everything was ready to go April 14, 2010

After dinner they all worked together to bring everything inside.  Violet’s father took her upstairs and started her bath for her while her mother put everything away in the kitchen.  Once she was safely in the tub he headed down to watch tv.

Violet’s mother had packed up all of the clothes that she had laid out; while Violet was taking her bath.  When she got out she saw everything was ready to go for when they woke up in the morning.  Her backpack with the workbooks in it, her duffel for camping and the suitcase for the big trip.

Violet was so excited, that she really was thinking she would never be able to fall asleep.  But the truth was that almost as soon as her mother kissed her and told her goodnight, and shut off the light she was sound asleep.

Her dreams were filled with birds, and stars and bar-b-q’s and more.  When she woke up it was to her father saying — “Violet, wake up sweetie.  There you are good morning!”

“Good morning”  Violet was confused as she was waking up, she had not remembered yet today was a big day.

“Honey I have to get out there, but I wanted to tell you good bye and that I love you, before you left today.”  He gave her a big hug, kissed her on the forehead and told her to have fun and he would see her Sunday.

Violet was  wide awake and ready to get going, as her daddy was leaving she was happily headed to get dressed and brush her teeth.

“Oh good you are up!  Hurry and get finished we will eat in the car on the way there.  I already have my things in the car and will take down your stuff.  Well I will leave the backpack you bring that down, oh and a pillow bring a pillow.”

Violet chose her necklace for the day, and was trying to decide where to put the pouch with the necklaces in it and decided safe in her backpack was probably best.  She grabbed a pillow and the pack and headed down the stairs to start their adventure. ©

cheese in the cheese box, bread in the bread box April 13, 2010

When Violet’s mother returned there was a lot to do.  Violet helped her mother to put the groceries away, and to mix up potato salad for her father, and to fill the small containers , that stay in the camper.  Mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, cheese in the cheese box, bread in the bread box and all the other things from the right toilet paper in the porta-potty closet, to the paper towels.

Finally they had everything done and in its place, including a small cooler in the refrigerator with stuff they would take on their trip to the city to see uncle.

“I don’t know about you Violet but I am tired, and hungry.”  Her mother seemed very happy and it really had been a lot of fun getting to help.

“I am not tired but I am hungry!”

“Ok well we better choose some dinner and get it started.  You know what I bet we could get your dad to bar-b-q tonight.   Oh look here he comes – hey Dean how about we bar-b-q tonight?”

“By we you mean me?”  He was laughing because he loved to use the big brick bar-b-q in the yard.  It was taller then her father in the center where the chimney went up and it was so long across the front.  You cooked in the middle but on both sides there were wood counters built into the bricks.  Her father grabbed a couple of beers out of the refrigerator and said, I will go get it started.

“Now what will we make?  I am thinking hot dogs because we have plenty of those.  We have buns, hot dogs, cheese what will we have with them?  Oh I know I will cut up some salad with fresh tomato’s and peas from the garden.   Since you are not tired you can run stuff back and forth – here start with these.”

Violet ran all of the things from the kitchen out to her father, one to two things at a time.  It was a lot of fun and she was getting very hungry.  Finally everything was finished and they all sat outside at the big wooden picnic table and ate.  It was nice that they were all together and all happy and laughing.  Even crow came and landed not far from the table, watching what was happening.  Her mother took part of a bun and tossed it at him, and he did not even flinch, just stepped forward and with his beak started to tear bites off…still watching them enjoy the meal. ©

just now in the barn, well there is a problem April 12, 2010

“Daddy I don’t know!”  She was excited that she was right, and she was glad he was happy but she really did not know and she did not like the way that felt, not at all.  “Daddy look.”  She pointed to the back of the barn where one of the men was running out of the barn, towards the fencing; he was looking around and they both knew he was looking for her father.

“Looking for me?” her dad hollered as he stood up and together they started to walk towards the back of the barn.

“Yes Dean I am, hello Violet.  Dean just now in the barn, well there is a problem.”  Violet and her father looked at each other and smiled, because they both had heard the big noise but had forgotten about it as soon as it happened; they were so focused instead on the birds and their secret.

“Well I guess I better get to work shorty, you going to be ok?  Why don’t you head back to the house and find something to do.”

“Yes daddy I will.”  She turned and ran to the house wondering what she would do.  Just as she got to the back door her mother was coming out the door.

“Oh there you are, I was just coming to holler for you.  I am going to run into town real quick and get groceries for your dad to take camping and pick up a couple of things for our trip to the city.  You go in and watch tv till I get back.”

“Ok!”  Violet did not get to watch tv often, and hardly ever during the day so she was very excited.  Plus she would be all by herself and would get to choose what channel to watch.  She hugged her mother goodbye, quickly said I love you and went to the living room to turn on the tv.  There were shows on her favorite channel PBS and she sat down to watch the kids on “Electric Company” all the time thinking it would be fun one day to get to play on tv.©

cleaning up January 5, 2010

The girls decided that with such a special guest coming today for tea, it would be best to clean up the play space.  They spent the morning straightening this and straightening that – dusting here and dusting there.  Violet even went to get the broom and sweep up the floor.  When she came back in she asked Beth “Wouldn’t it be fun to get some flowers and put them in a cup on the table?  You know like at fancy grown up parties. “  Beth agreed so out the back of the barn the girls headed to find some flowers.

Soon after they returned with small yellow and white flowers and Violet went to get water for them.  They decided it was best to use the sugar container to hold the flowers, after all the sugar was just pretend anyway and they could pour from the creamer container; as if it was a small tea pot.

Just as they had placed the finishing touches on everything, they could hear voices from the front of the barn.  It was Aunt Grace talking to one of the ranch hands “Yes thank you, I do appreciate that – as you can see I have my hands very full.”  As the girls turned to look they saw Grace and both of them took in a deep breath at how wonderful she looked.

Today Grace was dressed in blue, and her long hair was up in a big loose bun, with a few small silver curls, falling down on to her face.  The pins that held her hair up were beautiful and as the light caught them they seemed to twinkle.  Her hands had big jeweled rings of silver and and blues and greens and in her hands she had a large silver tray.

“Hello Violet, I decided today we would have real tea and not pretend.  I do hope that is ok with you” as she said it her eyes seemed to glisten like the jewels and the smile on her face gave away the fact that she was as excited as Violet and Beth.

“Oh yes! that is wonderful and look we picked pretty flowers for the table, so it is like a real party.”

“Very nice, I like them” Aunt Grace said as she set the tray down on the table and then she asked “is Beth here?”

“Yes, of course she is right there”  as she pointed just behind her Aunt “Beth this is my Aunt Grace isn’t she beautiful? Come over here and sit down.”

“Hello Beth it is very nice to meet you and yes come let us all sit down.  Now let me see what do I have here?”  Grace placed a plate in front of Beth, Violet and herself and handed each of them a cloth napkin to place in their laps.  Then she asked Violet “Could you please place the tea cups and their plates in their places?”

“Now Beth would you prefer the cheese sandwiches or the cucumber ones or some of each?”  but Violet quickly interrupted “Oh Beth doesn’t usually eat very much, she might just want the tea if that is ok.”

“Of course it is, but I will put a sandwich on your plate anyway, just for balance” and she winked at Beth as she set the sandwiches out.  “And now I will pour the tea if that is alright.”   Grace picked up the silver tea pot and poured some of the hot tea into Beth’s cup and then into Violet’s and then into her own.  “Now cream and sugar look fun, but instead I brought some honey from my brother’s farm.  Here let me show you.”

Carefully she took a small spoon dipped it into the honey, gave it a twirl and then placed one in each of the cups.  “You can swirl it around now, it will help to cool the tea and will sweeten it..just so.  And when you are ready to drink the tea, just set the little spoon on the teacup plate.” ©