“Sorry I’m late,” Rich said, “but I did remember to bring the camera. Of course, that’s why I am late, because I had to go back for it.”
Others chuckled, MJ nodded with a smile. “Thanks for the effort. So, folks, anytime you can go back for your picture. And with that, I see some of you are working already, but now we all can be. Oh, any questions?”
“Not a question, but I think we need to start a scrapbook of things like that letter and other comments along with the pictures of the finishers,” one woman said.
“Good idea. Anyone want to volunteer? Especially someone who won’t let this become a UFO?” MJ looked around the room.
A woman named Judith raised her hand. “I just finished a scrapbooking project. I’ll get this started.”
“Thank you. Anything else? Good, have at it. Drinks are up here along with Addy’s cookies. She said to tell you the orders she received at the last meeting are here and boxed. Raise your hand, Addy, so they can see you.”
Addy stood up shyly.
“You taking more orders?” someone asked.
“Yes, just come talk to me.” Addy sat back down.
MJ picked up her finished crewelwork. “Was hoping to get this framed before tonight, but Daryl is working on the frame.”
“Another UFO?” Roxie asked with a grin.
“Nope, he promised for tomorrow. Had to go buy glass and some kind of tool first.”
Roxie snorted. “Interesting how men always need one more tool to do something and they go and buy it, while women make do.”
“They are smarter that way. Wish I would do the same sometimes, especially with new gadgets for the kitchen. Saw an ad on TV for a salad cutter that looks really good. I never did like to chop a lot of things. Seems simple things are coming out, not like a food processor and those fancy kinds of machines.”
Loren looked up when Nate pulled over a chair beside her. “Hi. Thought perhaps you decided not to come.”
“My closer had an urgent errand, so I’m running a bit late.”
“What are you working on?” Roxie asked.
Nate laid his sketchbook on the table. “I started a series of pen-and-ink drawings years, er, some time ago and almost tossed them when I moved. But I kept the book and I’m still working on the beginning design sketches. I finished one pen-and-ink years ago, and Dad was so pleased with it, I figured to try again.”
“How many?”
“Doing a triptych.” He held out his hands to show the size. “Each needs to fit a frame. Or maybe my dad”—he gave Rich a teasing look—“would like to create the frames.”
Rich grimaced. “Or perhaps he would teach you how to use the tools so you can make them.”
“I need a frame for my stitchery. Hint hint,” Roxie said with a grin. She held up a counted cross-stitch eight-by-ten of hummingbirds and fuchsias.
Nate groaned. “I can be bribed with ice cream after our meeting.”
MJ laughed. “Who couldn’t?”
Addy sighed heavily. “I don’t think I’m cut out to be a knitter or crocheter.” She held up the piece that was supposed to be a square and looked more like a trapezoid. “I started to knit a scarf but none of the edges ever matched. Then this silly potholder and it isn’t working. And I tried to crochet that one you showed me, Grandma, and it’s a mess too. I’d rather bake cookies any day.”
“Did you bring the crocheted one?” Loren laid down her knitting. Addy shook her head. “I didn’t think I’d ever be able to knit either but I finally got it.” Loren held up a soft fluffy scarf of various blue tones that flowed into each other. “I love this and it is finally working.”
“Here, I have a crochet hook and some extra yarn. Come and show me how you started that potholder. I love that design,” a lady from across the table said.
Ginny nudged her granddaughter. “Go on, try it.”
“I’m going for a plate of cookies first.”
“Girl after my own heart,” Rich muttered, staring at the bird he was carving in bas-relief on a block of wood.
“You have trouble too, Mr. Owens. I think cookies can cure about anything.” Addy rose and headed for the refreshment table.
“That is one special girl. How old did you say she was, Ginny?”
“Almost twelve. She’s pretty grown-up for her age. Both of the twins are but girls are always ahead of boys. They had a baby brother who was born with severe health problems that took him home to heaven at three. They were six and had lived with Fred and me for much of those earlier three years.” Ginny choked on the last line. “Both Fred and I are so proud of them and love being with them. I have been to their home a couple times since Fred died, and Andy and I get along fine. But he still can’t handle coming to the farm.” She blinked rapidly.
“Losing someone we love like that is so hard on everyone.” Rich smiled at Addy as she set the plate of cookies down. “What kinds are they?”
“Chocolate chip, oatmeal with raisins, snickerdoodles.”
“Three of my favorite kinds.”
Nate shook his head. “There is no kind of cookies not my dad’s favorite kind.”
“Well, what’s your favorite kind?” Rich looked at each of them.
“Ginger cookies.” Roxie didn’t have to think. “Especially the ginger cookies at Annie’s.”
“I’m like Rich, I can’t think of one kind I don’t like. I even like those lemon or ginger ones in the box at the grocery store,” Amalia said.
“Lemon bars,” Loren said with a smile. “Mom makes the best lemon bars. I think Addy uses the same recipe. Yum.”
Addy took her yarn and crochet hook around the table to sit with the other woman. “I can chain just fine now—ripping out gives me lots of practice with chaining.”
“Done!” a woman announced. “I finally finished something.”
“Stand and take a bow,” MJ called, laughing and clapping with the others. “Hold it up. Counted cross-stitch no less. Good for you!”
“This baby picture will be appreciated by her mother even though the child is in kindergarten. My daughter had given up hope. She even bought the frame for it years ago.” She inhaled and blew out the breath. “I really finished it. Thank you, all of you. The encouragement stuff is almost addictive. I can’t wait to decide which to work on next.”
Roxie felt Rich’s knee touch hers. She looked up to catch his smile. Between the touch and the smile, the tingles shot to her middle and settled in. Her breath did a jig. She was beginning to wonder if she had reverted back to teenhood. This was crazy; after all, she was nearing her mid-fifties. She needed a man in her life like she needed, ah, needed…Nothing came to mind. Ouch, she stuck herself with the needle.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Are you sure you want to do this, Mom?” Her daughter-in-law sounded doubtful on the phone.
Ginny smiled and nodded, even though Erica couldn’t see her. “I do. We have always had the twins’ birthday parties here. You know how tradition-minded Addy is. She wants it here and I don’t want to break the tradition. Besides, we have to help Andy.”
“Did Andy mention anything about birthdays when you were over here a couple days ago?”
Ginny replied, “No, but I did. I told him Addy wants it here, but it’s his birthday too. So I asked him to try, and if it’s just too much stress, we will move the whole birthday to their house, banner and all.”
“And he said…?”
“Nothing, really. He just shrugged. Addy and I have had plenty of deep talks about Fred and what happened so I know she is handling it. Is Andy talking with you or Sam?”
“Not really.” Erica sounded tired. “We need to force ourselves to talk about it. Dad’s dying brings back all the old experiences of death, pets and people, and too often we still fall apart.”
“So Andy is being left out.”
“By his choice,” Erica said. “He stones up when I try to talk with him and pretty much hides from me. When I asked him what he wanted for his birth
day, he shrugged and said, ‘Doesn’t matter.’ I know he is having nightmares but he won’t talk about that either.”
“Perhaps it’s time to bring in a counselor,” Ginny suggested. “Much as I hate to say it.”
“I thought of that. He and Addy can usually talk about the deep stuff but—”
“But Addy is here and he refuses to come,” Ginny finished the thought for her.
“Exactly. I can remember a line of yours, any excuse is a good excuse. Never did understand that but seems to apply here. He hides away with his guitar, and when I asked him what he was working on, he just shrugged. But I know he’s working on a song.”
“That’s good. I’ll see if I can get anything out of Addy. I know she’s worried about him. So often they talked best when they were down at the barn with the donkey and pony.”
“Thanks, Mom. We’ll take care of the food for the birthday. Neither of the kids has asked to or planned on inviting their friends so it will be just us. So hard to believe I have almost teenagers.”
And then an interesting thought struck Ginny. “Have they ever been out on a sailboat before?”
“I don’t think so, why?”
“Just trying to think of something unusual to do with them. Perhaps Roxie’s friend Rich would take them out on the lake. I’ll look into it. I know he already thinks Addy is pretty special.”
“From the UFO group?” Erica asked.
“Right.”
“All right, see you later. Love you.”
“Love you too.” Ginny sat tapping her cell phone against her chin. Oops, she forgot to tell her. She quickly called back. “I forgot to tell you, I ordered their ice cream cake.”
“Okay, one thing to cross off my list for tomorrow. Of course, two would not go to waste. When they turn thirteen, we’ll get them each one.”
That left Ginny with a smile as she put the phone back down.
“Hey, Grandma,” Addy called from the far end of the central flower bed. “Come see.” She beckoned with a “hurry” hand.
Ginny slipped on her garden shoes and headed for her granddaughter, who was beaming in delight. When Ginny was nearly there, Addy pointed at something in the thickest part of the little Japanese maple, a close tangle of leaves and branches that looked more like a bush.
Ginny leaned closer. A mama chickadee glared up at her, daring her to come closer. “Oh, how wonderful,” she whispered and backed away. “How did you see her?”
“Her mister brought a dark blob to her and then flew off with an empty beak.”
“Isn’t that pure wonderful?”
Addy frowned. “She’s low enough for a predator to get her. Wish we could put a screen all around her. I want her to hatch her eggs and teach her babies to fly.” They looked up at a bird yammering. “That’s him. He’s not happy with us.”
“Being yelled at by a bird, definitely not my first time and probably will be many more.” Ginny dutifully backed away. “I wish we could move her to one of the bird houses for safety but…” She locked arms with Addy. “We will do as he says.”
“We could leave a tray with mealworms on it so he doesn’t have to work so hard.”
“We could surely do that. You go get some worms from the feed house and I’ll figure what to serve them on.” She rounded up an old pie pan and, with a piece of duct tape, fastened it to a wooden stool she kept in the garden shed for when she needed to sit down.
“I brought sunflower seeds too.” Addy returned carrying two of the cheap plastic bowls Ginny kept for general use. They set the stool under an overhanging branch, not far from the nest. “You think he’ll find it?”
“All we can do is try. Birds are pretty smart.” Ginny stretched her shoulders and heaved a sigh. She should go clean out the greenhouse, now that all the plants were out of there. A lot of “shoulds” hung around. This was Thursday and the party was Saturday.
Ginny should make a formal list; she kept randomly thinking of things. “We need to go buy special plates and napkins tomorrow at the party store.”
“I think Mom already did. I have an idea, though, of something special.” Addy pulled her phone out of her hip pocket and hit one number. “Mom, did you already buy party plates and that kind of stuff? Okay. Thanks.” She clicked her phone and shoved it back into her pocket. “She did.”
“That solves that. Now what was your special idea?”
“We could roll out chocolate cookies and bake them real crisp. Soften some ice cream and form it in circles and put them together for ice cream sandwiches.”
Ginny grinned. “Sound like fun. We could make the circles with strips from a cereal box.”
Ideas popping, they strolled back up to the house, with Addy stopping every once in a while to throw the stick of choice for Spook. Today it was a small length of split wood. “Crazy dog, you get splinters in your mouth, don’t come whining to us.”
* * *
Ginny noted that Addy was up earlier than usual on Saturday morning. “You’re up early! Happy birthday, dear Addy.”
“So that after chores, I could groom the pony and donkey,” Addy explained while Ginny made breakfast. “Then I tied ribbons in their manes and brushed off that hat with the holes for the donkey’s ears.” She reached for Ginny’s phone on the table. “Today is a perfect day to go riding.”
“That it is. Omelets will be ready in a couple of minutes.” Ginny pulled a pan of blueberry muffins out of the oven and turned them in the pan to cool.
“Wow, how come?”
“A birthday girl deserves a special breakfast too.”
She grinned as she punched a number. “Andy, are you up yet? Good. I decided that I want to go riding on my birthday and I want you to go with me, so either ask Dad to bring you over or get on your bike and get over here. No, we are going to do this, hear me? This is your big sister talking.” She snorted. “Tough. So only by one minute makes no difference but for right now.” Her voice softened. “Please, Andy, for me, for us. And to top it off, Grandma baked blueberry muffins. I’m sure there are enough for you too.” She paused and listened, nodding, a smile spreading over her face. “Thank you, Andy.”
She sniffed and turned to Ginny. “He’s coming. Can you make him an omelet too?”
“You can bet your sweet smile I will do that. We could keep this one warm and we’ll eat together. How soon?”
“Five minutes. Dad’s bringing him. He wouldn’t come last week to go riding, but he will today.” She leaned into her grandmother’s warm hug. “He’s coming. That’s the best birthday present of all.”
“It is.” Ginny snagged a tissue, blew her nose, and pulled the ham out of the fridge. “You beat up four eggs while I chop, oh, and get out the half-and-half too.” Between the two of them, they had the batter ready to pour into the pan when Spook did his family’s coming bark.
“Our early warning system.” Ginny pulled the omelet pan back on the hot burner and proceeded to put the omelet together.
“Wow, something sure smells good.” Sam ruffled Spook’s ears before the dog left him and leaped for joy around Andy, who knelt and hugged him close. When his face was thoroughly cleaned, even to his ears, he pushed the dog away and stood. When Ginny spread her arms, he went to her and nearly fell into her embrace. “I’m sorry, Grandma.”
“Sorry? Dear, there’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s okay, my love. You were taking care of what Andy needs, and I admire that. You’re here now and that is all that matters.” She spoke softly into his ear, followed by a kiss.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you. You have no idea how happy I am to see you. Oh, the omelet.” She turned to see Addy and Sam taking care of serving the breakfast.
“Have you eaten, Sam?”
“I have but you can count on my eating at least one muffin. After all, we don’t want them to go to waste.”
The four of them carried the breakfast out to the deck table and took chairs. Spook glued himself to Andy’s leg.
“Sam,
will you please say grace?”
“Lord, bless this special day for these two birthday kids of mine. Thank you for the food, the sun, the breeze, and for Your love that never goes away. Amen.”
Ginny passed the muffin basket and then the butter dish. “If anyone wants jam, it’s in the fridge.”
“With blueberry muffins? Sacrilege.” Sam took his first bite and sighed. “Mom. Addy bakes the best cookies, but you excel in muffins, along with lots of other things too many to name with my mouth full.”
Addy giggled and rolled her eyes. “D-a-a-a-d.” She told them about the bird’s nest and added, “He’s been bringing the worms to her. We watched him with the binoculars. He was doing his best to keep her fed.”
“Wait until they’re feeding the open beak brigade. If he thinks he’s tired now, there is more to come.” Sam grinned at his mother. He glanced at his watch. “I better get going. Erica has a list two feet long. So we’ll be over here about three then?”
“Perfect.”
After Sam left, she watched the two kids head for the barn to saddle up. Addy would just as soon ride bareback but the rule was saddles when off the farm. The kids rode away out across the pasture toward the back gate and hiking trail. Their feet nearly touched the ground. They were getting too big for the pony and donkey. Perhaps Ginny should look into buying horses for them.
But this farm was so hard to take care of already. Why would she get two more animals? Horses took time to tend, every day.
They had promised to be back in two hours so Ginny dug out the wrapping paper and finished the packages. They never went overboard in the gift-giving department, but she’d been collecting some little things for the last couple of months. Fred had bought Andy a handmade knife in a leather sheath so she wrapped that with tears leaking down her face.
When Spook announced their return, she had just finished stacking the boxes in the living room. She watched them unsaddle at the barn and put Magic and Smoky in the stalls to cool down, then put the saddles and bridles away. Fred had taught them well on how to care for their mounts and the tack. So many things he had taught them, would that they would remember them as the years passed. She swallowed and sniffed.
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