Village Squire, 1975-11, Page 13night before. In the morning there was some brisk action by
Grandma...some more sticks of wood in the fire box and soon
there appeared loaves brown on top, white inside and filling the
kitchen with a hungry yeasty smell. Grandma would cut two
slices while it was still hot and spread them stick with butter. The
butter ran into all the crevices and no cake ever tasted so good.
It was hard to wait until dinner time now. They ate in the
kitchen where things were handy. They used the heavy oak table
that could be extended for threshing bees. There were none of
these now but the table still held a lot of food.
Grandpa sat at one end, he would say Grace.
It commenced "Oh, Lord," quite plainly, then the words ran
together. They had to do with the fortunate position of the
humble sinners sharing the repast spread before them. Jimmy
never got all the words sorted out but it always ended...
"Amen, well reach out Jim boy, make out your meal now."
When he ate all these good things energy simply bubbled,..,
all through his being. Jimmy worked it off exploring. Wider
and wider he ranged getting familiar with the lay of the land and
learning to find his way through the woods and swamps.
"J im," said Grandma one morning, "if you're going to wander
all over creation you might as well pick some berries. We have to
fill you some way.
"Ok, Grandma, I'll take the milk pail. I know where there's lots
of berries."
"Take the little lard pail Jim, you'll do well to fill that. I know
all about boys picking berries. More goes in their mouths than in
the pail."
Jimmy took the larder pail and tucked a baking powder tin
inside his belt. He could pick in that using both hands.
He went off whistling. The July morning was still cool but the
day would be hot. He ranged up a pasture field dotted with stone
piles. Around these were rings of raspberry bushes with both
black and red fruit. The black ones were firmer, easier to pick and
filled the tin quicker.
The pasture sloped up, to a ridge; on the ridge were second
growth trees, cherry, ash and maples. There were hawthorns,
iron wood and blue beach covered with wild grape vines; a tangly
wilderness. Birds nested here; nut hatchs, wood -peckers and
warblers. He saw a tanager, bright red with black wings and a
flashing blue jay.
On a stubby hawthorn black things hung spitted on thorns. It
was a butcher bird's store house. Jimmy recognized the remains
of a snake, a frog and some young birds dried and blackened by
sun and wind.
The woods folded around and welcomed him. The birds were
silent now; early in the morning there would have been song, now
they flitted quitely on important affairs. A woodpecker drummed
and a squirrel chattered. The sounds only emphasized the
silence.
In open places were more raspberries. He went along the ridge
for half a milk crossing rail fences now and then. The pail was full
and he was tired and thirsty. He went down hill to a spring, drank
of cool water tasting of water cress and sat down to rest.
He could see another ridge across a narrow valley and from the
corner of his eye saw a flash of movement over there. He looked
again fixing his gaze on that one spot and saw the fox den. A fox
pup was looking out, his ears pricked alertly.
Jimmy sat still, he managed to keep motionless. One pup after
another came out and all started to play. They capered about
guzzling each other and rolling in the grass. Then an old fox
appeared with something in its mouth. The pups fought over it.
The old one looked on impartially until whatever it was
disappeared.
Jimmy watched the family's play for an hour. The sun got
higher and he was hungry. Slowly, he crept back up the hill
getting a tree between himself and the den. Back home again he
said nothing of what he had seen.
The next morning he climbed to the storeroom in the attic of
the old house, the log house which squatted like the keep of a
medieval castle with all the upstart appendages jutting from it.
The log house sheltered the parlour, home of the organ, the case
of flower wreaths made of human hair, the horsehair sofa and a
stuffed owl. It was still the official centre of the house though no
one used it except when the minister came.
Of10 MO Vti, WI
Natural
Foods
Kitchen
Paraphernalia
cannisters cookie jars
salt and pepper shakers spice racks
mixing bowls cutting hoards
Japanese tea sets
clay bakers
1
Weatherby white wheat englishi
ironstone aishes
bundt pans
iron frying pans
cheese boards and knives
canadian cookbooks bean pots
storage jars oven mitts
Be sure to visit our fireplace room for a
potpourri of Christmas gift ideas.
38 Hamilton St.
Goderich
524-7181
Come in and
browse
Open daily
10-6
Closed Wed.
"The Bay Leafll
for
Super Health
ideas!!
OPOOPOOPOPMPODAM
VILLAGE SQUIRE/NOVEMBER 1975, 1 i