Part 22 If Oak Trees Could Talk!
Hello Everyone, I’ve been out and about quite a bit the past month, but I want to sincerely thank you for your patience and for hanging in here with me as I continue reading and Video blogging my Romance/Suspense Novel If Oak Trees Could Talk!
Chapter 12
No Place Like Home!
Suddenly, the boys came running around from the side porch and frightened her!
“What are you doing, Momma? Are you going in or not?” Dylan asked, as he walked over and lifted up a potted plant to find the house key placed underneath.
“Yes, sweetie, I was just having some wonderful memories!” Amelia whispered.
“We have always loved it here too, Mom, we miss being here. Can we just come over some time to hang out like we used to?” Rob asked.
“Well, I don’t know why we couldn’t! After all this house is like a member of the family, it needs to have life in it!” Amelia stated with a smile. “Now, let’s get in here and get what Gramma needs for her picnic!”
“Gramma’s having a picnic? Will it be in the gardens like we used to do?” Dylan asked with excitement.
“No, I’m afraid not, boys, this is a special picnic just for adults, okay?” Amelia replied.
“Yuck, it’s one of those kinds of picnics. Don’t worry we don’t ever want to go to that kind of stuff anyway!” Rob said with a wrinkled up look on his face.
As the three talked they moved forward through the door of Amelia’s childhood home. Everything was neatly in its place, just as it was when Henry and Helen left, but the house never felt the same. It never smelled the same either. Before Helen’s accident, the home always seemed so warm and inviting and smelled of wonderful scents of fresh baked goods. Helen loved to cook and bake for not only her own family but she was always fixing meals or baking breads, cakes, pies or other delectable sweets to take to neighbors, shut-ins, or even the residents at Glenview Residential Home for the Elderly. It was ironic that she herself became one of those residents!
When her parents were well, Amelia brought the boys over every day to see their grandparents. Henry would take the boys outside into the garage or down by the creek or down by the Oak tree. He was always telling them funny stories and helping them to become who they were going to grow up to be. Helen, of course, always spoiled the boys rotten. She always had fresh baked muffins or cookies with hot cocoa loaded either in marshmallows or with whipped cream with cherries on top. Helen would have the cups ready, the hot cocoa made and waiting for the boys when they come through her door! No greater parents or life could Amelia have asked for.
“Man, there it is!” Dylan let out a shout!
“There what is?” Rob asked his brother.
“That pocketknife that Gramps gave me, I’ve looked all over the place for it! I remember now that Gramps said that he would sharpen it up for me. He always said that a dull knife was actually more dangerous than a sharp knife. He was going to sharpen it so that he could teach us how to carve. Gramps always taught us things like that. I sure do miss his yard trips!”
“What are yard trips?” Amelia asked
“They were trips that Gramps would take us on and we would explore. We never came into the yard that we never learned something new! One time he showed us this big old worm moving through the grass. He said that you could tell if there was going to be a good or bad winter by the color of those worms.” Dylan said as he opened and shut his pocketknife. He checked to see how sharp it was by seeing if it would shave the hairs on his arm.
“Woolly Worms, That’s what he called them! He said they were Woolly worms!” Rob joined in.
“I remember that the Woolly Worm he showed us was browner then it was black and he said that the winter wasn’t going to be bad! He told us if the worm would have been blacker than brown that we could expect a bad winter. He started giggling when he told us about the bad winter. He winked at us and said that if we were to have a bad winter, then that would just have meant that we would have to blow up some tire inner tubes to sleigh ride down to the old Oak tree in the side yard. He also said that it meant that we would just get special treats! He licked his lips and told us to bring on the hot spiced apple cider or hot chocolate with extra marshmallows! Dylan continued, as everyone giggled while picturing Henry’s impish grin.
“Okay, we’ve got to hurry and get what we came in here for! I am sure Gramma is probably wondering about us! Dylan please search in the pantry closet and see if you can find a picnic basket. Rob would you go upstairs please to the linen closet in the hallway, and get a blanket? It doesn’t matter what kind, just a blanket. I will go get Gramma her radio and new batteries.
They each headed off in different directions to get the supplies that Helen had requested that they bring to her. As they met in the living room, each one of them had the same thought.
“Shouldn’t we get some kind of clothes for Gramps to put on?” Rob asked with a giggle.
“Yes, I suppose that we should,” Amelia agreed with a slight grin on her face as well. “I will go and get him something, whether or not your Gramma can get him to put them on will be questionable! Wait just a second boys, I’ve got to go to the wine cellar as well! If Gramma is having a romantic picnic, than they’ve got to have wine. I’ll be right back. We should all go together to give these things to her!”
The boys waited patiently in the living room where they had spent so much of their time. Pictures of their parents and themselves lined a wall that Gramma and Gramps called the “Wall of Fame!” The boys stood staring at the pictures as they told a wonderful story about a happy family that seemed to have everything.
“Man looking at this wall is sad!” Rob blurted out.
“I love looking at all of the old photos, especially of Gramps and Gramma! Even at Mom’s pictures when she was young. Look at that goofy grin. Who poses like that?” Dylan said with a chuckle.
“You do, look at that picture of you! You look just like Mom in that picture, look at you’re goofy grin. Oh wait! Look at Gramps in that picture! I take it back you look just like him with his goofy grin!” Rob said as he became more and more excited while looking at the pictures and stating something that had not really appeared so real to them before.
“Goodness if we look like Gramps when we are young……Don’t even say it!” Dylan ordered. “Don’t even say it!”
Suddenly their humorous revelation of their family portraits was interrupted when their Mom walked back into the room.
“What’s so funny, boys?” She probed as a smile come on her face seeing that the boys seemed happy about something.
“Believe us, it is nothing that we ever wanted to talk about Mom!” Rob answered as he threw a punch into Dylan’s arm.
“No, Mam, me neither.” Dylan agreed as he socked his brother back!
“Well, okay, let’s move it out! Gramma probably thinks we’ve gotten lost like Gramps today! Let’s get this stuff to her!” Mom ordered. “Just leave the door, we will come back up and get it later!” She continued as she walked toward the front door.
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