carrying a suitcase and a tote bag March 31, 2010

While she was brushing her teeth Violet decided that she would tell her father what had happened and see what he said about it.  Part of her was afraid of what happened ; how she knew it, saw it.  But part of her thought it was pretty cool and that maybe she could learn how to do it for other things.

Her mother came into her room as she was getting dressed, carrying a suitcase and a tote bag.  She walked to Violet’s bed and laid one on each side of the bed.  “I need you to help out.  I want you to plan out what you will take with you and wear; both for the trip to the city and to the camp out Sunday on the way home.   I want you to use the suitcase for the city stuff, and the bag for Sunday.  For example a towel, swimsuit, shorts and stuff for Sunday and nice clothes and shoes for the city.  Do not pack anything, just lay it out for each day on the side of the bed that it will be packed in and add two nice outfits for going out on Friday and Saturday night.   Do you understand what I expect?”

“Yes I know how to do that, I can do that.  Mom where will I pack the necklaces that I am not wearing?”

“Oh well in the suitcase with the clothes I suppose.   We are going to have a manners lunch today, and a manners tea this afternoon to make sure you practice before we go.  I will call you when lunch is ready when you get done with the clothes you can play up here until I call you.”

Violet’s mother headed out of the room and down the stairs and Violet got ready trying to decide what she would need to pack.  She decided to start with the stuff for Sunday first because it would be easier.  Then she counted out what she would need for the city – pajamas, slippers, two dress up piles with socks and her nice shoes, two piles of clothes for Friday and Saturday and then she added an extra pile of what she could wear in the car on the drive to the city.

Violet made sure she had socks and underwear and then thought she should take her sweater for the nice clothes but her zip up sweatshirt for the other times.  When she was done she sat down on the floor to play with her stacking logs building a cabin, and adding the trees around it.  ©

shopping? January 28, 2010

Violet ran up to the kitchen and found her mother making lunch.

“Well you have had a LOT happen this morning.  How are you doing and are you hungry?”

“I am hungry.”  Violet realized she was in truth very hungry and she had to go to the bathroom.  When she got back her mother asked “Would you like to talk about the playroom?”

“Yes”

“Well I was thinking we would paint it a nice soft lilac color, kind of like the bedroom downstairs at grandma and grandpas house.  Then we would make all of the tables and chairs a nice white color so it will be bright and clean.   Lastly I will get some light greens to tie it all together, doesn’t that sound pretty?”

“It does sound pretty.  Dad said you will make a pretend window; how will you do that?”

Her mother laughed and said “That will be  a big surprise and I think you will like it, I will even make curtains for the window.  Oh I was thinking too since the floor down there is just cement would you like a rug?”

“Yes, what kind of rug?”

“I don’t know I thought maybe we would plan a trip to the city, see your Uncle and do some real shopping.  I am sure we could find a rug there.”

“What day will we go?” as much as Violet wanted to go, she also wanted to be the one taking care of Cocoa.

“Oh I don’t know it will be a few days in fact you know what would be nice we could go instead of camping.  Maybe we could come back the last day for a little bit, you could swim and I could show the gals what we purchased. “  Her mother seemed to be talking more to herself then to Violet.  “Yes that is what we will do, we will leave on Friday this week, I will tell your father and call your Uncle. “

“Tell me what?”

“Why do you insist on sneaking around and eves dropping?   I was telling Violet that instead of going camping this weekend we will go to the city, see my brother and do some shopping for her playroom.  Then we will meet up with all of you Sunday for lunch and she can swim.”

“That sounds like a good plan Annie. “  He was pouring himself a big glass of milk and eating the sandwich that was left for him on the counter.  “Violet are you about done?  Max is still outside and I thought we would take that calf out into the lawn and try and get it to run around a little.  It will tire pretty fast and then we will put it back into the house and let it sleep.  Max and the calf can just lay in there together and you can help your mom in the playroom for awhile.  If you are good for your mother you can feed the calf the next bottle – deal?”

“Deal!”  ©

home again January 20, 2010

Violet fell asleep almost as soon as they were on the road home.  The sound and motion of the truck and a long weekend made it easy.  She did not wake up until they had already removed the boat and pulled the truck up near the house.  Her mother opened the camper door up and said “Rise and Shine!”

“Are we home?”

“Yes we are home, and it is time to get cleaned up and ready for bed I think.  Tell ya what you take your stuff up to your room and I will go start your bath for you.  You can play mermaid swimming girl or what ever it is you play while I help unload the camper.”

“Mermaid swimmer girl” Violet was laughing “I don’t even know what that is!”

Her mother was smiling and said “Well you can call it what ever you want to call it; come on lets go.”

As Violet was getting out of the camper her father called her over “Come here a minute” and then to her mother “I will send her right up.”

“Ok but make it quick!”

“Listen, I did not tell your mother about what happened.  You know when I was taking you to the pool, and I do not want you to tell her.  It will be our special secret ok?”

Violet felt a little confused and before she could answer he added “you are not in any trouble.  You know that right? It was not your fault.  But I want you to not tell your mom; tomorrow when I go to feed the cattle I will take you with me.  We can talk about it then – just you and me.  ok? “

“Ok daddy, I won’t tell, I promise.  I better hurry.”

“Yes get going, take a bath and get a good nights sleep because we will leave early to feed.”

As she headed to the house, she had that confusing feeling back again and somehow the secret seemed wrong.  But her daddy would not have her do anything bad and she had made a promise to not talk about their special secret.  And she was very excited to get to go help feed the cattle in the morning! ©

and then it got dark January 18, 2010

As soon as Violet locked eyes with her father, she felt like the world was spinning and then it started to get very, very dark outside.  The next thing Violet knew her father was yelling at her “Wake up, wake up!”   It sounded like he was very, very far away and then she opened her eyes and it was so bright she closed them again.  Her father picked her up in his arms and said “Annie open the camper, she is waking up.”

To her he whispered “It is ok honey, it is ok, you are going to be just fine.  Come on wake up a little.”

“What happened?”

“Nothing, you just fell down that is all, you are ok” he reassured her “Your mom is going to stay in the camper with you, get you a soda or something” and then to her mother he added “I will be as careful as I can getting the boat back on.  You two going to be ok?”

“Yes we will be fine, just fine.”

Just then there was a knock at the door, and her father opened it.  As he stepped down it was one of the ladies from the pool bringing the clothes and towel they had left and asking if everything was ok.  He handed the stuff up to her mother, looked Violet right in the eye and nodded saying “everything is just fine, thank you.” and closed the door.

Violet knew she was not supposed to talk about what happened, or how she saw the truck go into the water before it even happened and that she was “fine, just fine”.   But the truth was she was not fine, her head hurt and she was confused and a little scared.

She quickly changed while her mom made them each a sandwich and got out some chocolate chip cookies and ice tea.  “I think we will have your favorite cookies instead of soda, these are the ones from grandma.”

They could feel the truck start up and start to pull forward and quickly were sitting at the table laughing, and eating and trying to make sure nothing slid around too much.  It was a lot of fun and Violet forgot all about how she had been feeling.

It did not take long to hook the boat up and then it was time to go.  Violet’s mom thought it was best if Violet tucked in her bed for the trip home “You can read or sleep, or even watch out the window,  but you get in your bed.  I will tell everyone goodbye for you.”

Sounded like a good plan to Violet she was pretty tired.  So she crawled up top and into her sleeping bag and started to read her book. ©

what is happening? January 17, 2010

Violet was floating on her back in the pool; she was the only person in the great big pool and it was so nice and quiet.  The water was warm and smooth.  There were two women behind the counter working on some sewing project.  Then it happened, swim time was over.  Violet’s mother came in through the front doors, said hello to the women behind the desk and walked to the pool edge.  “Violet, come on Violet! It is time to shower and change, I brought your clothes. Come on I know you can hear me.”

Violet swam to the edge and crawled out and just as she got to her mother one of the women at the counter screamed “Annie! Annie come quick!!! Oh praise Heaven and have Mercy!”  Together they ran to join the women at the back door that overlooks the boat ramp.

Violet looked at the river and there was her Uncle’s red truck sinking into the water.  “Stay HERE Violet! Stay here!” her mother said as she ran to the rivers edge.  Violet could hear her father hollering “Put it in first! Keep the brake on Jacob! Stay WITH the truck! Get that tow chain ready Lacey, I am almost clear!”

She could see her father was at the back of his truck, and was dropping the boat and trailer to the ground and running around the side.  He started the truck and pulled it forward and then was driving backwards to the waters edge, very fast.  The tires made a noise as he hit the brakes and he seemed to be out of the truck before it even stopped.

Her uncle Jacob’s truck was sinking further back into the water and moving a little with the current.  Her uncle Lacey had finished hooking some chain to the front of it and she heard her father again yelling “Lacey get in my truck and get ready! I am almost done.”  Apparently he was taking the other end of the chain and getting it to the back of the truck where the boat goes.   Then her father was running into the water saying “we will try to save the trailer too, hang on Jacob” the water was to his chest as he turned and screamed at his own truck “Pull!  Pull!”

Then he disappeared under the water.

The red truck was slowly moving forward, water pouring from it but where was her father.  As Violet started to run to the rivers edge one of the women from the pool grabbed her and said “No child stay here, sweet mercy your daddy is a stubborn man and too stubborn to die.  Look! there he is!” as she was pointing to the other side of the truck,  he came out of the water with the front of the boat trailer and he was wet from head to toe. ©

camping on a Sunday January 16, 2010

Sundays were different all the dads left early to go fishing but when they came back they would clean the fish and then clean up and all leave.  They would go into town have a few beers and have lunch and fill up the gas cans for the boats.

The kids and the moms would hang out at camp, play some card games or board games.  Instead of eating it was more of one long snack from the time you woke up till the dads came back.

The afternoons were some boat rides up and down the river and to the waterfalls and a secret cove here and there.  Because no one was skiing you could go a lot further and into different areas.  The coves were fun because everyone could jump out of the boats and swim in the water.  It was deep but safe with no current or undertow to worry about.

The big boys would try to dive to the bottom, or to catch a fish with their hands; and when ever someone was successful it was a big celebration.

When everyone got back to camp it was a free for all of what people wanted to do, some want to sleep or read, others to ski, others to swim at the pool.  Everyone gets an opportunity to do their own thing until evening when the camp is packed up and all the families head back to their homes.

This week was a little different though!

When they all got back to camp Violet’s dad asked her what she wanted to do and she quickly replied “swimming!”  He consented and agreed to walk her over to the pool on the way they crossed the boat ramp and Violet gasped!

“What is wrong? are you ok? did you step on something?” her father asked very concerned.  “No” she said shaking her head and holding her necklace in her hands.

“Violet what is wrong, you are clearly upset.” Her father was worried but his tone seemed almost angry.

“I don’t know what happened.  I just all of a sudden thought I was watching you load the boats and that Uncle’s red truck fell in the water.  I don’t know why I thought that.”  Violet was trying so hard to tell the truth, and she really did not know, but it seemed so real like she was watching it and then all of a sudden it was not happening and her father wanted to know what was wrong.

“Oh Violet, you and your imagination! Come on lets get you to the pool so you can swim before it is time to go home.” ©

camping January 13, 2010

As they pulled into the campsite the others were already there.  Each week one family went early and saved the spots for the others.   Almost always they were all in the exact same places “like Gypsy’s” her mother would say.  The first night everyone would eat on their own, and then sit around the fire circle and sing songs, talk and tell stories and just catch up on all that had happened the week before.  One of the teenagers usually had a guitar and that made the singing part even better.

Then there would be smores and then time for bed, for Violet.  Violet was the youngest and the first to go to bed each time.  She would lay in her sleeping bag, trying to hear what she was missing until she fell asleep.  In the morning after a quick breakfast everyone would take off in different directions.  The men would leave to go fishing, most of the kids would head off for a walk and the women would sit around in one of the campers and share coffee and a nice break.

When the kids returned they were told to get into their swimsuits and were sent to the indoor pool at the other end of the camping area.  It was heated naturally from a geothermal spring and was great fun no matter the temperature outside.  Even if the wind blew or it rained it was always perfect inside and at the pool!

At some point an adult would come and holler that it was time for lunch, everyone would get their hands stamped so that they could swim again that day for free, and head back to camp.  Lunch was always fun because everyone was happy and there was a lot of joking and teasing.  Even the fathers would be playing tricks on each other and it was great fun.

After lunch if the weather was nice enough everyone hit the dock and it was an afternoon of water skiing.   That lasted till someone was worn out or sunburned and slowly everyone was done.  There were 3 boats so it was easy to keep a lot of people busy all at one time.

The evening involved more swimming and a community dinner around the fire and of course more smores.  Sundays however were a little different. ©