Wacky Woodland Wanderings

From the town of Curiouser and Curiouser, we peek in on a moment in time with three particularly close friends........... Backwards Barney, Sideways Joe, and Forward Tinker who just so happened to be on a journey. It wasn't a long journey and it wasn't expected to take a lot of time. At the edge of the woods they stood....all three; sack lunch in one hand and axe in the other. They set off together; their destination, the high ridge on the other side of the woods. It was the best place to cut the firewood needed for the townspeople. Backwards Barney and Sideways Joe followed Forward Tinker straight and true as they walked through the woods and up the ridge. Upon arrival, the three friends laid their axes down, opened each of their paper sacks and enjoyed lunch together. It wasn't long before their sacks were empty and their bellies were full. They picked up their axes...each choosing a suitable tree. Chop, crack, crunch could be heard until each of the many carefully selected trees were transformed into the firewood needed by the townspeople. Trucks arrived in the twilight of the evening to collect the firewood. In the last truck to leave slept Backwards Barney, Sideways Joe, and Forward Tinker. It had been a big job and they worked hard together to finish the task. Because they did, throughout the cold winter nights, fireplaces all about the tiny town burned warm keeping the people cozy, warm, and content. 

Spring arrived and once again, at the edge of the woods they stood. All three....sack lunch in one hand and a bundle of saplings in the other.

On this sunshiny morning, Backwards Barney took the lead while 
Sideways Joe, and Forward Tinker followed.

It wasn't long before "oops" and  "bother" could be heard.

Backwards Barney was busy looking back, paying attention to where he had been instead of where he was and, of course, where he was about to be. Into the bog, poor Barney began to sink. Leaping forward, Tinker grabbed the sack lunch from one hand and the bundle of saplings from the other...swiftly tossing them aside. Next, he took a firm grip to both of Barney's hands with a pull and a tug and a great big upward yank, Barney was free. All was well! Backs were slapped while great big "Thank you's" and "Your welcomes" were exchanged.

After this, he decided he wanted Sideways Joe to take the lead. Only too happy to accommodate his friend, he confidently stepped out in the direction of the high ridge. Through the trees they made good progress. However, out of the corner of his eye, Sideways Joe saw a deer. It was standing perfectly still, as not to be detected. Then, quick as you please, it leaped into action and took off running. Sideways Joe followed the deer and Backwards Barney followed Sideways Joe and Forward Tinker followed Backwards Barney. Deer are swift, indeed, and soon it had vanished. 

The three friends, yet again, though a long way from where they should be, corrected their course and headed for the high ridge. Onward until....until.... a flurry of scurrying fur traveled up a tree they were passing. Sideways Joe set down his sack lunch and bundle of saplings. UP, UP, UP the tree Joe went....so did Barney and Tinker, too.

Near the top, they found a family of squirrels looking back at 
them with expressions that would suggest they wondered why 
these men had come to their home for a visit. After the family briefly chatted among themselves, they were certain no one had issued an invitation. Not wishing to disturb them any further, the three friends prepared to climb back down. 

All of them felt silly that they were atop the tree at all. And yet another feeling soon completely replaced it......FEAR!!  All at once, the three friends changed their minds....for one hairy, beary reason and it was helping itself to all three sack lunches

                                     So, they waited.....

At the top of the tree, they were being stared down by the family of squirrels and at the bottom, the bear was enjoying salami on rye,
including the side of pickles! 

After a long....long....long....long....long....long....long....long...long....
long....long time, the bear left lumbering along to another part of the woods.

When they reached solid ground once again, the stars twinkled above them and the night air wrapped them in a coat of chilling shivers. It was too dark and too cold to press on, so they decided to stay the night. Backwards Barney stood looking in the direction from where they had come. Sideways Joe heard a rustling off to the left and went to discover what it was.......

Forward Tinker gathered small sticks, dried leaves and medium sized branches, putting them all together in an organized pile; surrounding it all inside a circle of stones. Dropping to his knees, Tinker shrugged off the backpack he carried, retrieving matches from its front pocket. Quickly, he struck a match and before he knew it, the fire roared to life putting off the warmth they all needed so much. Meanwhile, the fire had captured Barney and Joe's attention drawing them to where they now sat warming their hands. Tinker handed each of his buddies a bottle of water and two slices of pizza. To their great relief and thankful heart, they praised their friend. 

From the light of the fire, Tinker could see their surprised expressions when they saw the blankets he was offering them. They took them gratefully with shaking hands wrapping themselves snugly. After they stopped shivering, their heads got wobbly and their eyes heavy. With the twinkling stars above, gathered in even closer around the fire and under the blankets, they dreamed sweet and Backwards Barney snored.

By the time the stars themselves went to bed and the sun showed
the way, the trio had enjoyed a breakfast of applesauce muffins, cheese slices and orange rounds provided by the wonderful backpack. Forward Tinker led the way this day.

It couldn't be any other way. 

As the morning dew glistened in the rising sun, the three wayward travelers hiked one, two, three UP, UP, UP to the high ridge. 
Wasting not a second more, each bundle of saplings were carefully taken apart from one another and out of their protective canvas coverings. With the waiting shovels, each sapling was planted in the rich mountain earth. 

One day, the planted trees would fulfill their purpose as firewood to keep a family warm for an entire winter or for a strong and secure home for a family of squirrels OR....it could be a retreat from a bear who prefers salami to wild berries.

With speed, the job was complete. The time had come to return home. A rumbling and creaking flooded into their ears....A truck!

It was not just any truck, it was the keeper of the nursery heading their way, Seeing Sam. As the truck wheels turned 'round and 'round and the road turned, twisting this way and that...DOWN, DOWN, DOWN the road, all was silent....no one said a word until Seeing Sam broke through with his gravelly voice, "Expected you gents back home yesterday. What happened to you?" 

For several moments no one spoke; uncertain of where to start and exactly how to explain. Hesitantly, Backwards Barney stuttered and stammered as he searched for words. "Well, you see....what happened was....it all began when....well, the plain truth of it is that it all started because I was looking behind me. I was paying more attention to where we had come from instead of where we were going. I was leading the way and I stepped into the middle of a bog and nearly sunk. Forward Tinker saved me."  "Aah, I see." responded Seeing Sam. He smiled to himself, but he did not laugh. Sideways Joe cleared his throat, "That's when I took the lead."

"Ahuh." muttered Seeing Sam. "I followed a family of squirrels up a tree and, and well.....we spent many hours up there because we left our lunches on the ground and....a bear found them."   "Seemed to enjoy them a great deal, did he?" Sam asked.  "Yes, right down to the last pickle."  Sam Smiled....this time he laughed right out loud
and for quite a while. 

Forward Tinker spoke up in his smooth reassuring voice, "We camped out near the tree the squirrels call home until this morning."  
"Sure was a cold night last night, wasn't it?"  "Yes, it was." said Tinker, "But we had a fire."  "How did you manage that?" 

Backwards Barney said, "Forward tinker brought matches."
"Aah, I see. Must be pretty hungry by now." the older gentleman wondered aloud. Joe piped up with, "No, not at all. Forward Tinker brought everything we didn't  know we needed and because he came prepared, we were kept warm and our bellies full."

Backwards Barney said, "Couldn't ask for a better friend...... somehow, he is always thinking ahead. He always knows where he is headed."

"Ah, I see, yes, indeed, I see!" said Seeing Sam. 

So, if you remember anything from this simple tale, remember this as you take your journey, wherever you travel, be careful, be watchful, be a leader....Be a Forward Tinker and NOT a Backwards Barney or a Sideways Joe.

Toby the Kid's Curious Chaos

The sun shown through the hay loft window and Ronnie 
rooster cock-a-doodled his little heart out, calling everyone to awaken to a beautiful new day.

Farmer Willie entered the barn to take Maisy, Daisy, Louise, and Martha cow out to be milked. Each of the cows left the warmth of the barn in single file. Martha let out a slow, low, long moooooo; almost like a moan. "I know, old girl, morning is not your favorite time of day."  Farmer Willie hugged her neck showing her sympathy, urging her forward. She answered with another moany moo.

 Oliver, the barn owl, snored quietly on the highest beam in the barn. Daylight was his time to sleep after standing watch all night long. Cheerfully looking toward the ever increasing sound of Oliver's snoring, Sunny, good naturedly whispered, "Good rest dear friend."  Sunny, who was so named because he, unlike Martha, met each morning with great anticipation of what the new day would hold. Farmer Willie called him the happiest pig on earth which seemed to be the truth. It seemed that in every situation, Sunny's disposition was always, well, sunny! 

By now, the ducks were splashing in the pond and the chickens were wandering about, scratching for their food. Farmer Willie had finished with the cows and they were now enjoying their breakfast; as were all the horses and, of course George, the cuddliest burro you could ever meet. 

About this time Toby raised his head from the cozy nook between his sleeping parents, just in time to see "his Emma" enter their living quarters. This morning, like every morning, she had come to milk her girls, as she called them. "Good morning girls, how was your night?" All of the ladies in Toby's family started their day by giving Emma the freshest of goat's milk.  

"Nanny, are you ready?" Emma helped Nanny up on to the milking stand and then grabbed her stool that hung on the wall. Being careful to warm her hands, Emma deftly began milking while Nanny enjoyed her breakfast. Nanny was Toby's grandmother; all of her daughters Annie, Sarah, Ellie, and Gladys, Toby's mother, took turns. When the task was finished, Emma had the milk she needed and her ladies had their breakfast. During the morning ritual, Toby insisted on being his usual helpful self. More times than not, he had tipped the buckets; sometimes they were empty, other times they were full and the barn cats enjoyed an unexpected treat. On this very fine day, the whole process went off without incident.

Toby left the barn, nearly skipping, to visit the goldfish pond. An exceptional favorite of Toby's was investigating the tremendously fascinating goldfish pond, located just outside the gate of the large vegetable garden. As he was nearing the pond, he noticed Emma leading George out to the peach orchard. Over his back, several bushel baskets were bobbing up and down with each step he took. In a split second Toby changed his course; the goldfish would just have to wait. Trotting as fast as his little hooves could carry him, he was calling out with urgent bleatings all the way. Emma stopped and turned at the sound and waited patiently for Toby to catch up. On his arrival, Emma bent down and hugged him. "Little one, are you in the mood to pick some peaches?" Toby answered, "Maaaa." "All right then, let's be on our way."

It was Saturday, the day they held a farmer's market in town on main street. Emma would pick enough peaches for Willie to sell and keep enough for a pie to go with tonight's dinner. George wandered a bit, finding a small patch of grass to nibble while Emma went to work picking peaches. It might surprise you to know that Toby was being helpful, truly! 

Toby was a curious and joyful boy and he was an extremely determined little goat. Over time and lots of effort, Toby had figured out how to knock the lower hanging peaches off directly into the basket. Emma pulled the peaches off with her hands and Toby ran at the tree repeatedly; the branches would shake and the peaches would drop, plop into the basket. He thought this was great fun. These peaches definitely had a pie in their future. It had turned out to be a lovely day. 

The blue sky was decorated with puffy white clouds, the green grasses of the meadows swayed in the morning breeze, as a perfect compliment the sun warmed the earth. A butterfly landed on Toby's nose, causing it to feel ticklish. He stopped to shake his head and make the butterfly flutter away. He then noticed there were plenty of peaches in the basket and decided it was a perfect time to help himself to a taste. He had proudly filled half of a basket. Only minutes later, Emma considered her job complete when she turned around to see Toby sitting sprawled out on the ground; his mouth so full of peach that the juice dribbled down his chin. 

The butterfly had returned  to his nose and his eyes were crossed in an effort to look at it. Emma laughed uproariously at this sight. George looked over about this time because Emma's laughter had stirred his interest. He too, "hee hawed" until he could hardly catch his breath.

After all three had eaten a fresh, fuzzy peach, they headed for the truck waiting to take the peaches to town. Toby trotted along after Emma and suddenly remembered the pond....the goldfish! He quickly let Emma know about it, "Maaaaa."  " What is it, little one?"  "Maaa"   (Toby stood slightly turned)  "Oh, you want to go visit the goldfish."  "Maaa." "You don't want to help load the peaches?"  "Nyeh."  "O.K., little one, see you later." Toby nuzzled Emma's knees and skipped off in the general direction of the garden. 

The inquisitive wee goat sat at the edge of the pond admiring his reflection when four of the larger fish swam to the surface causing the water to ripple. He touched at the water with his hoof. As many times before, he sat at the water's edge watching the fish swim about, disappearing and then reappearing. 

 He so wondered what they saw when they swam in those places he could not see from where he sat. Toby's floppy brown ears perked up slightly as he continued to watch the smallest goldfish dart in and out from the rocks and the plants; now you see me, now you don't. 

About that time, Mrs. Robin started cleaning her house. Feathers floated down from above in what seemed like slow motion. Toby sat with his face pointed toward the sky, watching the feathers ride on the breeze. As the feathers touched down, they were followed by birdseed; it flew this way and that and most of it landed on the surface of the water. The grand-daddy of all the fish jumped out of the water to catch the falling seed. This abrupt happening startled Toby so greatly that he lost his balance; he was now in the water looking at those places impossible to view from the water's edge. Most of the fish instantly found a hiding place, but two of them were staring back at Toby, just as surprised to see him there as he was to be there. After all, a swimming goat isn't a sight you see every day! 

Scrambling frantically out onto dry land, Toby took off running. He headed for the farm house and his Emma.

The kitchen was filled with the aroma of bubbling hot peach pie. She was just lifting it out of the oven to cool when Toby, who had entered through the dog door, came sliding across the kitchen floor; still stunned and dripping wet. The always prepared Emma quickly grabbed some large towels, scooping the little goat into a ball. He was shaking, partly because the water was cold and partly because he had been frightened. With Emma's usual sense of humor, she said, "I see you found the pond." She grinned down at her shaking wet friend and saw two soft brown eyes peeking out from underneath a yellow towel.

 They were on the back porch now, headed for a large sink where she ran him a warm bath. He relaxed down, bit by bit, as Emma caressed his ears and made him into a bubbly lump. Next, Emma pulled out a large hair dryer; the air was warm and it made Toby's ears dance all around. Fluffy clean and ready for a nap, Emma returned him into his mother's care. Toby's curiosity was completely satisfied.....for today anyway. 

Do you have someone in your life that has a way of getting into every little thing? Do you find yourself cleaning up a mess you did not make? Do you ever wish that person would go away? I can understand your feeling, but might I suggest you take a lesson from Emma? She has developed a great deal of patience by having Toby in her life. He gives her reasons every day, more than once, to lose her temper and feel frustrated. She meets every one of these opportunities with love and humor. So, give it a try the next time you want to cry or scream, just laugh right out loud instead and just maybe you will feel better and suddenly you won't think it's all so bad after all.   

Underwater Antics

Our story begins deep down in the cold ocean water. Deep, where the sunlight does not travel, there lived an eel family in the crevices of the rocks.  A large family they were indeed....... grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and countless children.  All day long, they sat back in their rock home watching every creature who dared to swim near.  Oh, pity the unsuspecting fish or crab that ventured inside, never to be seen again. Still in the deep sea, yet living closer to the light, were three young fish; a brother and two sisters...Frankie, Florence, and Frances.  

When they weren't in school, dash and dart was their favorite past time. It worked like this:  Someone would be the leader and the other two would follow as closely and as quickly as they could manage.  In the kelp bed and out...loopty-loops around the giant blue whale, behind the coral and the dash into the seaweed floating to the surface. They giggled and wiggled their way along, having a grand time.

One place they didn't play or go, for any reason, was the deep, dark place of the eels. Mother and Father warned of the dangers.

Jeremiah, the sea turtle, an old and tremendously wise family friend, taught the young fish many valuable lessons. He told stories from long ago...verrrrrrry sloooooowly.

What the fish children loved best were stories of the Creator. Again and again, they would beg "Tell us how we came to be." Again and again Jeremiah would share the story of creation out of the Word of God in Genesis 1. When he came to the part that said, "So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems...."  They would  explode into screams of joy, "That's us!!" "That's us!!"

Because of this constant enthusiasm, Jeremiah explained how pleased God was with each of them. They appreciated what God had done and freely expressed it. He said they were praising the One that made them and everything they saw. He further explained that nothing was more precious to God than praise and the joy it brought to one's heart.

Frances, the most thoughtful one of the three, began to wonder about the eel family. Maybe they didn't know about the Creator. Maybe they didn't understand about praise and the joy it brought to one's heart.

Although traveling to the depths was strictly forbidden, she decided that they must know. The next morning while Frankie, Florence, and Frances played the rousing game of dash and dart, Frances slipped away, her heart pounding.  She swam deeper into the darkness past a group of what appeared to be hungry sharks. 

A sense that something loomed above her caused Frances to look up. A gigantic, eight legged octopus, ready to gobble her up, floated just above. "Uh oh," she thought. Quickly, she swam into some  nearby sea grass...waiting until it was once again safe. Then, an enormous pod of Orca whales thundered overhead. Every sound, every movement in the water startled the brave little fish. 

After what seemed like forever, she arrived. Keeping her distance, she called out, "E-E-Excuse me, Mr. Eel....Mrs. Eel."  No response. "My n-n-name is Fr-Fr-Frances and I've come to tell you about the Creator; the One who has made everything...even you and me. I recently realized that you must not know. I  have come to share with you about the joy and peace that comes from praising Him."

Mr. Eel poked his head out from his rocky home, "Is that so?"  
He said this in a cold and devious tone.  "Yes, I knew if someone shared the truth with you, you would be so glad that it would change your life."

"You think I have time for your silly talk?  Who do you think you are; coming here disturbing me and my family?"

In that moment, every family member appeared. The glint of dozens of eyes made Frances tremble. The entire eel family said in unison, "What has the Creator ever done for me?" Little Frances felt so incredibly frightened that she could not move.  She realized that coming here had been a bad idea.

Mr. Eel exited his hiding place, revealing how large he was. A split second before Frances became a mid-morning snack, something scooped her up. She found herself cutting through the water toward the surface at great speed. When they stopped, she found herself being hugged and kissed and inspected for boo-boos  by her mother. Flash, the dolphin had been sent to the rescue when Jeremiah, the sea turtle discovered her absence.

Once calm had claimed their home again, the fish family, along with Jeremiah Sea Turtle, sat down for a long talk. Her father began. "Frances, although your heart was in the right place, you disobeyed your mother and me. We give you rules and boundaries for your safety."  "Daddy and mommy, I am so sorry. Please forgive me." Practically before her words were out they said, "We do forgive you and we love you."   "I didn't understand that any creature of the sea could choose NOT to praise the Creator."

From that time 'til this, Frances, Frankie, and Florence continued to praise with great joy, understanding all the time, that it was their special God given choice.

A Pocket, A Cloud, A Rainbow

I sent you a pocket full of joy today. I tied it with a silk ribbon to a passing cloud. Along the way, the cloud bumped into a rainbow, the ribbon untied, and the joy slid onto the rainbow. It didn't stop until it reached your door.

Only now, the pocket full of joy was accompanied by the dreams that were riding on the cloud and the eternal hope that rubbed off of the rainbow, as the joy went sliding along. So, today you have waiting for you, a pocket full of joy, a cloud full of dreams, and a rainbow full of hope. All you have to do is open the door.

My dog, Mr. Jamison alerted; he went at once, to scratch at the door. When I opened it, my eyes grew large and my smile grew wide as my heart swelled to twice it's normal size;  because you sent me a pocket full of joy, a cloud full of dreams and a rainbow full of hope. 

As I leaned down to scoop up my bountiful blessings and prepared to use them, (For a blessing unused is a blessing wasted.) my heart filled with such gratefulness; it spilled out in every direction. With a snip and a snap I grabbed my butterfly net and with a "whoosh" here and a "whoosh" there, I collected every last bit of gratefulness; carefully pouring it into my favorite blue jar, down to the last drop. To this I add a pinch of joy, a dash of dreams, and a full measure of hope. 

Jar in hand, Mr. Jamison and I stepped into the cool breeze of the day. Leading the way, I headed across the grassy meadow. As we went along, Mr. Jamison was distracted by a colorful band of butterflies; with one whistle he was back at my side and together, all the way to the tall timbered forest, we strolled. The sunbeams kissed the leaves of the trees and lit our way. The birds sang a happy tune and fluttered above our heads. 

Suddenly we heard it, suddenly it was before us... the brook... it babbled and bubbled. Mr. Jamison found a warm rock where he plopped down, letting the warmth soaked up by the sun, warmed his little round freckled belly. A giggle rippled in my tummy and floated from my lips. I went to search, and soon found my little sailboat waiting. Untethering it from its miniature dock, I nestled my favorite blue jar upon its deck and pushed it into the babble of the brook.

The cool breeze of the day filled the tiny sails and it traveled on beyond the shore where I, with Mr. Jamison, remained, where we watched attentively, as the current worked in tandem with the wind. The tiny boat was carried around the bend and out of sight.

With Mr. Jamison at my heels, I turned from the shore and onto a nearby path that stopped at the peak of the mountain. Far below, the brook grew into a fast moving river that wrapped itself this way and that....in, out, and around the mountains edge; appearing like a shimmering ribbon. 

The water widened, the current increased, and the reason became apparent... down stream... a waterfall! The tiny boat and it's cargo were heading at great speed for the falls. My heart didn't stop, but it did pause for an instant. The tiny boat reached the edge and launched into the air, doing a complete flip. 

In the process, its special cargo tumbled free, breaking to pieces on the rocks below. To my astonishment, my tiny sail boat had landed on a snag. It hung precariously on a tree root at the side of the waterfall. 

As for my favorite blue jar...it belonged to my grandmother, then my mother, then me. That jar, over time, contained tomatoes, peaches, pickles, and beets, among other mouth watering delights. Each time the jar was filled, a little love went in with it. I stood, barely taking a breath now and if you need to know the truth of it, ask Mr. Jamison...he was there; he watched right beside me.

The water that fell created a mist in a spray that was so powerful, it 
shot upward. When my favorite blue jar slipped from its perch 
and was broken on the rocks below, all that it contained, scattered. The water churned and before long, all of it floated upward in the watery mist. I watched, as the twinkling, colorful, whimsical, particles that were in the jar floated up, up, up. A cluster of small clouds drifted overhead and the particles were caught up in those clouds AND they are all headed your way!!!

So, the rain is coming; you can be confident. 

When it arrives, do not pop open your umbrella or run for cover 
because I sent you, by way of the deck of my tiny sailboat and the mist of the waterfall, and rain clouds to say: "Thank you" for the blessings. When it rains, you will receive pockets full of joy, dreams....so many that the clouds cannot contain them in a double rainbow of hope and three generations of unstoppable love in every drop.

When the rain is through, gratefulness unmatchable, will come riding on the wings of butterflies.    

Excerpt from: Nicholas O' Hare and the Growing Season

On a frosty morning, a fire crackled in the fireplace giving the room a golden glow. On the table, bowls of oatmeal and berries and cups of lavender tea waited. One..........

                     then two....

                                            four

                                                        ....then twelve....

                                                                                    then twenty

sleepy little bunnies sat in front of their bowls, eating without a word.

Excerpt from Nicholas O' Hare and the Growing Season

Gramps playfully tousled the fluff on top of Reuben's 
head and said, "Boys, you all know what to do; get to 
work and remember....have fun!!!"

Gramps said to Gregory,
                                           

                                           "Little one, come with me;

 I need your help."

Excerpt from Nicholas O' Hare and the Growing Season

 About that time, a loud sputter and rumble ROARED.

Gregory jumped, "Uh-oh, what's that?"

Turning to see what on earth it could be, Gregory saw
men all over the field below; the field that Gregory called
home. Tractors rolled along turning the soil.

"Wh-wh-what are they doing, Gramps?"

To find the whole story visit Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com and make it your own.

Nicholas O'Hare and the Growing Season