When Strawberries Bloom
Page 20
“Hello, Stephen,” she said, smiling back at him.
“How are you, Lizzie?”
“Too warm,” she said emphatically, plopping down beside him on the seat, lifting her apron to cool herself. She still wasn’t happy that he was leaving her for a month to go hiking, but she was excited about their date today and decided not to let his upcoming trip spoil her mood.
“It’s not too warm. I love this weather.”
“Do you really?”
“Sure. Makes you feel good to sweat. I tie a red handkerchief around my head at work. Soaks up the perspiration.”
Lizzie imagined this and laughed.
“So, what are we doing this afternoon?” Lizzie asked.
“I thought we’d ask Reuben and Rebecca to go to the dam for a boat ride. It would feel nice and cool on the water.”
“It would be cooler IN the water,” Lizzie laughed.
“I could push you off the boat if you want.”
Lizzie punched his arm while Stephen clucked to his horse, and they started slowly out the drive. That was the nicest part about having a boyfriend, Lizzie thought. This slow, easy pace and never having to hurry became the best part of Sunday afternoons. She looked forward to this time each week—riding around in the breezy buggy, just the two of them, enjoying each other’s company, talking easily, laughing, getting to know each other better.
“Whose boat?” Lizzie asked.
“We’re building an addition for Mr. Wright who lives on the other side of the dam. He has a big aluminum boat he takes out on the water quite often, and he said I’m welcome to use it anytime I want.”
“Really? Are we going to use it today?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Wow!”
Lizzie loved the whole idea. Water didn’t scare Lizzie. She was a good swimmer, having learned in the river in Jefferson County, so the boat ride didn’t worry her at all. Actually, on a day like this, it would feel wonderful to fall into the lake. Of course, boys and girls weren’t allowed to go swimming together, and falling into the lake would be considered exactly that, even with her dress on. And her cape and apron and covering.
“Reuben and Rebecca will meet us at Maybury,” Stephen said.
“Do they have their own team? What will we do with the horses? Isn’t too hot to make them pull us up the mountain? What about the flies that are so pesky to horses in hot weather? Do you have fly spray?”
“Whoa!” Stephen laughed.
“What?”
“Yes, Reuben and Rebecca have their own team. The horses can be put in Mr. Wright’s barn. And, yes, it is too hot to go the whole way up the mountain, but we’ll only go a short way till we turn down the road that goes to the dam.” He paused.
“Oh, and, no, I don’t have fly spray, but this guy has a barn so they’ll be fine.”
Lizzie relaxed then, enjoying the ride to the little town of Maybury, a small grouping of houses, two churches, a post office, a tractor business, a general store, and gas station, all tucked cozily near the bottom of the mountain.
Reuben’s team was already parked by the general store, and the purple skirt of Rebecca’s dress hung out the buggy door. Stephen stomped on the brakes, and they lurched to a stop beside them.
Reuben and Rebecca leaned forward in unison, equally big smiles on their faces.
“Hi!”
“Hello youself!”
“It’s too hot for the horses!”
“We’re not going up the mountain very far.”
“Ready?”
“Do you have any food?”
“I packed a whole pile.”
“Let’s go!”
They wasted no time pulling out of the parking lot, and the horses trotted steadily through the town of Maybury and out toward the dam. The dam sat on a huge reservoir with the concrete embankment holding the water in a large valley between a high ridge and the mountain. It was a beautiful clear lake, continually fed by springs and creeks from the mountain to the north.
The horses sensed the adventure, their ears pricked forward, their necks arched, as they trotted close to the mountain. On the left, they passed a happy little creek that gurgled and tumbled along over smooth, slippery sandstone, quieting to a soft sigh in deep, dark pools beneath overhanging hemlock branches. Cattails swayed in the hot breeze, and bumblebees and butterflies hovered along the banks. Wild strawberries grew in profusion, the sun gently coaxing them up and out of the wet fertile soil.
Stephen made a sort of groaning sound, which startled Lizzie.
“What?” she asked.
“Those deep pools are probably loaded with big heavy trout. Wish it wasn’t Sunday and I had my fishing pole.”
“That’s all you think about,” Lizzie said, in what she hoped was a pretty, pouting little voice.
“Oh, no, it’s not.”
“What else do you think about?”
She hoped with all her heart he would say something like “sitting by that deep pool with you” or that “you are as pretty as the wildflowers” or that “you are much more important than the fish.” Which she definitely was, she thought.
Stephen adjusted the reins, thought a bit, then said dryly, “Where I would get good bait.”
He roared and laughed when Lizzie made an exasperated sound, then slid his arm across the back of the seat and pulled her close.
“No, Lizzie, I think of you much more often than I think of fishing. Especially on Sundays, because I can’t fish then.”
Lizzie sat up straight and grabbed a handful of his long, sun-streaked, brown hair and pulled with all her might. Stephen easily pulled her hands away, yelling how much it hurt, but they were both laughing until the buggy wheel dipped down into a culvert. Stephen tugged at the reins to straighten out the buggy.
“Hey!” Reuben called from behind them. “You better watch where you’re driving!”
And then the road wound steadily uphill and the horses slowed to a walk. They kept a steady pace, their heads moving up and down, up and down, the harnesses creaking against the shafts as the horses drew the buggies steadily up the mountain.
They came to a dirt road that turned down the side of a ridge, and before long, Lizzie could see the sparkling blue waters of the lake shimmering between the trees. Water was like that. It wasn’t really blue, it just reflected the blue of the sky. It wasn’t gray or black either. Sort of silver, but really no color. And yet it was so beautiful.
They arrived at a small brown house set in a little wooded cove by the lake. It was the cutest thing Lizzie had ever seen. Sort of ramshackle, not really kept up very well, but still very homey and cozy and friendly. Even the two large cats straddling the arm of the wooden porch rockers were smiling.
Blue morning glories wound their way up the side of the porch, and a bed of yellow snapdragons were nestled between large, pink hollyhocks. Dandelions and orchard grass grew among them, but it was all very colorful and gave the whole place an air of serenity and relaxation.
The door opened gently and a bent, grizzled old gentleman came to the porch.
“Hello there! Get down. Get down! Come on in.”
Mr. Wright helped them put the horses in his little barn filled with banty roosters and pigeons. Then he showed them his boat which was rather large, much to Lizzie’s relief. Not that she was afraid of the water. It just seemed safer, especially if they were going to have their lunch in the middle of the lake.
Reuben and Stephen carried the boat down the bank to the lake, and they all climbed aboard a bit gingerly. Rebecca held one side of the cooler containing the food and Lizzie the other.
There were three seats in the boat, but the four of them could easily fit two to a seat, each couple facing the other. After a few tries, they got the oars in the oarlocks, and with a swift, smooth push of the oars, Stephen steered the boat toward the middle of that deep, cool water.
Rebecca told Stephen he had better not go too close to the lip of the dam. Just suppose if they went down over tha
t great steep expanse of concrete, they’d all be killed.
Stephen pooh-poohed that idea, but Lizzie felt the same apprehension, although she bit down hard on her lower lip to keep from nagging him along with Rebecca.
Reuben trailed his hand in the cool water, flicking it at the girls, which was just fine with Lizzie. It was so hot Lizzie guaranteed you could fry an egg on the seat of the boat. Her cape felt like it was made of wool, her dress was itchy and she could have screamed, she was so uncomfortable.
Why in the world would they sit in the middle of the lake with no breeze on this startlingly hot spring day? She was hungry, the sun was hot, and she was thirsty. She wished she was a fish. Stephen would care more about her then.
“Hey, it’s too hot!” Rebecca yelled in a very unlady-like voice. Lizzie burst out laughing.
The boys agreed and rowed to the north side of the lake where the merciful shade welcomed them with open arms, the boughs of the huge oak and maple trees forming a sort of canopy for their picnic.
Rebecca poured ice-cold meadow tea into plastic cups, which Lizzie drank gratefully. As soon as her cup was empty, she asked for more. In all the world, there is nothing more refreshing than meadow tea on a hot day, Lizzie thought.
They ate thick roast beef sandwiches with slabs of Swiss cheese and lettuce from Rebecca’s garden. Rebecca had thought to pack small Tupperware containers of mayonnaise and mustard which made the sandwiches taste so good.
Lizzie had packed a bag with potato chips, homemade dill pickles, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, and large red apples, polished until they looked like a picture in a storybook.
The whole picnic lunch was so delicious, the cookies melting in Lizzie’s mouth and then washed down with that wonderful ice-cold meadow tea.
Stephen’s eyes held hers as they ate, and she felt such a closeness to him. For the very first time in her life, she thought she might know what it felt like to be in love. Not just kind of, or sort of, but for real.
When everyone was finished eating, they packed the remains of the lunch carefully into the cooler, and Stephen announced that they would row around the lake again to see if they could find any fish. Oh, great, Lizzie thought resignedly, remembering the sun’s rays beating down on her six layer of fabric. Oh, great.
“You guys better row as fast as you can,” Rebecca said loudly. “It’s hotter than ever out on the lake.”
“We will,” Reuben assured her.
And they did. They cruised around the lake, the boat creating an actual wake like a speedboat, only a lot smaller and gentler. A nice, wet breeze cooled the girls. Stephen yelled at regular intervals whenever he spied the flash of a trout or the yellow speckles of a sunfish, bemoaning the fact that he had no fishing rod.
Rebecca and Lizzie sat back and let their hands trail in the deep, cool water as they chatted and watched the boys handle the oars, propelling them along. It was a wonderful day. It was so good, in fact, that it made Lizzie’s heart hurt with the fullness of it. Rebecca was her best friend, Stephen might just be the love of her life, and Reuben was such a dear, very good match for Rebecca.
For the very first time in her life, she wondered when or if Stephen would ask her to marry him someday. They could live in the little brown house by the lake, if Mr. Wright would just sell it to them. She would weed the flower beds and paint the porch rockers. She laughed. But then, living here by the lake would have one big disadvantage. She would have to compete with the fish for Stephen’s love and attention.
The Recipes
Lizzie’s Favorite Recipes
Sand Tarts
Banana Pudding
Christmas Salad
Christmas Nut Cake
Chicken Filling, or Lancaster County “Roasht”
Grandpa Cookies
Date Pudding
Chocolate-Covered Ritz Crackers
Chocolate Pie
Dressing (Mam’s Ohio Filling)
Sand Tarts
Makes 12 dozen cookies
DOUGH:
2 cups granulated sugar
2 sticks (½ lb.) butter, softened
1 tsp. baking soda
3 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. milk
3½ cups flour
DECORATIVE GLAZE:
1 egg beaten
½ cup milk
colored sugar
1. Mix all dough ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth.
2. Chill dough overnight.
3. Roll thin on floured surface.
4. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters.
5. Mix egg and milk together to make Glaze. Brush tops of cookies with glaze mixture.
6. Sprinkle with colored sugar.
7. Bake at 375° for 8 to 10 minutes.
Banana Pudding
Makes 15-20 servings
3 3½-oz. pkgs. instant vanilla pudding
5 cups milk
8 oz. sour cream
1 large container frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 8-oz. boxes vanilla wafers
12 to 15 ripe bananas, sliced
1. Make pudding according to box instructions
2. Assemble in large serving dish in layers, starting with vanilla wafers, sliced bananas, and pudding. Continue to alternate layers, making as many layers as you wish.
3. Cover. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Christmas Salad
Makes 15-20 servings
²⁄³ cup dry lime gelatin
3½ cups cold water
20-oz. can crushed pineapple, drained, with juice reserved
2 Tbsp. dry clear gelatin
²⁄³ cup cold water
8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup heavy cream, whipped until stiff and sweetened to taste
3½ cups cold water
²⁄³ cup dry strawberry gelatin
1. Mix lime gelatin, 3½ cups water, and crushed pineapple, drained (juice reserved), in bowl.
2. Pour into 9 x 13 baking pan.
3. Chill until firm.
4. Heat pineapple juice to boiling point.
5. Dissolve clear gelatin in ²⁄³ cup cold water. Stir in pineapple juice. Cool.
6. Stir softened cream cheese into clear gelatin until smooth.
7. Fold in whipped cream.
8. Spoon on top of lime-pineapple layer.
9. Mix strawberry gelatin and 3½ cups cold water together. Chill until firm.
10. Spoon over top of creamy layer.
11. Refrigerate until completely firm.
12. Cut into squares and serve.
Christmas Nut Cake
Makes 12-15 servings
CAKE:
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ sticks (12 Tbsp.) butter, softened
4 eggs, separated
1 cup milk
3 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
¾ cup walnuts, chopped
vegetable oil
CARAMEL FROSTING:
1½ cups brown sugar, packed
1½ sticks (12 Tbsp.) butter
¹⁄³ cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
confectioners sugar
¼ cup walnuts, crushed
1. To make Cake, thoroughly cream sugar and butter.
2. Separate egg yolks and whites.
3. Add 4 egg yolks to sugar and butter and beat well.
4. Add milk, flour, and baking powder. Beat well.
5. Beat egg whites in a bowl.
6. Fold egg whites into batter.
7. Mix in chopped nuts.
8. Divide batter by pouring into 3 round cake pans that are oiled and dusted with flour.
9. Bake at 350º until toothpick inserted in center of each pan comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes.
10. Meanwhile, prepare Frosting by cooking brown sugar and butter over medium heat.
11. Boil for one minute.
12. Add milk.
13. Continue cooking until it boils again, then rem
ove from heat.
14. Let cool completely.
15. Add vanilla.
16. Add confectioners sugar to thicken frosting to desired consistency, about 3-4 cups.
17. Frost cooled Cake.
18. Dust with crushed walnuts.
Chicken Filling, or Lancaster County “Roasht”
Makes 15 servings
1 stick (¼ lb.) butter
2 cups celery, chopped
2 loaves bread, cut in cubes
3 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper, or less, to taste
6 eggs, beaten
1. Melt butter in large skillet.
2. Sauté celery in melted butter.
3. Combine all ingredients in a large greased baking dish.
4. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 1 to 2 hours.
5. Stir occasionally until nice and brown.
Grandpa Cookies
Makes 10 dozen cookies
2 sticks (½ lb.) butter, softened
3 cups brown sugar
1 cup sour cream
5 eggs, beaten
4¾ cups flour
1 Tbsp. baking soda
1. Cream butter and brown sugar together well.
2. Add remaining ingredients, finishing with baking soda. Mix well.
3. Drop by big teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Big round cookies are best.
4. Bake at 375° for about 12 minutes.
5. Frost with caramel frosting or plain vanilla icing.
Date Pudding
Makes 20 servings
PUDDING:
1 cup chopped dates
1 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. butter
1 cup boiling water
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour