The Journey Home

by K'Anne Meinel

  Cass found herself anxious to get out into the fields and begin to plow but the drifts took forever to melt and then the water and rains made it impossible. The only positive note was that the ducks and geese were in seventh heaven over the abundance of water and things to peck at and feed off of. What they found was a mystery to their humans but they seem to thrive on whatever it was. The chickens pecking in the runs or in the yards seem to find just as much nourishment and several became broody and stole their nests from their humans.

  Getting the trees tapped and the syrup boiled seemed to take forever this year even if they had helped the previous year and knew more of what they were doing. Cass knew the extra buckets and taps she had made over winter would be put to good use as they collected the rising sap. The fire under the boiling caldron felt wonderful for the spring was still very cold despite the budding trees and plants and the rain got into everything.

  The boys were out daily now despite the cold and rain and muddy conditions. They both got filthy and had the sniffles but trying to keep them indoors was nearly impossible. There were a couple of litters of kittens and when Shia and Selma both had litters it became impossible to bring them in at night they were so absolutely fascinated by all the pups. Both dogs were so sweet natured that it didn’t seem to matter which mother nursed which pup and they raised their litters together.

  Stephanie watched indulgently as Summer reached out her hands to the pups but she put her foot down when Timmy tried to sneak a pup inside the house. There were too many animals on the farm to have them indoors too!

  Slowly the great Northwood’s was released from its wintery grip. They began to plan for planting and expanding on the farm. With the warmer but wet weather Cass worked in the mill cutting the pieces she would need for the framing on the greenhouse as well as pieces she knew would generate the money she would need to buy the glass. Farmers trekked through the woods as the fields and roads were too muddy and wet and placed small orders for their own needs and stopped to chat and talk about the deep winter they had all experienced. Few stopped to chat with Stephanie at the farmhouse but sought Cass out in the mill or the barn so the gossip they brought along was welcome at the dinner table.

  As the sun began to dry up the fields Cass took the two big Belgium horses into town with packs since it was still too much water on the roads for her to chance getting the wagon stuck. Not having seen anyone but her neighbors for months she was glad to see the small the town with its church spires and nosy townspeople. She had a good chat with the storekeepers she did business with and heading home with her packs almost equally as full as when she left the farm she had mail and supplies for them to tide them over for a while. That night Stephanie and she eagerly went over the mail which contained a few catalogs of things and Cass had stopped by the library to find a book for them to make the greenhouse.

  The fields were still too wet when Stephanie helped Cass to gather rocks from the woods into the wheelbarrow that they could push themselves and dump on the Southeast part of the house. Cass measured and put up string so they could line the addition properly as they placed the rocks carefully. In between she added cement that she mixed in the wheelbarrow in batches. Using planks she poured it around the rocks and tried to dab it when possible leaving it to cure for days they built up low walls until they were even with the basement ones on the actual house. Leaving the floor of the greenhouse in the dirt that was already there Cass began to build a framing around the edges of the addition. With the wood she had sawn for this project she built removable and pivoting frames that all needed glass on two of the four sides. The other two sides were against the house and she built a small porch along the edge that faced the den so she could put in a doorway from that room when they were ready. Having priced the glass for this project she knew it would be expensive and she put off buying it as long as she could as she built all her frames and by the time the road was dry enough to head into town she was ready for the sheets of glass.

  Stephanie insisted on accompanying her into town and using her own carefully hoarded savings to contribute. The many sheets of glass were carefully stored in the back of the wagon to avoid breakage with a lot of cushioning in between them. The boys were not allowed anywhere near the sharp and fragile edges. Stephanie kept them distracted with new books and things as Cass paid for the expensive panes. They sent off their mail which consisted of orders for the turkey’s that Cass wanted to try as well as seeds that normally would not grow this far north and a few other things that their small town could not provide. Cass drove home carefully wincing at every pothole that the wagon lurched over as her precious cargo creaked and groaned behind her.

  “Relax,” Stephanie laughed at her. She was so happy these days. Between loving Cass and having healthy children she had never known such happiness.

  Cass smiled ruefully at her and cringed again as the rocks in the road seemed larger than she had ever known before. They got home and she pulled around the farm house to park the wagon by the new addition and helped Stephanie take their other purchases inside before she unhitched the horses and led them back to the barn. Cass was annoyed when she woke up the next day to rain and had to wait several days for the swelling in the wood to go down before carefully putting the panes into the frames she had so lovingly made. Gently she captured the glass between the wood holding the precious and expensive glass between them as she placed them into their spots along the walls of the greenhouse letting in warm sunlight into the slowly enclosed room for the seedlings and plants that Stephanie wanted to grow. Getting on a ladder and doing the upper levels was unnerving with the difference in weight and worry of dropping the precious frame. Cass was angry when she did indeed drop one and yelled at the boys for startling her.

  Stephanie calmed her and offered to help but with all the work waiting on the farm it was with relief when Cal and Ray both showed up to help on the roof frames. Ray showed her how to put in hinges so that the intense heat could be released through this access. Cal and Ray rigged a spigot so they could water the plants that would soon line the boxes that were being set up on tables to contain the many seedlings that now lined every window in the house as Stephanie attempted to grow things that normally would not have the strength in the short growing season this far north.

  Stephanie made huge meals to feed the men in appreciation for their work and at night she attempted to show Cass her own style of appreciation but worry over getting to the work on the farm and finish their project had Cass a little tense. Stephanie felt almost unappreciated as Cass didn’t respond as in days of old. Cass was also excruciatingly aware that there were others about and tried to act in a manner that would be normal between her and her housekeeper. She didn’t realize her elaborate ploy to maintain this falsehood was glaringly obvious to her brother.

  “Look, that boy rode out from town with this!” Stephanie showed the message to Cass who was painting the frames around the glass with painstaking strokes in order to not get the paint on the glass.

  “Dammit,” she swore under her breath as she grabbed a rag to wipe off the excess. Cal looked at her from his own perch where he was painting further up on the ladder. The white paint looked beautiful as it protected the wood from the elements.

  Cass accepted the note and read that their turkeys and a few other items would be in Wausau tomorrow and that decided their next trip. She looked up at Cal and asked, “Want to go into Wausau with your furs tomorrow to trade?”

  He saw the disappointment clearly written on Stephanie’s face but Cass did not. He shrugged and shook his head as he continued to meticulously paint along the wood. They would be done in another day or so on this project except for inside and cutting a door but otherwise the glass panes were all in and the building well-constructed. He had been surprised at the addition but it looked nice and his sister had planned it well. Seeing how Stephanie was growing all those plants around the house he understood her reasoning at the expense.

  Cass turned belatedl
y to Stephanie and said, “Well I guess it’s you and me and the kids for a full day of it, are you up to the trip?”

  Stephanie who had thought that Cass was excluding her when she had invited Cal immediately lit up. “You bet!” she said enthusiastically and immediately began planning in her head for breakfast and the lunch she would pack. She couldn’t wait to go to the bigger city even if it was an all day trip for them and the kids.

  That evening they packed up the wagon with Cal’s furs, Cass had considerably less than he did but equally fine ones including the wolf pelts which impressed Cal. Included in their trade were flats of eggs, jars of honey, and cottage cheese, and butter. At the last minute Cass included a couple of boxes of bottles of apple cider, pear juice, and apple juice with the Scheimer label on it. Cal had smiled in delight when he read them and laughed at his sister’s business acumen. “How’s it taste though?” he had teased her knowing it would taste delicious as he had found on many an occasion.

  They started out early as they always did, before the sun was even up. Hot sandwiches of bacon and eggs were eaten as the horses plodded along the dark road. They must have sensed where they were going when they didn’t turn off for Merrill but instead continued on towards Brokaw which would eventually bring them into Wausau hopefully by mid-day. The boys weren’t interested in breakfast and had snuggled down in the back of the wagon among the many pelts and combined with their body heat they were soon snuggled into a cocoon that let them drift off back to sleep. Summer joined them for the first time.

  “I’m so excited to be going to the big city,” Stephanie enthused as she tucked her hands into the warmth under Cass’s arm.

  “Careful there,” Cass warned. She liked Stephanie’s enthusiasm but she worried that somehow she would give them away. If someone misinterpreted their relationship they could be ostracized by the entire community. She wasn’t sure if she should tell Stephanie or not. While she loved her absolute she didn’t want to hurt her feelings. As it was their love was still so new and precious and delicate. Their love making fantastic if still a little wild but overall Cass had no complaints.

  “I hope everything has arrived like we ordered,” Stephanie didn’t let Cass’s almost surly nature infect her.

  “I’m sure most of it will have, if not, it will make its way to Merrill eventually.” Cass wasn’t so concerned about the plants and seeds they had ordered but instead worried about the turkeys and wondered how well they would thrive in this cold climate. Many had said they wouldn’t thrive and she worried if she had thrown valuable money away over the experiment. After the expense of the addition she was feeling a little touchy about money these days and had given up on the idea of buying their own bull, that was okay though, one of the calves had been a male.

  “After that long winter aren’t you glad to be getting out?” Stephanie asked her.

  It was still cold this fine spring morning and patches of snow that signified deep drifts were hidden in pockets. The rain had washed a lot of it away and the creeks and streams were running full. As they drove near the Wisconsin River on their trip Cass worried about crossing it later on, the bridge wasn’t always the best bet and she wondered if the water had washed it away this year.

  “Yep, can’t wait to get to the plowing and get everything going,” she answered quietly. It was still so dark that she depended on the horses to guide her on the road, their eyes were wide open and alert as they drove along in the quiet morning their breath steaming up in vapor clouds.

  “Maybe we will do so well this year that we can buy a truck!” Stephanie enthused.

  Cass laughed, “Now what would we need a truck for?”

  Stephanie didn’t know but it just seemed so modern, so advanced, and they wouldn’t have the smelly old horses anymore. She looked at them and realized she would miss them though if they didn’t have them. Both of them had given birth to beautiful foals this year and it had been difficult to leave them behind locked in the barn. The yearling and the two year old had followed along the fence line as they left.

  Stephanie was chatty as they continued the long drive to Wausau up the hills and through the woods. The high hill that separated Brokaw from Wausau seemed extra difficult with the mud that had washed away in several spots and exposed the rock below. Finally though the road meandered down into the town and Cass was relieved to pull up at the familiar store by the train station.

  Stephanie looked about assailed by the memories from over a year ago. So much had happened since then. She had a baby, she had a lover, she had a home! She enthusiastically climbed off the wagon and Cass swung Summer down into her arms before she went inside the store and greeted the storekeeper and his wife as he headed outside to help Cass unload.

  “Look at this,” Stephanie said as she showed Cass some of the things she wanted to purchase.

  “What is it?” she looked at the packet trying to figure out what it was. It said ‘Kool-Aid’ on the outside and she wondered at the spelling.

  “It’s a packet of flavoring. You add sugar and it makes a fruity drink.”

  “Just sugar?” Cass asked wondering at it.

  “Well water too, do you mind if we try some?”

  Cass shook her head, with the amount they were getting for the furs she had calmed down a little about the expensive addition to the house. It would replenish their savings a little and the amount she shared with Cal was truly impressive. If Stephanie wanted to buy flavoring she was welcome to it.

  After finishing up at the store where they were even glad to try Scheimer Apple Cider, juice, and the Pear Juice they headed over to the depot across the street to pick up their packages. The turkey’s looked fine except that Cass found a couple of them dead in the crate. She brought it to the station clerk’s attention immediately and he filed the necessary paperwork. He remembered her as she had written a letter of complaint and praised him for his efforts last year about this time. The dead turkeys were removed and the rest of their packages were loaded in the back of the wagon where three children were sucking on candy sticks getting sticky and messy.

  “What is this?” Cass asked as the clerk brought over several small trees.

  “This one says it’s a dwarf orange tree,” he told her cheerfully reading the tag.

  “Stephanie! Did you order orange trees?” she asked exasperated.

  Stephanie giggled mischievously and nodded as she looked at the other trees. “Yes, also a banana tree, a lemon tree, and lime!”

  “What in the world?” Cass asked bewildered, where would they plant those?

  “They are dwarf trees, they won’t get too big and we can keep them in the greenhouse in the corners!”

  Now Cass understood why she hadn’t been allowed certain design features she had thought of, Stephanie had always planned to have trees in the greenhouse.

  “Think of making our own lemonade or orange juice in the middle of winter!” Stephanie enthused.

  Cass rolled her eyes and caught the eye of the station clerk who grinned. She nearly laughed as she loaded the two and three foot trees into the back of her wagon. She realized now why Stephanie had been so concerned about all of their mail order items arriving together. There were two of each of the odd trees as well as a pack of seeds that she had known about.

  It was going to be a long trip back and they stopped by the river to eat their lunch so the horses could rest after the long and arduous hills they had pulled the wagon up.

  “Have you ever had a banana?” Stephanie asked as she looked at the trees in the back of the wagon.

  Cass shook her head but she laughed at how excited Stephanie was over some trees. The seeds she had sprouted in the house in every window sill excited Cass more than some exotic tree that she had ordered. She thought the idea of the orange tree had merit but she wasn’t so sure about the lemon or lime trees.

  They were relieved to arrive back home at the farm house after the long day in the wagon. Cass pulled up by the back door so they could unload their p
urchases and then pulled the wagon to around the house to the greenhouse and with Stephanie’s eager help unloaded the new trees.

  “We will have to repot these, I wonder if they will be in shock at our dirt around here?” Stephanie mussed.

  “I think I should set up a compost pile for you outside the door with mulch and I’ll haul some dirt from that swampy area that I’m going to plant with corn. It should have the richest dirt for your pots.”

  “Oh thank you!” Stephanie said in gratitude as she impulsively hugged Cass who stiffened up immediately.

  “Stephanie!” she warned as she looked around. She saw no sign of her brother but one never knew who might be around.

  “Oh come on, I can hug my friend without anyone getting upset can’t I?”

  “Let’s just be a little more discrete okay?”

  Stephanie was just too happy to let Cass’s lack of enthusiasm bother her.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Over the next few days Stephanie finished up the details on the greenhouse. She and Cal finished painting the frames inside and out protecting it from the elements. They greased all the hinges so that the windows could be opened as Stephanie saw fit. Cass found Cal looking at Stephanie with speculative eyes more than once and she felt jealousy for the first time in her life.