The Adventures of the Wayward Gardener
By Marcia C. Brandt
The Flight of the Bee · Too Bee or Not to Bee · A Long Tale · The Rest of the Story · Bee a Happy Ending? · Working Her Magic · Impossible Dream · The Date · The Movie · Girl Talk · What Happened · Going Home · Clean Up · The Hives · Ghost Stories · Lessons · Moving the Bees · Herbalist · The Wedding · The Reporter · Discovered · The Newspaper · The Match · Kisses · The Wedding · Epilogue
All Rights Reserved © 2012 Marcia C. Brandt
Chapter 1 The Flight Path of the Bee
Summer was in full swing, the flowers in the garden were smiling at the sun. The air was filled with the sweet smell of bee balm and the sound of the honey bees swarming around the flower heads. The morning glories were winding their way up the trellis beside the garden gate, blue and purple and pink blossoms announcing their beauty. Calli was lying on the ground, staring at the clouds in the sky. Resting, that’s what she was doing. Soaking in the sweet smell of the flowers mixed with the rich smell of the earth. She felt divine. This was her place to revitalize and restore her spirit. Being a part of the earth and watching the plants transform from seeds to sprouts to small seedlings and finally to mature plants, this was her calling. This was why she was here. She’d read so many self-help books that touted the message of doing what you love and the money will follow. Well, she was doing exactly what she loved, and it felt like she was chasing the money instead of having the money follow her into her bank account. No time to wallow in that right now. She had another six rows of peas to pick and get ready for the farmers market in the morning. The sounds of the bees pollinating the flowers were like a happy tune being played on the stage just for her. She was enthralled with the rhythm and the harmonies that nature offered anyone who would take the time to listen. She was a master with time and patience unlike her parents who were continually harping at her to get a real job. A job where you reported to your cell each and every day at the same time, a job where you sat at a desk and did projects, talked on the phone, listened to the droning of the rest of the captives in the office, who also had their own little cells where they talked to people all day about buying this or that or don’t you want to lower your interest rate… all those crazy telemarketing calls she listened to on her answering machine. She knew that her parents thought she was wasting her life by growing flowers, vegetables and herbs and selling them at the local farmers market. They had bigger plans for her life, a career, a husband, and kids and of course grandkids for them to spoil. Who said they had her best interests at heart? It sounded like they had their best interests at heart and if she was married off then they wouldn’t have to worry about her. Such is life, and it is her life after all, not theirs. With a huff, Calli unglued herself from the warm hug of Mother Earth and got to work on those last rows of peas.
Calli loved the sound of the snap of the pea pods as she removed them from the vine. She moved quickly down the rows, filling her sling with the ripe pea pods. Both of her hands were free to harvest the peas, the brightly colored sling was her prize invention. It was similar to the slings that mothers carried their new born babies in. It reminded her of a kangaroo’s pouch, protective and easy to fill with the harvest of her vegetable garden. She filled it several times emptying the pods into a large basket. She counted three baskets full just from today’s pickings. Smiling she did the math quickly in her head. This will be at least a $200 day tomorrow at the market with just this crop of peas. Calli laughed out loud. Try to convince me now that I’m wasting my time and not making any money. This day alone will pay my rent and give me some extra cash towards my dream. Calli didn’t talk to anyone about her dream. Well, not any physical person. She talked about her dream all the time to the birds, butterflies, bees, and her garden helpers. She knew it was in safe keeping with them, unlike what would happen if she shared it with her parents or any of her friends. It’s always best to keep your dreams pure until you can make them appear in your reality. When other people start putting in their 2 cents worth of opinion, then the dream became cloudy, murky, and has lost its purity and its true essence. Calli had watched as her brothers started talking about starting their own business, a bike repair shop. They were the best mechanics she’s ever seen. They could put a pile of junk back together and make it run. But their parents had given them all the reasons why they wouldn’t be successful and they stopped dreaming and took a job at the local mall, where they put in too many hours, have no control of their schedule and make almost enough to support themselves and their families. Calli wasn’t going to fall into that trap, no sir, not her. She was her own woman and she had her own dream that she wasn’t going to share until it was a full functioning reality right here on her grandfather’s farm.
The bees kept flying back and forth between flowers and buzzing around Calli as she hummed a little tune. Her mind was focused on tomorrow’s market and all her regular customers who would be thrilled to buy her vegetables, flowers and herbs. She loved getting up early, packing her van with all the baskets of produce and buckets of fresh flowers. You wouldn’t catch her sleeping in on market day. She went to bed with the chickens. Now, that’s an old saying that most people won’t understand. She’d learned everything she knew about gardening from her Grandfather, he was her rock and she was his shadow. That’s what he called her, his little shadow. She knew that she would carry on the family tradition of nurturing the earth and coaching an abundance of vegetables from her garden plot. Yes, going to bed with the chickens meant that when the sun went down, she went to bed, it didn’t matter what the clock said for time, she was listening to the rhythm of Mother Nature and following her lead.
Two honey bees made a bee line for Calli and kept buzzing around her head until she stopped picking peas and looked at them. They had landed on the top of a bee balm flower and were almost coaxing her to follow them. Ok, I must have been in the sun too long this afternoon and didn’t drink enough water to keep myself hydrated, if I believe that these two bees are asking me to follow them. She started picking peas again and these two little orphans were buzzing her head again. When she stopped harvesting, they flew to the top of the flower again. Calli shook her head and picked one pea pod. Quickly she looked at the flower to see if the bees would fly around her again. They looked like they were waiting….she picked another pod, they moved their wings, daring her to continue. She quickly grabbed a handful of pods, slipped them into her sling and sure enough, the bees started buzzing her head again. This game of buzz and pick went on for about 10 minutes, until Calli had enough and put her sling under the shade of the maple tree. She looked right at the bees and said, “Okay, what do you want me to do? Obviously, you don’t want me to pick peas. What is your message?” The two little bees almost jumped up and down; at least that’s what it looked like to her. They took off in the direction of the old machine shed. One flying ahead and then the other one circling back so Calli could keep up with them. When they reached the old shed, Calli had to pause for a couple of minutes for her eyes to adjust to the dim light in the shed. She followed the bees by their sound because it was too hard to see them. They landed and then came back for her. She stepped over old abandoned pieces of equipment, parts that belonged to some long forgotten farm machinery. She almost tripped over a bucket filled with nuts and bolts and boxes of screws and nails. Now there was something useful in this old shed after all. The bees returned to buzz around her head, encouraging her forward. Finally they landed in the farthest corner of the shed, on some kind of box that was leaning against the back wall. She stepped closer and wished she had a flashlight with her. There were a few rays of sunshine seeping through the walls that had a few boards missing due to the age of this building and the neglect it had experience
d over the years. The sun gave her just enough light to recognize exactly what the box truly was. It was an abandoned bee hive. There were several layers haphazardly stacked in the corner. The bees were buzzing around the hive and then sitting on the top layer. Then they’d buzz Calli’s head. She didn’t know very much about tending a bee hive but the thought of having her own honey gave her an idea. Maybe the bees are really looking for a new home and maybe they want me to provide that for them. And maybe I could learn how to become a bee keeper and sell my honey at the farmers market too! The bees flew around her head even faster, almost giving her the ‘yes’ answer to her thoughts. Calli laughed out loud when she realized that they were also telling her that the honey was theirs and they would share part of it with her but not all of it. “Point well taken!” She said out loud. “I’ll be the keeper of the hive and we’ll share the honey.” I must ask Grandfather what he knows about this hive and if he was the bee keeper. Calli climbed back over all the buckets and parts and old machinery exiting the old machine shed and walking out into the sunlight. She smiled up at the sky and watched the bees follow her back to her garden to finish her harvest. This feels like the next step in following my dream. “Woo hoo!” She shouted as she jogged, this idea is the spark I’ve been waiting for.
Chapter 2 To Bee or Not To Bee
The little multi-colored banty rooster crowed at the crack of dawn, startling Calli out of her dream. She was selling honey at her market space for $50 a jar. Laughing at the thought, Calli stretched and jumped into the shower to finish waking up before she started loading her van with all the peas, tomatoes, herbs and flowers. She had stored everything in the cooler last night before she went to sleep. There was plenty for her to sell today. This is the height of the vegetable season and she didn’t want to be late. For sure, the early vendor at the farmers market got the most sales from the early birds who were looking for the best produce. With all that she had harvested yesterday, she didn’t need $50 a jar honey to fill her purse and bank account.
Closing the sliding door on the van, Calli sighed with relief. She had enough room for all her buckets of fresh cut flowers. These were some of her best sellers, along with the peas. Hurrying into the kitchen to grab some breakfast, Calli smelled the bacon and smiled. Grandfather must have gotten up ahead of me again. He’s amazing! Calli lived in the family farm house with her grandfather. The rest of the family had moved into town years ago, leaving Calli and Roger to take care of themselves. They didn’t mind a bit. It was better for them not to have the rest of the family poking their noses into their gardening business. Calli and Roger were a team. Her grandfather had slowed down a bit once he started checking off his 80’s. He really didn’t look a day older than 70, but she knew he was going to celebrate his 83rd birthday in a couple of weeks.
“Sure smells good, Grandfather.” Calli entered the kitchen with a smile on her face. “What’s in my bucket for today?” Roger always had her lunch and snacks ready for market day. He’d made the sandwiches and washed the fruit the night before. “You are the winner of the best breakfast sandwich this side of the Mississippi, your favorite, bacon, egg, and cheese on sourdough bread, fresh from the oven yesterday.”
“Thanks. You know I’ll never turn down your homemade sourdough bread. You could put just about anything in between the slices and it would taste wonderful. I’ve got a van full and am really excited to get moving. Will you be coming over later?” Calli grabbed her wrapped sandwich and her lunch bucket heading out the door almost before Roger could answer her question.
“I’ll have to see how I’m feeling, Calli. I’ve been taking afternoon naps lately. Not sure what’s got me so tired. Maybe after my nap I’ll be able to help you haul all the money home!” He laughed and smiled all at the same time. Calli was in too big of a hurry to question him about the naps. She’d discuss it with him this evening. Calli threw gravel behind her tires, as she sped down the lane to the highway. No moss growing on her today. She loved all the old sayings that she’d grown up with, her Grandfather and Grandmother had shared them with her from a very young age.
As she approached the market square she realized that she wasn’t the first vendor to arrive. Rats! He beat me again. Her best or worst competitor, depending how you looked at things had beaten Calli to the best space. The market didn’t reserve any booths for people. It was first come you get to choose your space. Calli growled a bit under her breath. What is it with this guy? Why does he always get under my skin? He seems like a nice enough person, but there’s something about him that definitely rubs me the wrong way, each and every time I see him, which happens to be three times a week during the summer farmers market.
“Morning, Calli,” Jim called as he hauled another bucket of flowers from his old multi-colored van. “Good morning, Jim. How’s it goin’?” Calli did her best to smile and look happy to see him, even though her blood was starting to boil. Taking a deep breath, Calli claimed the space across the aisle from Jim that way she could keep her eye on him and make sure he wasn’t stealing any of her regular customers with his ‘charming’ personality. Grrr! Calli couldn’t decide why this was so upsetting to her. She knew that if she didn’t change her attitude immediately she’d ruin her sales for the day. Reading all the books about marketing and how your attitude brings you exactly what you are projecting. She took about five deep breaths and slowed her pulse, and got recentered for her day. She understood the Law of Attraction and she was determined to attract so many buyers that her buckets would be empty by the end of the day, if not before!
When Calli had all her produce, flowers and herbs in place and she was ready for the sales to start pouring in, she grabbed the sandwich Grandfather had made for her breakfast and took a big bite. Rats, its cold already, just like my attitude towards Jim. There I go again, focusing upon him instead of my customers. She drank some of the lemonade that Grandfather had packed for her lunch; maybe this will sweeten my sour disposition. Before she had time to ponder her mood any longer, the doors were opened for the customers to start shopping. Calli was busy immediately and forgot to even watch Jim’s booth.
“Good morning, Lois.” Calli smiled at one of her favorite customers. Lois was about her grandfather’s age and she bought flowers and vegetables from Calli every time. “What are you in the market for today? I have some delicious peas that I picked yesterday; they are crisp and ready to eat or to freeze. I have a bumper crop this year. Not sure if it’s the weather or all the bees that seem to pollinate everything they find.” Calli waited for Lois to decide. “Oh, honey,” Lois replied. “I’m too old to worry about freezing anything for next year. I’ll eat the fresh ones when they are in season. One never knows about the future at my age.” Calli was taken aback with Lois’s comment about next year. She was the same age as her Grandfather and he had been slowing down and taking more naps. Stop, I’m not going any further with this line of thinking.
“Thank you so much Lois. I’ll see you on Saturday for some more?”
“Of course.” Lois replied, “I always stop at your booth first because I know that you send so much love to your garden, the vegetables are sweeter and full of all the good things of life. You said something about bees. Have you seen many? I’ve heard that the honey bees are having problems with some sort of disease.” Calli shook her head. Lois continued, “I remember when your Grandfather used to keep bees and sell me honey. It was the best in the county. Never understood why he stopped. Well, I’d better be going dear. See you on Saturday.” Lois hurried off to the next booth which had homemade bread, jams and jellies.
Calli started putting the puzzle pieces together in her mind. Grandfather used to keep bees. He used to sell the best honey in the county. Why did he stop? Calli couldn’t remember any honey or bee hives growing up. The boxes she found in the old machine shed must be the ones he used. Why has he never talked about keeping bees? There must be a reason. She was determined to ask him and keep asking until he gave her the answer. Sometimes when she qu
estioned him, he side stepped the question with another question. This time she wasn’t going to be thwarted. The bees had led her to the old hive and there must be a reason for that.
The flurry of customers slowed down enough that Calli had time to glance across the aisle at Jim’s booth. He was sold out! How did he do that so fast? She’d watched him fill his space with just as many buckets as she did. And she still had more to sell. Jim was packing up everything and getting ready to leave, when he walked over to her booth and stood there with that grin on his face, the grin that she’d like to wipe off with the slap of her hand. Ugh, what’s the matter with me? He seems like a nice enough guy, but there’s something that unsettles me every time I’m within a few feet of him.
“Looks like I’ll be heading home now. Is there anything I can help you with? Guess I got finished before you again.” There it was, he was rubbing it in. ‘I got finished before you AGAIN.’ Smirk, it was a smirk he had on his face, not a smile. “Oh, no, Jim. But thanks anyway. My grandfather should be along any minute now. He always likes to help me pack up and count the money,” Calli remained as calm and cool and collected as she could despite her desire to eliminate his presence from her space. “Okay, see you Saturday. I’m looking forward to it.” Why? Why on God’s green earth would he be looking forward to seeing me on Saturday? Calli huffed around her booth with a vengeance and pulled out the last bucket of flowers remaining to be sold out of her van and set it down so hard on the cement that the bucket cracked and all the water ran out. Now I’ve done it. These flowers need to be in water so they’ll look beautiful enough to sell. See what he did to me? Calli wasn’t ready to claim that it was her behavior and not Jim’s that had caused the bucket to break.
Luckily, Roger arrived in that moment and took the wind out of her billowing sail of frustration. “Hi, honey. How have sales been today? Looks like you’re almost done. Just one bucket to go. What happened to this bucket? Looks like it split. They just don’t make them like they used to.” Roger shook his head and transferred the flowers to another bucket that would hold water. “I’ll just go fill this one up at the faucet. Be right back and we can count the money.” Roger loved to see just how much money Calli brought in with her vegetables and flowers. He was so proud of her accomplishments, even though he had taught her everything she knew about growing flowers and planting and harvesting. He knew that it hadn’t been easy for her to go against her parents’ wishes. They saw her going to college and getting a degree and finding the perfect husband and then having an ideal family life, who knows nowadays what an ideal family is any more. Times had changed; nothing was the same as it was when Roger was in his prime of life. Filling a new bucket with fresh water, Roger took his time returning to the market space. He walked slowly down the aisles of the market, stopping to speak with old friends, people he’d known for many years. He realized that it seemed like everyone had aged, guess I’m not alone in this.
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