Read Online Bumpy Ride Ahead! by Wanda E. Brunstetter - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Wanda E. Brunstetter
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“Made me wish I’d gone fishin’ today instead of goin’ over to John’s.”
“You’d have been better off,” Calvin said. “You would have been holdin’ a bucket of fish right now if you had.” He looked first at Mark and then at Mattie. “You both might have had a better day if you’d thought of others instead of yourselves.”
C HAPTER 7
Walnut Juice
The following Saturday turned out to be a pretty autumn day, so Dad announced during breakfast that morning that today was going to be their yearly walnut-picking day. Every year in the fall, one of the many things they liked to do as a family was to gather nuts for the upcoming holiday baking season. Luckily, there happened to be a black walnut tree a little ways down the road in a meadow between the Millers’ place and the Shrocks’. Since Mark and his best friend, John Schrock, had walked back and forth to and from each other’s home whenever they met to play, Mark knew exactly where that walnut tree was. He also knew after the last time he’d been to John’s that the tree was loaded with walnuts this year. Some were on the ground, and some still clung to the branches.
Mark and Mattie loved to pick walnuts with their family and looked forward to it every autumn. Mark knew that Mattie preferred to wear the gloves Mom would hand out to keep fingers clean, but Mark liked to get his fingers all stained from the walnuts’ juice. Not all the walnuts still had the green hull on the outer layer. As the black walnuts ripened, the husks changed from solid green to yellowish green, and the skins softened, sometimes leaking the dark liquid from inside. Those were the ones you had to watch out for when you went to pick them up.
As soon as breakfast was over, the whole family, except for Ike, headed out. Ike had gone to his girlfriend Catherine’s house today to help her family make apple butter. Mom had packed a bunch of paper bags and put them in her canvas satchel, and when they reached the old walnut tree, she handed each family member a paper sack.
“Make sure, now,” Dad instructed, “that you don’t overload your bag and make it too heavy to lift. Only pick as many walnuts as you can carry home.”
Even little Ada was old enough this year to get in on the act. This was a new experience for her, and she was so excited to help pick the nuts, along with her older brothers and sister, that she kept waving her hands and hollering, “
Walnuss!
Walnuss!”
“Look at all these walnuts!” Mattie exclaimed, pointing at the ones scattered all over the ground. “There must be over a hundred of ’em layin’ here, and that’s not countin’ the ones still hanging on the branches.”
“I remember last year this tree didn’t produce nearly as many walnuts, but I read that there are usually two good nut crops out of every five years,” Dad said, bending over to pick up some walnuts.
“That’s interesting,” Mattie said as she began filling her sack. “I’m surprised the squirrels haven’t taken any of these yet.”
“Did ya know that black walnut trees can live to be over two hundred years old?” Mark announced.
“Well, this one must be at least fifty years old ’cause just look how tall it is!” Mattie tipped her head way back and stared up at the tree. “I’ll bet if we climbed up to that highest branch, we could see all of Walnut Creek from up there.”
“Now don’t get any ideas about climbing the tree,” Mom warned. “That could be dangerous.”
“I know this tree has to be over ten years old ’cause that’s when they start producing nuts,” Mark said. “And look how many years we’ve been comin’ here to collect ’em.”
“How do you know all this stuff about walnut trees?” Calvin asked. He, too, didn’t wear gloves, and his fingers were already turning a brown stain color.
“I read a lot,” Mark answered. “If ya ever wanna know something about anything, just ask ’cause I might have read about it and can
“You’d have been better off,” Calvin said. “You would have been holdin’ a bucket of fish right now if you had.” He looked first at Mark and then at Mattie. “You both might have had a better day if you’d thought of others instead of yourselves.”
C HAPTER 7
Walnut Juice
The following Saturday turned out to be a pretty autumn day, so Dad announced during breakfast that morning that today was going to be their yearly walnut-picking day. Every year in the fall, one of the many things they liked to do as a family was to gather nuts for the upcoming holiday baking season. Luckily, there happened to be a black walnut tree a little ways down the road in a meadow between the Millers’ place and the Shrocks’. Since Mark and his best friend, John Schrock, had walked back and forth to and from each other’s home whenever they met to play, Mark knew exactly where that walnut tree was. He also knew after the last time he’d been to John’s that the tree was loaded with walnuts this year. Some were on the ground, and some still clung to the branches.
Mark and Mattie loved to pick walnuts with their family and looked forward to it every autumn. Mark knew that Mattie preferred to wear the gloves Mom would hand out to keep fingers clean, but Mark liked to get his fingers all stained from the walnuts’ juice. Not all the walnuts still had the green hull on the outer layer. As the black walnuts ripened, the husks changed from solid green to yellowish green, and the skins softened, sometimes leaking the dark liquid from inside. Those were the ones you had to watch out for when you went to pick them up.
As soon as breakfast was over, the whole family, except for Ike, headed out. Ike had gone to his girlfriend Catherine’s house today to help her family make apple butter. Mom had packed a bunch of paper bags and put them in her canvas satchel, and when they reached the old walnut tree, she handed each family member a paper sack.
“Make sure, now,” Dad instructed, “that you don’t overload your bag and make it too heavy to lift. Only pick as many walnuts as you can carry home.”
Even little Ada was old enough this year to get in on the act. This was a new experience for her, and she was so excited to help pick the nuts, along with her older brothers and sister, that she kept waving her hands and hollering, “
Walnuss!
Walnuss!”
“Look at all these walnuts!” Mattie exclaimed, pointing at the ones scattered all over the ground. “There must be over a hundred of ’em layin’ here, and that’s not countin’ the ones still hanging on the branches.”
“I remember last year this tree didn’t produce nearly as many walnuts, but I read that there are usually two good nut crops out of every five years,” Dad said, bending over to pick up some walnuts.
“That’s interesting,” Mattie said as she began filling her sack. “I’m surprised the squirrels haven’t taken any of these yet.”
“Did ya know that black walnut trees can live to be over two hundred years old?” Mark announced.
“Well, this one must be at least fifty years old ’cause just look how tall it is!” Mattie tipped her head way back and stared up at the tree. “I’ll bet if we climbed up to that highest branch, we could see all of Walnut Creek from up there.”
“Now don’t get any ideas about climbing the tree,” Mom warned. “That could be dangerous.”
“I know this tree has to be over ten years old ’cause that’s when they start producing nuts,” Mark said. “And look how many years we’ve been comin’ here to collect ’em.”
“How do you know all this stuff about walnut trees?” Calvin asked. He, too, didn’t wear gloves, and his fingers were already turning a brown stain color.
“I read a lot,” Mark answered. “If ya ever wanna know something about anything, just ask ’cause I might have read about it and can
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