June 05, 2020
Review, Edit and Update:
There was work to do on this part of the story. Surprisingly it was mostly wording and sentence structure that needed fixing. I did interfere with some of Samuel’s dialogue. When I first wrote this, I had not fully developed his character or his manner of speaking. Episode 51, titled A Man of Few Words, Samuel’s manner of speaking was developed. When I read his sentences in this Episode 30, it was much too wordy. Like Samuel caring for the garden, I weeded out some of the unnecessary words for him.
Regarding the House Wren nest - it has obviously been abandoned. Just a couple of days ago, a small bird was taking it apart, flinging fluff and fine twigs away. Possibly one of the house wrens?
April 23, 2020
Update:
Before I start tonight’s 30th Episode of Situationally Theirs, I have a couple of updates.
The first is the House Wrens nest that I was watching a couple of weeks ago. The time from one day to the next seems to melt into each other so that the only way I could be certain would be to go back through my posts. Anyway, it seems that the House Wren’s next, while busy with activity for quite some time, is silent now. My guess if the little chicks have grown and flown. They are probably still in the neighbourhood, but I wouldn’t be able to tell which little birds they were.
The second update is about this little story about Desperanza and Emelina. What started out as two separate posts coming together to create quite a bond between the two women; a bond they thought had been too stretched to be meaningful any longer. Although they had each other’s phone numbers they did not know where each other were, or even if the phone numbers had changed. Over the last 29 episodes there have been a lot of changes for them both, but especially Emelina. Disclaimer: I write the words down, but whoever is the central figure in each story, tells me their story. I do the word crafting from scenes I ‘see’ and the dialogue I ‘hear’ in my mind. The setting is mostly on the Beaufort Estate, Emelina’s home. Desperanza's family name is Eliot and lives in the nearby small city of Hartley. The time period is the one you and I are living in now - a time of pandemic, social distancing and washing our hands. Other people in this story, and there are several, are ordinary people trying to find out what this different life has to offer and what they have to offer to their community.
Blossoms
Martha was the first to return to the Beaufort Estate. She knew that Mrs. Beaufort was probably home; the vehicle that Giles, the chauffeur used for errands was parked by the back door. However, Martha knew that Giles had not yet returned to the Estate. The only other person to use the SUV was Mrs. Beaufort. She only used it to check on her field and maybe her garden, but that was very infrequent. Martha climbed the four steps to the back porch. Finding her keys at home had been a bit of a chore. They had migrated to the bottom of her purse not used the entire time she was in isolation. After fourteen days, gathering everything including her keys seemed a monumental task. But she had her keys in hand, and was about to slide the housekey in the lock when the door opened. For a tiny second, she didn’t recognize the woman with the big smile on her face. Mrs. Beaufort? What on earth is she wearing? She looks like she’s about to go work in the fields! Everything she has on is stylish but…. blue jeans and a red t-shirt, leather gloves and work boots. Those boots haven’t seen the light of day for well over a year. She bought them for an Urban Farming fundraiser. Wore them once and told Brigitte to put them out of her sight. It only took seconds for Martha to take in this familiar but very different woman was who her employer.
“Martha! How good to see you!”
Both women stepped back immediately. This new habit of social distancing had been learned very quickly, despite the immediate urge to shake hands. Hugging was not something that anyone had done even prior to Covid19, especially with Mrs. Beaufort.
Martha had straightened up and composed herself. “Hello, madam. You look…..so healthy. I haven’t seen you with roses in your cheeks for a very long time.”
“Oh Martha, don’t call me ‘madam’ anymore. My name is Emelina but I’d love it if you called me Emmie.”
Martha almost gasped, hoping her quick intake of breath went unnoticed. “Well madam - I mean Emelina - I don’t know if I can do that. I may slip up from time to time. I believe calling you Emelina would suit the best, however maybe Mrs. Beaufort would even be better. It will take time for me to get used to this change. “
“As long as you don’t call me ‘madam’ anymore. I’m just on my way out to the garden. I’m meeting Samuel Forrester, the gardener and yardman, to see what sort of planting we can get started. I also need to talk with him about setting aside or opening another piece of land for another garden. New plots for some city gardening that may fit with the restrictions but…..and I’m going on while you stand waiting for me to let you inside.”
Emelina did indeed step aside for Martha, who was still feeling rather speechless. To see this dramatic change in madam….Emelina….. had floored her. She would have to get a cup of tea and call Cook to tell her all about it.
“I’ll be out in the garden if you need me. I have my cell phone with me. Oh, and I’m expecting my sister, Dez, sometime this afternoon. If she arrives, just send her out to the garden.” With that Emelina tripped down the steps and walked briskly toward the garden. Some people have container gardens, some people have a small garden patch in their back yard, but Emelina’s garden was almost more like a field. In previous years, a large part of it was designated for flowers to keep the Mansion in fresh flowers. Emelina wanted to change a lot of things about her home and how she ran it. I really haven’t had much of a hand in running any of this. I just rely on Digby and Martha to know what I need and want. Emelina stopped at the head of the garden to see what Dez had tried to show her several days ago - this small corner of the world that she had been neglecting. She pulled her gloves off and squatted down, picking up a handful of the soil Samuel had already turned. It was black and smelled good. She had no other way to describe it. Just fresh and good.
“Emmie. I’ve brought you some coffee and a donut.” Dez had seen Emelina on her way to the garden as she pulled up. “ I got the cream filled kind that we like. At least we can get take out, even if we can’t go sit in a restaurant. What are you doing?”
Emelina pivoted and stood up, letting the dirt filter through her fingers. She brushed any dirt from her jeans. “I’m just about to talk to Samuel - he’s my gardener and yard man - about what’s going in the garden this year and getting more land ready for another garden. I’ve had some more ideas about what we can do with it. But I need your opinion. I’m actually afraid I’m getting ahead of myself again. Mmmmmmm. This donut is really good and fresh and the coffee is excellent. Where did you get it?”
“I stopped at that place that you went to the night you picked me up from jail. Sorry to remind you that your sister is a jailbird.” With an icing sugar moustache, Dez continued “You’re not getting ahead of yourself if you’re just asking questions or tossing ideas around. But you do look like you’ve got something stirring around in your head. ‘Fess up. What is it?”
“It’s about the garden. Food. Food is something many people don't have easy access to. The Food Banks are really stretched. It’s easy to give them money, but I’ve never felt like I’m really ‘giving’. I think I just want to actually participate. Right now the garden hasn’t produced anything. Cook is always saying that we have so much. Much more than enough to feed the household. Many times staff just take the extra home. What if we had something like a market garden that would supply some fresh food to the Food Bank?”
“I like that idea! But here’s the part that really get’s me. Rules for sharing food. We have to find out what restrictions and laws may be in place before we put in a whole lot of time and expense. I plan to stay the night, so we can spend some time researching the public files for any other information we need. “
As they were talking, Samuel approached them. He was a grizzled, wiry man, who looked like he came from the very land that he loved. “Mz. Beaufort. What can I help you with?”
“Samuel, this is my sister Dez. She’ll be working with me on a project we are considering.” Emmie didn’t want to go into great detail just yet as she hadn’t put it forward to the rest to the staff. “We need to know about your plans for this year’s garden. I may also want a second garden area, but we can discuss that later. “
Samuel went on to say that he planted the usual - potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, onions and if Mz Beaufort wanted something different he could get that done. “And Mz. Beaufort, we need a green house. Buyin’ all them new starts costs and takes time off the land. A proper greenhouse would give us some vegetables all year round.”
“Of course. Don’t we have one? I was sure there was one here. I do need to check with Digby about the finances but I’ll get back to you in a couple of days. Is that ok?”
“There was an old greenhouse, but that one had to be taken down. I did store some tools in it, but it was really only good for mice. Mice and me don’t get along. Sure it’s ok? You’re the boss. I gotta get back to work. These potatoes won’t jump into the ground by themselves.” Samuel tipped his old straw hat at the two women and walked away whistling.
~~~~
As the afternoon drew late, Dez and Emmie sat carefully on rickety, dusty garden chairs. No words passed between them, both of them lost in thought. Dez looked at the garden and saw such potential, not just for the bounty it would bring, but the life it would bring back to the estate and to Emmie. Emmie looked at the garden and saw the growth of new plants. Plants that would bear fruit for a season, but would be replenished the next year. Gifts that could be shared with so many others. Not just food on their own table, but food for the tables of others. How many, Emmie was unable to imagine. Her world seemed broader and more fulfilling today than ever in her memory. Dez and Emmie’s long estrangement from each other over, their lives had changed and would continue to change.
“One day spent with someone you love can change everything.”
~ Mitch Albom, For One More Day
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