come back.”
“They’re …? Are you telling me they are all awake up there?”
“Yeah. We were all wondering.”
“Even Paulie?”
“Sorta.”
“Well get back upstairs and tell everyone that everything is just fine. Corey is sick but he’s gonna get well and that I expect all of y’all to be asleep toot sweet. Understand?”
She went back upstairs and I could just barely hear a little bit of talk but it was quiet again within five minutes. Wasn’t long after that that I was asleep myself.
“Go to bed Jude. You didn’t get much sleep last night and you worked all day today.”
“When was the last time you got any sleep?” he asked bleary eyed.
“I’m fine. I’ve got my second wind.”
Jude snorted. “I just don’t see how you can still be operating on so little sleep.”
“That’s because I’m not moving engines and stuff around all day.”
“No, you’ve just been carrying Corey in that sling for two days straight.”
“It’s carry him or have him start crying which will start him coughing again. I swear if I didn’t know better I would say this is whooping cough the way it sounds but the kids have all their vaccinations. I’ve even got proof. But Rochelle said there’s cases of it all over. She said it isn’t whooping cough but some kind of virus that mimics it a bit. A baby died of it last night.”
“I heard. And it’s in town too. Sky high fever and then the coughing that doesn’t want to stop. I guess boiling that honey and then watering it down is the only way you could give it to Corey.” He was referring to the fact that you aren’t supposed to give honey to children under two or three; some people even say under four just to be safe.
“Yes and it still scared me to do it but that cough and how awful his throat looked scared me worse. I mixed a little horehound in it and it seemed to soothe him. At the very least he has stopped fighting me when I try and get him to drink. What I wouldn’t give for some ginger ale right now. I’ve got to get some made up so I can have it in the future if I need it.”
“You know how to make soda pop? I haven’t had any in so long I think I’ve forgotten how it tastes.”
“It was one of Mom’s hot buttons. She made soda for us so that she knew what was in it and could control the sugar and stuff. Sometimes she brewed her own … like rootbeer and dark colas. The fruity or lighter stuff she either added soda water to or blew in CO2 from the old syphon. I found the soda syphon and several cases of chargers last week. Mom could be really picky about some stuff.”
He ran into the door frame trying to follow me into the kitchen. I turned around and pushed him back towards his room. “Go … to … bed. You’re starting to get silly.”
“Hmmph. Ok, but you gotta promise …”
“Jude. Go. To. Bed. I’m fine now that Corey’s fever has broken. I swear he has drenched me again. I’m going to get him to drink some more and then more than likely, if he’ll settle, I’ll sit in the rocker in front of the fire with that big kettle of water going and we’ll both doze. I just want to fill this little kettle again before I forget.”
I watched Jude stumble to bed and breathed a sigh of relief. I worried he was going to get sick with it too. Both Butch and Clewis have a nasty cough and Uncle Roe seemed to be getting one until Rochelle dosed him with a lot of Vitamin D and Vitamin C. I was surprised that Uncle Roe was so compliant until I heard that Rochelle had told him that he could give it to the kids if they weren’t already sick with it. Boo is very sick and may have been who brought it in as the blacksmith he is working with had his whole family come down with whatever this crud is. Neither Lorne nor Rochelle has gotten it yet and it is a wonder considering the fact that they are both all over the place looking in on people to make sure no one is about to die. Rochelle is the one that had to hold that baby when it passed as the young mother had to be sedated. She didn’t have too many nice words for the mother as she hadn’t been much of one before the baby got sick … sometimes you find out too late what you have I guess. Rick and Wendalene coughed for about half a day, spit up some gunk, and that was it. I haven’t even had a tickle in my throat. The only one sick here is Corey.
I wouldn’t admit it to Jude but I’m exhausted. Corey is no lightweight lately as he’s getting to be nearly two-years old. He’s going to be taller than Mimi in record time if he keeps this up, of course she is small for her age as is Tiff … their height is likely hereditary. Corey is still a little behind in some areas like his hand eye coordination but he is getting better and loves the big duplo blocks that used to be Paulie’s at that age. But I’m not going to make the same mistake those doctors did. There’s nothing wrong with Corey, he is just excelling in some areas and not in others.
He potty trained real easy considering he’s a boy but he’s been so miserable sick I wound up having to put a cloth diaper on him and that seemed to make him more miserable however being peed on once was enough for me. I didn’t shame him of course but you would have thought I was abusing him the way he threw a fit. I wound up having to pull his little underwear up over the diaper to get him to stop being so upset. He’s still pulls at it so just as soon as I’m sure he can sit on the pot without falling over I’m going to put the diapers away again. Kids are so funny about things, I swear.
He wouldn’t take a sippy cup either. But for that I don’t think it upset him to use something he’d outgrown so much as the sucking really hurt his throat. I wound up having to spoon my special comfort tea into him; tea made from poultry seasoning. Rochelle has started passing the recipe around and joy of joys I heard today that it seems to be helping. I told Rochelle that it was the thyme primarily that was doing the work but that the rosemary and marjoram didn’t hurt to help it along.
I was rocking Corey who was completely asleep for the first time in a while when steps on the stairs had me cracking one eye open. It was Tiffany.
I was scared to ask. “Are you sick? Anyone else up there?”
“No. I just needed to know how Corey is.”
I noticed she said needed and not wanted. “Corey is fine. Go on up to bed and get some rest.”
“Is … is he gonna be ok? I heard Aunt Rochelle say a baby died.”
Upset that Tiff had overheard that I told her, “Corey is gonna be fine. That baby died mostly because the mother hadn’t been doing what she was supposed to.”
“Is that what happened to Baby? The mother was like that?”
It had been so long since any of the kids had mentioned Baby that I paused before answering. “I’m not sure why Baby was left like he was Tiff. All I know is that I couldn’t do what it required to make him all better.”
“But you can for Corey?”
Understanding dawning I said, “Yeah. Corey just has a virus, this isn’t something he was born with.”
“Do you think Baby is OK … that he’s still … you know …”
“Alive? Yes, yes I do. I’ve got a peace about that.”
“I wish I did. Sometimes …”
I pointed to the sofa after glancing at her feet to make sure she had socks on. “Sometimes what?” I asked her after she sat down.
“Sometimes I have bad dreams. I dream we are back in that bad place only you all are sick with the T-virus … all of you. Baby is there too. I’m the only one not sick and I don’t know what to do.”
“Sometimes I have bad dreams too. Those kind of dreams are your mind expressing worries you can’t talk out yet. You wanna talk about it?”
She shook her head. “No. Not … not yet. But, you … you promise Corey is going to be ok?”
“Yep, it’s just going to take a little bit and we’re going to have to be careful he doesn’t get in a draft and catch a chill and relapse. I took care of your guys when all of you had the sniffles didn’t I?”
“You don’t die from the sniffles,” she said with absolute logic.
She looked so uncertain I asked, “You wanna stay down here?”
“No ‘cause they’re waiting on me to come back.”
“They’re …? Are you telling me they are all awake up there?”
“Yeah. We were all wondering.”
“Even Paulie?”
“Sorta.”
“Well get back upstairs and tell everyone that everything is just fine. Corey is sick but he’s gonna get well and that I expect all of y’all to be asleep toot sweet. Understand?”
She went back upstairs and I could just barely hear a little bit of talk but it was quiet again within five minutes. Wasn’t long after that that I was asleep myself.
That was worth checking for!! Corey is getting better and Dovie is doing a good job. I forgot about Baby. Those poor kids must have been really scared for Corey.
Wonder if they were thinking that Dovie might give him away also if she didn't know how to take care of him being sick..then maybe them to if they got sick.
Thank you again.
Wonder if they were thinking that Dovie might give him away also if she didn't know how to take care of him being sick..then maybe them to if they got sick.
Thank you again.
Jeepcats 3
Contributing Member
Thank you for the new chapter!
Jeepcats3
Jeepcats3
223shootersc
Veteran Member
thanks for the great chapters, made my morning
I had forgotten how wild little imaginations can get when they think that their security is threatened, especially when they are speculating as a group.
Kathy you convey a lot with just a few sentences. Excellent writing and I enjoyed finding another chapter this morning. Thank you. As always, more please.
Kathy you convey a lot with just a few sentences. Excellent writing and I enjoyed finding another chapter this morning. Thank you. As always, more please.
juco
Veteran Member
Oh, wow! Ain't that the truth. LOL
Our girls could come up with some doozies when they started worrying the same bone.
My little guy was worse than that. He asked me one time what a street urchin was. I explained it to him and didn't think anything else about it.
Back then realtors were always calling the house fishing, looking for new listings. After another annoying call, he got real upset and I finally got to the bottom of what was bothering him. He thought that if we sold the house he'd become homeless and would end up living on the streets like a street urchin. Where in the world he came up with that I have no idea.
Back then realtors were always calling the house fishing, looking for new listings. After another annoying call, he got real upset and I finally got to the bottom of what was bothering him. He thought that if we sold the house he'd become homeless and would end up living on the streets like a street urchin. Where in the world he came up with that I have no idea.
When my brother was about 6 and very into cowboys he asked my mother what it was like when she came across country in a covered wagon. Then he asked her if my grandfather just took his wife (my grandmother) from the Indians when they were fighting or did he trade something for her.
lol! I don't know if I can even explain fully what my eldest daughter once was convinced of.... but I had to buy her a pregnancy test to prove that one cannot get preggers in their dreams.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Time for bed here soon, have a good night.
My eyes are closing, but I am going to hold out until 10:54 if I caaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnn zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Chapter LXXIII
A muffled voice through the window said, “Holy smokes, I’ve been smelling that since the gully. Please tell me it is as good as the whiffs I’ve been getting.”
I jumped back and yelled, “You nut! Scare me to death why don’t you. And why are you so late?! And do you know what temp the thermometer says it is? I held dinner as long as I could but …”
I looked out in the dark because his face was no longer at the window and then jumped again as he came inside with a bang. “Be right back he said,” running towards his bedroom.
“What on earth?” He was back in less than a minute and took his boots off. Thank goodness I’d finally found something to stop them from stinking so bad. It took about a week of nightly doses of baking soda in the shoes but now that I’ve finally broke the cycle of the blasted stinky bacteria from passing back and forth between his shoes and his feet all we have to do is put a knee-hi full of used coffee grounds down in the shoes each night and it absorbs any dampness then hang the “destinkifier” as the kids call it out in the fresh air the next day. About once a week, or if his feet get really damp more often, I’ll spritz his feet with cider vinegar as the acid kills any gunk trying to grow there.
He turned to see if the kids were looking and then slid his hands under my flannel shirt. I nearly hit the ceiling – not because he was pushing the naughty factor but because his hands were like ice cubes. We both wound up snickering quietly. “Behave yourself. You need a good swift kick Jude Killarney.”
“Probably,” he answered. “But I promise to be good if you’ll just feed me. Lord I am starving to death.”
I huffed. “They could have let you use one of the other horses.”
“Uh uh. Now that everyone is over whatever that crud was that was going around Dad is trying to get that ground plowed under and get that cover crop turned before it freezes hard. Boo took Grits to get him reshod … dang that ornery animal anyway, this is the sixth shoe he has lost this year, off the same hoof, and always when it is least convenient. Dang clutzy thing, he steps on it and that’s all she wrote.”
Shaking my head but keeping my mouth shut on my opinion on the said “clutzy thing” since he was not my favorite animal to begin with I asked, “Were you able to get a ride at all or did you have to walk the whole way?”
He was rubbing his hands together until I put a mug of warm spiced cider beside him. He picked it up, took a quick sip, and then said, “Going in but not coming back. Most of the guys were going to spend a bit of their last check celebrating the New Year a little early. I went to get the certificate of payment from the county offices and that was celebrating enough for me.”
I asked, “So it’s all paid?”
“Yep. And I wish you could have seen Dad’s face. He’s been bracing himself and counting which of the livestock he can afford to give up. It took him a full minute of looking for the remaining balance before he realized there wasn’t one.”
I took his plate out of the warming compartment and put it in front of him and then put a bowl of small biscuits beside it. I gave him a kiss on the cheek and said, “I’m proud of you and it doesn’t matter what kind of face Uncle Roe was making. I just hope he said something nice.”
“Nope.” I was about to get upset when he said, “He was too choked up. Butch figured it out about a half second after Dad did and just stood there with his mouth open. That was almost as good as Dad’s reaction.” He chortled. “I’m just relieved to have it from hanging over us.”
“Did he say anything at all?”
“I don’t need him to say anything. I’m telling you his reaction was enough for me … and I want it to be enough for you. You gotta understand Dovie … it’s a man thing.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll remind you how dumb that sounds next time you get irritated when I explain something by saying ‘it’s a woman thing.’”
“Fair enough. Now tell me what I’m eating woman before it disappears so fast I don’t figure it out.”
“You sure are full of it tonight.” Jude just grinned like a crazy man and all I could do was shake my head. I was glad he was in a good mood. He had been really anxious the last two weeks, trying to get every extra hour he could. He even worked the afternoon of Christmas Day. He’d obviously lost weight no matter how I tried to get him to eat though there weren’t a lot of extra to go around. I fried the doves that Paulie and the other boys had hunted up in lard to try and add some fat instead of using the olive oil I had. Maybe I should have fried them in bacon grease, I don’t know.
“Sit with me?” he asked giving me one of those silly puppy dog faces that boys give when they want something.
I didn’t mind, I was pretty tired. Working up in the cold of the attic just sort of took it out of me. “Fried doves with spicy apple glaze.”
“Huh?”
“What you’re shoveling into your mouth so fast you can’t be tasting it before it goes down your gullet. And be sure and say something to the boys … they used a net to catch the doves believe it or not.”
“What kind of net?”
“That old fishing net they’ve been playing with. I guess they figured if I nixed them playing by the pond they’d put it to some other use. Paulie got the idea out of some book he read. They’d set the net up and then flush the doves toward it if I understand Paulie’s explanation. Either way it was a good bit of work to catch enough for both houses even with Travis and Trent helping with a net of their own.”
“To me it sounds like a good bit of work wringing all those little necks.”
“Don’t remind me. My hands are sore but I don’t know if it is from the birds or getting into all of the boxes and tubs up in the attic. I had no idea how much stuff Mom had stored up there. The further I go into the stacks the worse the mess gets. I’m still no where near close to reaching the door that goes into the second section of the attic. And yes, I did see some mirrors but they are on top of a couple of pieces of old furniture and in back of some other piles of stuff. How you spotted them I don’t know.”
“I was up there when the sun was coming through the window and I guess the light caught ‘em just right. You know some of that stuff is probably from where Aunt Meg died and your mom helped clean her place out. You know her daughters didn’t want anything … didn’t fit their décor or something like that if I remember the ruckus that it caused.”
“Oh yeah, I’d forgotten all about that. I didn’t get into the house stuff very much because I had been assigned to look after Aunt Meg’s great grandkids. Nice kids really and sad more because their mommas were sad than because they really knew what was going on. You’re right though, I bet some of what I’m finding is from that and from those auctions and estate sales Mom would go to when she was in the area ‘cause I sure don’t recognize any of it. You know there is enough stuff up there to finish out my hope chest, start one for Tiff and Mimi and enough beyond that for a few more girls? By the way, I put another box of stuff in your room for you to try on.”
“More?” he said nearly complaining. “I’ve got enough clothes Dovie.”
“Not all of it is clothes per se. There’s a couple of pairs of leather chaps … they’re stiff but I think I can beat ‘em soft again … and there are quite a few work coveralls with some of them being those heavy winter ones. I even found another big tub of boots and shoes, all different sizes. Some of them aren’t worth much, and none of them are new, but there were a couple in your size and they have steal toes too. And I nearly choked when I found about a dozen more cases of old jars. I’m gonna die if I have to find any more space for empty jars.”
Jude laughed. “Well don’t croak on me yet. I’ve already got my next project all lined up and it might help make a place for you to put all them jars you keep complaining about.”
“Another job? Already?”
“Yeah but it’s bartering rather than for cash. Boo helped me find it. The Mennonite he works for needs to expand his smithy and his son came back from his trip to their people in Pennsylvania with a steam engine that he wants to set up to saw lumber with. I’m going to get the old engine up and running and help the son get his set up going and Boo and Rick are going to help the father expand the smithy. Boo and Rick’s work will finish paying off the dairy cow and calf that Boo has been working on for down at the main house and for my work I’ll get some lumber. Dad said if I can get enough wood, he’ll have everyone come up and help me build a shed over that sink. With all of us working it shouldn’t take more than a day or two to clean it out and another day or two to get the shed up.”
A little suspiciously I asked, “Why are they helping? They’ve never come up here before.”
He chuckled, “’Cause Sweetheart, they want ice too and it would be too much work … at least for this year … to dig out something like that down at the main house. A week’s worth of work to have ice during the summer? You bet they are more than happy to pitch in.” When I didn’t say anything he asked, “It is ok isn’t it? You don’t have any objections?”
I shook my head. “No, not objections. I just want credit to go where credit is due. You never get credit.”
He put his hand over mine where it had been on the table. “You worry too much about that.”
“I worry a lot because you don’t worry at all. Would you like it if it was me in your shoes? I know you don’t need statues and trophies but if they’d just adjust their attitude it would go a long way.”
“Eh, don’t sweat it Dovie. Their attitude helps keep me on my toes.” He took a bite of biscuit then stopped and looked at it. “Uh … what are these?”
“Uh oh. You don’t like them.”
“I didn’t say that. I just bit into them expecting regular biscuits but these aren’t.”
“I’m experimenting with ways to make the wheat go further. Found this recipe in an old war bride cookbook. Instead of using two cups of white flour you use a cup of whole wheat flour and a cup of soybean meal. Here, drizzle some sorghum on them and it will cover the taste.”
“Sweetheart, I didn’t say I didn’t like them. I said was expecting one thing and got another. Kinda like I did with you. I was expecting an innocent, helpless little thing and turns out you’re strong and have hidden depths.”
“Hidden …? Oh for pete sake, now you’re just being silly again. Finish eating so I can wash those dishes and finish cleaning the kitchen.”
“I’ll wash.”
“No you won’t … at least not dishes. Finish up and those get cleaned up so you can relax a little. The boys are so tired they aren’t going to last much longer and Mimi and Corey need some extra sleep too … this cold weather is making them tired and foul earlier than usual. I’ll let Tiff stay up and read if she wants to but she could probably use the extra rest as well. I heard today that Crystal wants the kids to start coming to the main house every day and take lessons with the rest of the zoo down there.”
“Might not be a bad idea if you … uh … want my opinion.”
“Of course I want your opinion. Is she really going to teach them or just play at it?”
“She’s pretty good from what Rochelle said. Does things hands on and it keeps the kids’ interest.”
“I suppose you’re right. It just irritates me that she talked to the kids about it before she talked to me. I don’t have any objections per se, just that I would have preferred to have heard her proposal from her rather than the kids asking whether they have to go or not. When I asked her she was even hinting that I should be sitting in on classes too … because of my age and all.”
That last bit had him strangling on his cider. “She said that?”
“In so many words? Yeah. Not flat out but might as well have.”
“You musta misunderstood.”
“Sure I did. And that’s why Faith and Wendalene were snickering the whole time. Even Aunt Frankie caught it. She pulled me aside later and just said to ignore it if I could, that Crystal had a hard time getting over herself on occasion. I mean … what am I suppose to say to something like that?”
Looking a little disturbed by something he answered, “I have no idea. Do you want to go to school?”
“Do I look like I have time for it? Get real Jude. When I want to learn something new I ask or I look it up in a book. I’ve always been like that. Homeschool, virtual school, half and half … I’ve done it all except be in a classroom full time. Frankly, I don’t know if I could sit still that long. Paulie might enjoy it, but he is worried about being the oldest and getting treated like a baby. Tiff won’t go if he doesn’t. Those two will set the tone for the rest of them. I’ll keep Corey because he is too little but I’m still not sure how Crystal expects to run it with my five of mine and the rest of the kids from down there and all of them at different levels. It sounds like chaos in the making.”
“Mebbe. Still wouldn’t be a bad thing to at least let ‘em try and see if they can do it.”
“They can do it without a problem. The question is whether Crystal is up for it. You would have thought after Christmas Eve she would have second thoughts.”
Jude snickered around the last bite of biscuit. “Now that you mention it she did look a little frazzled when I got home from work. Guess next time she’ll think a little ahead before volunteering to take them all on a nature hike around the farm.”
“You’d think wouldn’t you. I don’t know who came back looking more bedraggled, her or Clewis. Or maybe it’s her and Clewis’ way to reinforce that they are happy they aren’t going to have any of their own.”
“Possibly,” he said thoughtfully as he got up from the table. “Though I said something once that they could always adopt and Clewis said ‘Crystal doesn’t want kids.’”
“Well, that’s what you told me before.”
“It was the way that Clewis said it that makes me think that if Crystal changed her mind he wouldn’t be totally against the idea. I’m not sure. They better make up their minds though before it gets set in stone. I didn’t think much about kids myself until I got around that bunch out there in the living room, now I like there being a houseful of them around.”
Good thing he liked it. No sooner did he get cleaned up than the kids were clamoring for their nightly dose of story. He’d started to read them “The Swiss Family Robinson.” It was fun to watch the kids’ reaction to the story; it was just as fun for me to watch Jude’s.
A muffled voice through the window said, “Holy smokes, I’ve been smelling that since the gully. Please tell me it is as good as the whiffs I’ve been getting.”
I jumped back and yelled, “You nut! Scare me to death why don’t you. And why are you so late?! And do you know what temp the thermometer says it is? I held dinner as long as I could but …”
I looked out in the dark because his face was no longer at the window and then jumped again as he came inside with a bang. “Be right back he said,” running towards his bedroom.
“What on earth?” He was back in less than a minute and took his boots off. Thank goodness I’d finally found something to stop them from stinking so bad. It took about a week of nightly doses of baking soda in the shoes but now that I’ve finally broke the cycle of the blasted stinky bacteria from passing back and forth between his shoes and his feet all we have to do is put a knee-hi full of used coffee grounds down in the shoes each night and it absorbs any dampness then hang the “destinkifier” as the kids call it out in the fresh air the next day. About once a week, or if his feet get really damp more often, I’ll spritz his feet with cider vinegar as the acid kills any gunk trying to grow there.
He turned to see if the kids were looking and then slid his hands under my flannel shirt. I nearly hit the ceiling – not because he was pushing the naughty factor but because his hands were like ice cubes. We both wound up snickering quietly. “Behave yourself. You need a good swift kick Jude Killarney.”
“Probably,” he answered. “But I promise to be good if you’ll just feed me. Lord I am starving to death.”
I huffed. “They could have let you use one of the other horses.”
“Uh uh. Now that everyone is over whatever that crud was that was going around Dad is trying to get that ground plowed under and get that cover crop turned before it freezes hard. Boo took Grits to get him reshod … dang that ornery animal anyway, this is the sixth shoe he has lost this year, off the same hoof, and always when it is least convenient. Dang clutzy thing, he steps on it and that’s all she wrote.”
Shaking my head but keeping my mouth shut on my opinion on the said “clutzy thing” since he was not my favorite animal to begin with I asked, “Were you able to get a ride at all or did you have to walk the whole way?”
He was rubbing his hands together until I put a mug of warm spiced cider beside him. He picked it up, took a quick sip, and then said, “Going in but not coming back. Most of the guys were going to spend a bit of their last check celebrating the New Year a little early. I went to get the certificate of payment from the county offices and that was celebrating enough for me.”
I asked, “So it’s all paid?”
“Yep. And I wish you could have seen Dad’s face. He’s been bracing himself and counting which of the livestock he can afford to give up. It took him a full minute of looking for the remaining balance before he realized there wasn’t one.”
I took his plate out of the warming compartment and put it in front of him and then put a bowl of small biscuits beside it. I gave him a kiss on the cheek and said, “I’m proud of you and it doesn’t matter what kind of face Uncle Roe was making. I just hope he said something nice.”
“Nope.” I was about to get upset when he said, “He was too choked up. Butch figured it out about a half second after Dad did and just stood there with his mouth open. That was almost as good as Dad’s reaction.” He chortled. “I’m just relieved to have it from hanging over us.”
“Did he say anything at all?”
“I don’t need him to say anything. I’m telling you his reaction was enough for me … and I want it to be enough for you. You gotta understand Dovie … it’s a man thing.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll remind you how dumb that sounds next time you get irritated when I explain something by saying ‘it’s a woman thing.’”
“Fair enough. Now tell me what I’m eating woman before it disappears so fast I don’t figure it out.”
“You sure are full of it tonight.” Jude just grinned like a crazy man and all I could do was shake my head. I was glad he was in a good mood. He had been really anxious the last two weeks, trying to get every extra hour he could. He even worked the afternoon of Christmas Day. He’d obviously lost weight no matter how I tried to get him to eat though there weren’t a lot of extra to go around. I fried the doves that Paulie and the other boys had hunted up in lard to try and add some fat instead of using the olive oil I had. Maybe I should have fried them in bacon grease, I don’t know.
“Sit with me?” he asked giving me one of those silly puppy dog faces that boys give when they want something.
I didn’t mind, I was pretty tired. Working up in the cold of the attic just sort of took it out of me. “Fried doves with spicy apple glaze.”
“Huh?”
“What you’re shoveling into your mouth so fast you can’t be tasting it before it goes down your gullet. And be sure and say something to the boys … they used a net to catch the doves believe it or not.”
“What kind of net?”
“That old fishing net they’ve been playing with. I guess they figured if I nixed them playing by the pond they’d put it to some other use. Paulie got the idea out of some book he read. They’d set the net up and then flush the doves toward it if I understand Paulie’s explanation. Either way it was a good bit of work to catch enough for both houses even with Travis and Trent helping with a net of their own.”
“To me it sounds like a good bit of work wringing all those little necks.”
“Don’t remind me. My hands are sore but I don’t know if it is from the birds or getting into all of the boxes and tubs up in the attic. I had no idea how much stuff Mom had stored up there. The further I go into the stacks the worse the mess gets. I’m still no where near close to reaching the door that goes into the second section of the attic. And yes, I did see some mirrors but they are on top of a couple of pieces of old furniture and in back of some other piles of stuff. How you spotted them I don’t know.”
“I was up there when the sun was coming through the window and I guess the light caught ‘em just right. You know some of that stuff is probably from where Aunt Meg died and your mom helped clean her place out. You know her daughters didn’t want anything … didn’t fit their décor or something like that if I remember the ruckus that it caused.”
“Oh yeah, I’d forgotten all about that. I didn’t get into the house stuff very much because I had been assigned to look after Aunt Meg’s great grandkids. Nice kids really and sad more because their mommas were sad than because they really knew what was going on. You’re right though, I bet some of what I’m finding is from that and from those auctions and estate sales Mom would go to when she was in the area ‘cause I sure don’t recognize any of it. You know there is enough stuff up there to finish out my hope chest, start one for Tiff and Mimi and enough beyond that for a few more girls? By the way, I put another box of stuff in your room for you to try on.”
“More?” he said nearly complaining. “I’ve got enough clothes Dovie.”
“Not all of it is clothes per se. There’s a couple of pairs of leather chaps … they’re stiff but I think I can beat ‘em soft again … and there are quite a few work coveralls with some of them being those heavy winter ones. I even found another big tub of boots and shoes, all different sizes. Some of them aren’t worth much, and none of them are new, but there were a couple in your size and they have steal toes too. And I nearly choked when I found about a dozen more cases of old jars. I’m gonna die if I have to find any more space for empty jars.”
Jude laughed. “Well don’t croak on me yet. I’ve already got my next project all lined up and it might help make a place for you to put all them jars you keep complaining about.”
“Another job? Already?”
“Yeah but it’s bartering rather than for cash. Boo helped me find it. The Mennonite he works for needs to expand his smithy and his son came back from his trip to their people in Pennsylvania with a steam engine that he wants to set up to saw lumber with. I’m going to get the old engine up and running and help the son get his set up going and Boo and Rick are going to help the father expand the smithy. Boo and Rick’s work will finish paying off the dairy cow and calf that Boo has been working on for down at the main house and for my work I’ll get some lumber. Dad said if I can get enough wood, he’ll have everyone come up and help me build a shed over that sink. With all of us working it shouldn’t take more than a day or two to clean it out and another day or two to get the shed up.”
A little suspiciously I asked, “Why are they helping? They’ve never come up here before.”
He chuckled, “’Cause Sweetheart, they want ice too and it would be too much work … at least for this year … to dig out something like that down at the main house. A week’s worth of work to have ice during the summer? You bet they are more than happy to pitch in.” When I didn’t say anything he asked, “It is ok isn’t it? You don’t have any objections?”
I shook my head. “No, not objections. I just want credit to go where credit is due. You never get credit.”
He put his hand over mine where it had been on the table. “You worry too much about that.”
“I worry a lot because you don’t worry at all. Would you like it if it was me in your shoes? I know you don’t need statues and trophies but if they’d just adjust their attitude it would go a long way.”
“Eh, don’t sweat it Dovie. Their attitude helps keep me on my toes.” He took a bite of biscuit then stopped and looked at it. “Uh … what are these?”
“Uh oh. You don’t like them.”
“I didn’t say that. I just bit into them expecting regular biscuits but these aren’t.”
“I’m experimenting with ways to make the wheat go further. Found this recipe in an old war bride cookbook. Instead of using two cups of white flour you use a cup of whole wheat flour and a cup of soybean meal. Here, drizzle some sorghum on them and it will cover the taste.”
“Sweetheart, I didn’t say I didn’t like them. I said was expecting one thing and got another. Kinda like I did with you. I was expecting an innocent, helpless little thing and turns out you’re strong and have hidden depths.”
“Hidden …? Oh for pete sake, now you’re just being silly again. Finish eating so I can wash those dishes and finish cleaning the kitchen.”
“I’ll wash.”
“No you won’t … at least not dishes. Finish up and those get cleaned up so you can relax a little. The boys are so tired they aren’t going to last much longer and Mimi and Corey need some extra sleep too … this cold weather is making them tired and foul earlier than usual. I’ll let Tiff stay up and read if she wants to but she could probably use the extra rest as well. I heard today that Crystal wants the kids to start coming to the main house every day and take lessons with the rest of the zoo down there.”
“Might not be a bad idea if you … uh … want my opinion.”
“Of course I want your opinion. Is she really going to teach them or just play at it?”
“She’s pretty good from what Rochelle said. Does things hands on and it keeps the kids’ interest.”
“I suppose you’re right. It just irritates me that she talked to the kids about it before she talked to me. I don’t have any objections per se, just that I would have preferred to have heard her proposal from her rather than the kids asking whether they have to go or not. When I asked her she was even hinting that I should be sitting in on classes too … because of my age and all.”
That last bit had him strangling on his cider. “She said that?”
“In so many words? Yeah. Not flat out but might as well have.”
“You musta misunderstood.”
“Sure I did. And that’s why Faith and Wendalene were snickering the whole time. Even Aunt Frankie caught it. She pulled me aside later and just said to ignore it if I could, that Crystal had a hard time getting over herself on occasion. I mean … what am I suppose to say to something like that?”
Looking a little disturbed by something he answered, “I have no idea. Do you want to go to school?”
“Do I look like I have time for it? Get real Jude. When I want to learn something new I ask or I look it up in a book. I’ve always been like that. Homeschool, virtual school, half and half … I’ve done it all except be in a classroom full time. Frankly, I don’t know if I could sit still that long. Paulie might enjoy it, but he is worried about being the oldest and getting treated like a baby. Tiff won’t go if he doesn’t. Those two will set the tone for the rest of them. I’ll keep Corey because he is too little but I’m still not sure how Crystal expects to run it with my five of mine and the rest of the kids from down there and all of them at different levels. It sounds like chaos in the making.”
“Mebbe. Still wouldn’t be a bad thing to at least let ‘em try and see if they can do it.”
“They can do it without a problem. The question is whether Crystal is up for it. You would have thought after Christmas Eve she would have second thoughts.”
Jude snickered around the last bite of biscuit. “Now that you mention it she did look a little frazzled when I got home from work. Guess next time she’ll think a little ahead before volunteering to take them all on a nature hike around the farm.”
“You’d think wouldn’t you. I don’t know who came back looking more bedraggled, her or Clewis. Or maybe it’s her and Clewis’ way to reinforce that they are happy they aren’t going to have any of their own.”
“Possibly,” he said thoughtfully as he got up from the table. “Though I said something once that they could always adopt and Clewis said ‘Crystal doesn’t want kids.’”
“Well, that’s what you told me before.”
“It was the way that Clewis said it that makes me think that if Crystal changed her mind he wouldn’t be totally against the idea. I’m not sure. They better make up their minds though before it gets set in stone. I didn’t think much about kids myself until I got around that bunch out there in the living room, now I like there being a houseful of them around.”
Good thing he liked it. No sooner did he get cleaned up than the kids were clamoring for their nightly dose of story. He’d started to read them “The Swiss Family Robinson.” It was fun to watch the kids’ reaction to the story; it was just as fun for me to watch Jude’s.
I'll get the recipe for the dove dish up in a little while but here is a couple of others I think I missed:
SOY BEAN MEAL BISCUIT
1 cup soy bean meal or flour
1 cup whole wheat
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon corn syrup
2 tablespoons fat
1 cup milk
Sift dry ingredients. Cut in fat. Add liquid to make soft dough. Roll one-half inch thick. Cut and bake 12 to 15 minutes in hot oven.
CORNMEAL RAGGED ROBINS
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 cup bread flour
1 1/2teaspoons salt
1 1/3 cups milk
2 1/2teaspoons cream of tartar
4 tablespoons fat
1 1/4 teaspoons soda
Sift dry ingredients. Cut in the fat. Add liquid and drop by spoonfuls on greased baking sheet. Bake in hot oven 12 to 15 minutes. These may be rolled and cut same as baking powder biscuits.
SOY BEAN MEAL BISCUIT
1 cup soy bean meal or flour
1 cup whole wheat
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon corn syrup
2 tablespoons fat
1 cup milk
Sift dry ingredients. Cut in fat. Add liquid to make soft dough. Roll one-half inch thick. Cut and bake 12 to 15 minutes in hot oven.
CORNMEAL RAGGED ROBINS
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 cup bread flour
1 1/2teaspoons salt
1 1/3 cups milk
2 1/2teaspoons cream of tartar
4 tablespoons fat
1 1/4 teaspoons soda
Sift dry ingredients. Cut in the fat. Add liquid and drop by spoonfuls on greased baking sheet. Bake in hot oven 12 to 15 minutes. These may be rolled and cut same as baking powder biscuits.
Last edited:
Whoops, my cut and paste didn't work. Let me fix it.
ETA: should be fixed now.
ETA: should be fixed now.
AlaskaSue
North to the Future
Genius! Love this story and really appreciate the recipes too! We don't have much that grows up here that you do down South (I've never seen kudzu or groundnuts), but there are some things that will work - and it's fun to see how I can apply what you write!
I'm heading to Kodiak this week and my step-mom is another inveterate baker (her sourdough is the best I've ever had), so we'll be trying the biscuits on my dad
Look forward to more - and the dove recipe too (we want to try it with the ptarmigan this year).
Thank you again!
I'm heading to Kodiak this week and my step-mom is another inveterate baker (her sourdough is the best I've ever had), so we'll be trying the biscuits on my dad
Look forward to more - and the dove recipe too (we want to try it with the ptarmigan this year). Thank you again!
Thanks so much Kathy !!
skwentnaflyer
Veteran Member
You do have a gift!!
I admit, I try to stay away, and haven't been in here for several months, but now I'm hooked again!
It's hard to get my work done when I'm stalking the story, lol!
I admit, I try to stay away, and haven't been in here for several months, but now I'm hooked again!
It's hard to get my work done when I'm stalking the story, lol!
naturallysweet
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Muscle aches, tiredness, headache, stomach ache - either I have a cold or I'm going through my story withdrawl.
You don't want to leave me in pain do you?
You don't want to leave me in pain do you?