“Hi everyone. Remember me? It’s me…Venus! I’m the laughter yoga coach but I haven’t been laughing much, lately. I mostly cook and eat. It’s a good thing my cousin, Lav gave me this one size fits all apron. It’s reversible.”

“It’s just as ugly on the other side. I only wear it when she’s coming over. She was desperate to snag an interview so I told her to come on over to my cottage and I would give her candid answers to her provocative questions.”

“I hear a knock at the door.”

 

 

“Come on in, Lav.”

“Gee MG…how did you know it was me?”

“I recognized the knock. You must remember, Lav, when my hair is blond and I’m laughing, I’m Venus.”

“Gee Venus, you look like you’ve put on a few elbees (lbs). Are you going to a reunion? I smell cookies.”

“Don’t you think we should get started with the interview, Lav? Ask me a provocative question.”

“When are those cookies going to be done?”

“Come on, Lav…ask me about how I keep my skin looking so young and beautiful.”

“Yikes! Shouldn’t you be wearing a mask, MG?”

“I’M V-E-N-U-S, Lav. I lost my job and I can’t afford to buy that good but outrageously expensive makeup, anymore.”

“What are you talking about, MG, I mean V-E-N-U-S? Remember? You never had a job and no one would pay for laughter yoga! Look at me…I already know how to laugh.”

“Ask me a different provocative question.”

“Mind if I ask you something personal?”

“Shoot!”

“When was the last time you cleaned this place? It looks like a rabbit factory.”

 

 

“If I give you some cookies will you wrap this up and go?”

“Works for me!”

Don’t worry…Annie and I are coming back…Soon…real soon!

There was both tension and excitement in the air at the Humboldt Horse Ranch. Brad would be home in three more days and Barbie and Tom were coming back, too. Both of them were going to stay at the ranch through the weekend, but Tom had to get back to work the following week. Barbie intended to stay until she was able to hire another woman to help her at home. She loved her little house and she knew it well which was a big advantage since she had been blinded by the fire twenty years before.

Brad had gotten to Ireland in time to look his mother in the eyes and tell her he loved her. He held her hand for two days while she slipped in and out of consciousness. Each time she woke up, she smiled at each of her three children. They would be forever grateful for that last bit of time with her. Though Barbie couldn’t see her smile, she could feel her mother squeeze her hand.

On the third day, Mrs. Humboldt slipped away peacefully.

Arf and Annie were having the early morning meeting they had planned by the squirrel window.

Annie: How did Katie do last night? I was worried about the poor little thing.

Arf: I thought she would be all teary-eyed  and boo hooing, but she was more mad than anything. She kept saying she didn’t care what her parents did, she was going to stay at the ranch. She’s nine now, and sometimes she acts more like a grown-up than the grown-ups around here.

Annie: Well, the poor thing has been through a lot. She has come such a long way. You have both worked hard to get her there. I’m proud of you, Arf…Arf? Are you listening to me? Oh, I see. There’s a squirrel out there. Let’s watch him for a while and then we can decide what we can do about Dina and Steve. The tension between them is making me crazy. I whined in my sleep all night. Poor Clark kept asking me what was wrong.

Arf: There is something going on with Jamie, too. I sure wish Steve had taken me with him when he went to the farm to talk to her, yesterday. There are just too many humans to keep track of around here. I can’t even remember the last time someone threw a frisbee to me.

Arf and Annie eventually brainstormed and came up with an idea. They decided to concentrate on Steve and Dina, and wait until Brad got home to investigate that situation.

The squirrel finally went up into the tree and was hard to see, so they went to the kitchen to eat their breakfast and begin putting their plan into action.

Grandma Helen and Miss Bessie were both there and as luck would have it, they were discussing Steve and Dina.

“Considering how quiet they were at supper last night, I take it there are still some issues to be worked out between Dina and Steve.” Miss Bessie was a master at getting information out of people.

“I haven’t talked to Dina since last night, but as of then, she was leaning towards telling Steve she wanted to continue living at the ranch for a while. She realizes she has no hope of keeping Katie here full time. Steve has every right to take her with him and to be honest, he also has some good arguments as to why the move closer to town would be good for her. I’ve lived with that child ever since she was a baby. My life won’t be the same without being able to see her every day.” Helen took out her hankie and dabbed her eyes. “I sure am grateful for your friendship, Miss Bessie. I have a feeling this won’t be easy for anyone concerned.”

Dina went to Katie’s room to help her get ready for school. She anticipated her daughter would still be upset and she had prepared herself for that, but she hadn’t prepared herself for what happened next.

Katie was not in her room, in fact, she was nowhere to be found. Arf was in the kitchen. Because of his meeting with Annie, he hadn’t been in Katie’s room when she woke up.

Jamie woke up late and was in her room at the ranch rushing to get ready for work when her mother knocked on the door. Jamie invited her in, but continued to get ready.

“Is everything okay, honey?” Her mother  asked. “You seem to have something on your mind.”

“Everything is fine, Mother. I’m struggling with a big decision, but I have to wait for Brad to get home to make it. Please don’t worry. It’s actually something you might approve of.”

“Well, you’ve been pretty mysterious about where you’ve been spending your time when you’re not at work. Mothers notice things like that, you know.”

“Yes, I know, Mom, and your intuitions have never been wrong as far as I know. You have been such a wonderful mother. Now give me a hug. I’ve got to get to work.”

 

 

 

 

 

It’s been a busy few days, but I’ve finally caught up to Arf and Annie.

************************

The next day, Katie and Clark were ready to start rehearsing early. Katie didn’t have school due to teacher’s meetings and Jamie was off so she wanted to do some of the chores around the farm. Clark would be starting school next week and she was going to have to get used to doing more. That is unless she decided to lease the farm out.

“I’m so proud of you both and of course Arf and Annie,” Mrs. Langford said when they were taking one of their breaks. “You two have become so much more confident in your abilities. All that’s left is a little fine tuning and you’re ready to put on a performance that will knock everyone’s socks off.”

“I’m a little nervous,” Katie said, “But I’m excited, too. Brad said that he was going to have a surprise for us and it’s about a special place for us to put on our show.”

“Well, I hope when you leave, you’ll still be able to come here often. Do you know when you’ll be moving, Katie?” Mr. Langford asked.

“What do you mean Mr. Langford?” I’m never moving from here.”

Mr. Langford realized that he may have given Katie some news that she hadn’t heard before.

“Oh,” he said. “I think I must be mistaken about that, dear Katie. “I probably dreamed I heard something when I didn’t.”

Arf: Uh Oh, maybe that’s what my dog senses were telling me. Well, if Katie moves, I move. I won’t make any bones about it, either. I can see Annie over by Clark. I’ve got to find out if she knows where I’m moving to.

Annie: Why haven’t I heard anything about this? I’m usually the first one to sense something is wrong or different and then I go in pursuit of finding out what it is. I hope I’m not losing my human sense. Here comes Arf. Maybe he knows something.

“Mommy,” Katie asked Dina when she came to get her from rehearsal. “I put out of my mind that you and daddy were talking about moving. At least Daddy was. I was hoping you would both forget about that stupid idea. I thought we were all happy here.”

“Nothing is decided honey. We’re just talking about different possibilities. Don’t worry too much, okay?”

Katie obviously didn’t take Dina’s words to heart.

“Mommy, if daddy finds a new place for us to live, will you for sure come too?”

Dina wasn’t ready for that question.

“Whatever you and Daddy do,” Katie blurted out. “I’ve decided I’m staying right here. Even if you both leave. I’m staying here.”

With that, Katie ran to find her Grandma Helen. It occurred to Dina that she had never seen her daughter run that fast before.

Arf: I was right behind my Katie. I knew she was upset. She has so many humans here at the ranch who love her and are trying so hard to help her get better. I love all these people too, but I will stick with Katie no matter what.

Jamie was enjoying spending time at the farm. She hadn’t done the chores in a long time and she hadn’t realized how much she missed it. She was bringing a bucket of milk from the barn to the house when she saw Steve drive up.

“Here Jamie. Let me carry that for you. I was hoping you would have a few minutes to talk this morning.”

“Sure Steve. I’m not going to pretend I don’t know what you want to discuss with me,” Jamie said as she handed the heavy bucket over to him. “Let’s go inside and make a cup of coffee. We can bring it out to the porch and enjoy the morning while we’re talking.”

When they got their coffee and had engaged in some small talk, Steve broached the subject he so wanted to talk about.

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, Jamie. I have spent the last nine years now, doing everything I could to help my daughter. Every decision I have made has been with her well being in mind. I’ve made some good ones and a few bad ones, but my devotion to her has never wavered.”

“I know, Steve. No one could possibly question that. I get the feeling the decision you’re trying to make now is a tough one. I hope you are considering all aspects of it. You’re taking a pretty big risk. Don’t do it without thinking of what the consequences might be.”

“Believe me I’ve thought of nothing else. I am going to find a place for my family to live independently. The time at the ranch has been the answer to my prayers, but it was never intended to be a permanent situation. Katie is doing so well. She’s back in school and beginning to make some friends her age. She’s even getting involved in different school activities. I want to encourage that by moving closer to town and her school. She will have her own home to bring friends to and her life will be more like theirs. I think that’s important.”

“You haven’t mentioned Dina in all of this,” Jamie said. “How does she feel about moving?”

“She doesn’t appear to know how she feels. I have to do this no matter what Dina decides.”

“Are you absolutely sure the whole point of this ultimatum isn’t to force her to make a commitment?”

“I want Dina to commit to something. Katie and I need to know if she’s going to stick around for good this time. We’ve waited a long time. A very long time.”

“I have a similar decision to make,” Jamie said. “There is no hurry, Steve, so please take your time. I think in fairness to Dina, you need to let her get used to the idea. She hasn’t done anything but dote on Katie ever since she came back into your lives. But if you do decide to move, you can lease the farm. It would help me if I didn’t have to worry about the place. It has never really worked out for me to own it. Maybe some day we can work out something and you can buy it from me.”

” Thank you, Jamie,” Steve said as he got up to take is coffee cup back into the kitchen. “I’ll take your advice, but I already know what my decision will be. This farm is the perfect solution. I have to believe that.”

That night Arf and Annie got together at the squirrel window in Brad’s study.

(Full disclosure. This is not Arf and Annie, but an example of a dog’s squirrel angst.)

Arf: Katie might be moving and I will go with her. I’ll make them take me with them. She will be more upset than Steve and Dina realize and she’ll need me. It’s such a shame. You and I work so well together.

Annie: You’re right. You will have to go with her, but didn’t you say she told her mother she wasn’t leaving the ranch? Do you think there’s a possibility Steve will be leaving alone?

Arf: I hadn’t even thought about that. Another defining moment for this family coming right up. We have to do something, Annie. That family can’t split up no matter what.

Annie: You’re right. We have to go to Katie and Clark now, but let’s think about this and meet back here in the morning. Maybe there will be a few squirrels to watch, too.

This is one of my favorite stories and I thought it would be a perfect rerun for a beautiful Sunday morning.

I took the photograph of the sunrise when we were on our way to Tyler the other day…

Murdo Girl…Only time will tell

Brad was able to catch a flight leaving for Ireland the next morning. He was dubious about going, but Jamie convinced him that Mark and Clark, with the help of Arf, could handle the ranch for a week. Jamie was a good horsewoman so she could help in case of an emergency.

When Brad went to pack, Jamie decided to go out to the garden for a few minutes and enjoy the beautiful evening. She had only been there a few minutes when Grandma Helen joined her.

“Are you okay, Grandma Helen? You look like you’re upset.”

“Oh it’s nothing I should bother you with.”

Grandma Helen sat down in one of the chairs and played with her wadded up hankie. It was obvious she had been crying. Jamie sat in one of the other chairs close by.

“I won’t press you, but I want you to know I’m a good listener, though I can’t promise you any answers,” Jamie offered.

“Well okay then. I can’t keep this to myself any longer. It’s far too upsetting to me and I’m getting too old to be upset all the time.”

“Let me help you get started,” Jamie said. “Does this have anything to do with Dina and Steve?”

“It does, Jamie, so of course it also involves our Katie. Steve wants to move away from the ranch and he’s upset that Dina won’t commit to moving with him. Not only that, he is assuming that Katie will go with him either way.”

“I overheard them talking about leasing my farm. Is that what you understand the problem to be?”

“Yes… and Dina doesn’t know what to do. She’s my daughter, Jamie and I don’t know how to help her. I told her to consider the fact that Steve is the breadwinner and he should have a say in where the family lives.”

Jamie wondered if Dina would agree to move and if she did, would it only be because of Katie? Steve had custody of her and there was no doubt he planned to take her with him.

“Let me give you a little advise, Helen. I think you’re going to have to let Steve and Dina work this out for themselves. I’ll try to follow my own advise and I think Brad will stay out of it, too.”

The next morning after Brad left for the airport, Jamie waited for Miss Bessie to get ready to go to her job at the General Store. She rode with Jamie on the days she worked.

On the way into town, Miss Bessie was unusually quiet.

“Is everything okay, Miss Bessie? You seem awfully preoccupied.”

“I’ve decided to quit my job. I’m going to talk to Dina’s sister, today.”

“That surprises me. I thought you enjoyed seeing all of the town ladies.”

“Well, I did at first, but they’ve been coming on my days off, so I’m not getting any juicy gos…uh news. Remember that day last week when I went in on Wednesday instead of Thursday? Well, four of those ladies came in that day, and boy were they surprised to see me. I guess they think I tell other people what I hear them say. Truth be known, I can’t always remember if it’s a secret or not. Anyway, It’s boring. I’d rather keep company with Helen at home. I feel like I’m needed there.”

Later that night….

Annie’s thoughts: Clark is upset tonight, so he came up to his room early. I don’t really like to go to bed until later, but I thought I should keep Clark company.

“I have a little over a week before I have to start school, Annie. I don’t know if I can go through with it. The tutor Brad got me has helped a lot, but that’s just one person, not a whole classroom. I love singing and dancing, but I’m not sure I can perform in front of a bunch of people. What if I make a real fool of myself?

Annie laid down by the bed and Clark took his guitar out of the case to play his nightly song. While she was waiting, she noticed something under the bed. It looked like a letter. She couldn’t reach it, so she went to Clark and eventually got him to come and look under the bed. She was right. It was an envelope. 

“I wonder where this came from,” Clark said as he looked the letter over. “I guess there’s only one way to find out. I don’t see a name on the envelope so I hope it’s for me.”

Inside was a loving letter from his mother.

Dear Butch,

I put this in with your music books hoping you would find it at the right time. I know you must be nervous about going to a new school. You have always told yourself you’re not smart enough to learn. Well, I’m here to tell you that you are plenty smart. I know your daddy has told you different, but don’t you believe it. Hear me? Remember son, you don’t have to be perfect, you only have to try your best. The good Lord says to be anxious about nothing, so do what the Lord says. Keep on moving and walk right through that fear you’re feeling. That’s what you call courage.

Love and blessings,

Mamma

Annie’s thoughts: Clark put his guitar away without even playing a song. He just hung on to that letter. He had tears in his eyes, but he was smiling big when he fell asleep.

Down the hall Arf was watching over his favorite and most important human. She is sleeping peacefully.

Arf’s thoughts: I have a feeling that something is about to change and I’m not going to be happy about it.

Jamie was in Brad’s study. She was wondering what she should say if Steve approached her about leasing the farm.

She had a lot to think about. Life changing decisions were never easy to make.

 

 

 

 

 

Jamie and Brad had planned to meet right after supper, but Brad was called to the phone again. He took the call in his study, but this time Jamie didn’t wait for him. Her parents had eaten in their quarters so she wanted to check on them and make sure everything was okay. While she was walking down the hall, she passed the library where apparently, Steve and Dina had gone to discuss something. Jamie couldn’t help but overhear them.

“I plan to ask her about it tonight,” she heard Steve say. “If Jamie doesn’t want to lease the farm to me, then it’s a mute point anyway. I just want to know where I stand with you, Dina. Are Katie and I going to be getting our own place by ourselves, or are you coming with us?”

“Steve, we haven’t talked about anything except what’s best for Katie. We’ve gotten along fine and Katie is thriving. I don’t understand why you would want to move her from the ranch now while she’s so involved in her dancing and singing. The dancing has helped her strength and coordination immensely.”

“I know,” Steve said. “But I think we could work it out. The school bus can still drop her off here every day and you can bring her home after rehearsal. I don’t think you understand, Dina. I want us to be a family and I need us to have a place of our own. You think about it and we’ll discuss it again after I’ve had a chance to talk to Jamie.”

Jamie knocked on her parent’s door and her smiling and rosy cheeked mother let her in.

“What’s the matter Jamie? You look distracted. Let me get your father. He should be here if there’s something you need to talk about.”

“I’m pretty close,” her father said. “Of course close only counts in horseshoes. Your mother is right. You’ve got a heavy heart and a full mind…or is it a full heart and a heavy mind. Anyway, what can your mother and I do ya for?”

“Since you didn’t come down for supper, I thought I’d better check on you and make sure everything is alright.”

“We’re fine.” her mother said. “We had a long day of rehearsing so we decided we just wanted to say here and put our feet up. Right dear?”

“We’re right as rain, honey.”

With that all settled, Jamie went to see if Brad was still in his study. After hearing Steve and Dina’s discussion, now she really needed to talk to him.

Arf and Annie were watching squirrels out the window, but Brad wasn’t in the study.

“Do you to know where Brad went?”

They both immediately got up and led her to the garden. She found Brad sitting in one of the patio chairs, but he didn’t appear to be relaxing.

“Am I interrupting?” Jamie asked. “You look like you’re deep in thought about something.”

“I just talked to Tom. Our mother has taken a turn for the worse. They’re not at all hopeful that she will recover.”

Both Jamie and Brad sat quietly for a few minutes before Brad finally spoke.

“Did I ever tell you why I didn’t go with my sister and brother to Ireland to see my my mother?”

“No you didn’t,” Jamie said. “I figured you had your reasons and if you wanted to tell me you would.”

“That’s what I love about you, Jamie. You let people do things in their own time. Like your parents…and me.”

“You know that anytime you want to talk, I’m willing to listen, and I’m very discreet.”

Brad gave her a smile before he went on.

“One of the reasons I didn’t go was because of you. We’re just getting to know each other and I didn’t want to go off to Ireland, for God knows how long. I couldn’t leave the ranch for very long, either. I’ve poured my life into this place. It’s a big part of who I am, but now that I know my mother is dying, all I feel is sadness and guilt. She was two people, you know. She was a government agent and a wife and mother. I only knew her as my mother and she was a good one. I had wonderful parents.”

“It was a shock to find out that Mom was still alive. I went twenty years without knowing. Gloria kept her a virtual prisoner for all that time while I struggled to make sure Tom and Barbie were taken care of. I sure made a mess of that didn’t I? Barbie was raised by Gloria and Tom was mistreated by our Aunt and Uncle.”

“May I speak?” Jamie could tell where this was going and it wasn’t s good place.

“You’re being a little hard on yourself don’t you think? You were only sixteen. You thought your parents had died in the fire. You saw your twin sister burned beyond recognition, but she lived to be the beautiful woman she is today. Tom is a fire rescue pilot. He saves people from fires. And you have helped so many others, Brad. You’ve brought us all to your beautiful ranch and showered us with kindness. Now, have you made arrangements yet to go to Ireland?”

“What? No…I hadn’t planned to go.”

“Of course you’re going. Let’s go to your study and call and see when the next flight to Ireland leaves.”

Arf: I guess that means we’ll be left to take care of the horses. Do you know how to take care of them, Annie? Cause if you don’t, I’ll teach you. You work from sun-up till sun-down….and

Annie: Will you shush Arf? I want to know what Jamie was going to talk to Brad about. Let’s follow them into the study and pretend we’re looking at squirrels.

A little later, Arf and Annie left the study without learning anything. Jamie and Brad were on the phone arranging Brad’s trip and then they called Tom and Barbie. When Brad finally asked Jamie what she wanted to talk to him about, she said they would talk when he got back.

Arf: I hope Brad gets back in time for our performance.

Annie: He’ll be here. He made the reservations to fly back in a week.

Arf: You’re a real sleuth, Annie

Annie: Yeah…I have a pretty good idea what is on Jamie’s mind, too.