Read Online Bumpy Ride Ahead! by Wanda E. Brunstetter - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Wanda E. Brunstetter
Ads: Link
answer your questions.”
“That’s right, I forgot you’re the curious one in the family,” Russell teased, lifting Mark’s straw hat off his head and then flopping it back down.
“Hey now, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to learn about things,” Dad said, joining the boys on the other side of the tree.
“And you are never too old to ask questions about something either,” Mom added, watching as Ada put another walnut into her bag.
Mark stopped to watch little Ada, too. She sure looked like she was having fun filling up her bag with walnuts. Each one she picked up she’d say, “Look, Mamm. I found another walnuss!”
“I found one that’s open, and look here … there’s a white worm inside!” Perry announced, looking rather pleased with himself.
“Just toss it aside,” Dad said. “We don’t want any wormy nuts.”
Perry looked a bit disappointed, but he did as Dad asked.
“I wish Ike were here with us,” Mark grumbled to Mattie as they continued to fill their bags with nuts. “He’s missin’ out on all the family fun just to be with Catherine.” Mark had always looked up to his big brother. The last couple of years Ike had paid special attention to Mark, and they’d gotten especially close. At least they had until he’d started seeing Catherine. This was the first year Ike hadn’t joined the family to pick walnuts.
Mattie leaned down and wiped the dark stain from a walnut on the meadow grass. “Good thing I’m wearing somethin’ on my hands. Look how my gloves are getting stained already.”
“I like the stain.” Mark held up his black hands and grinned.
“You would—you’re a boy.”
Ignoring the remark, Mark thought about Ike again and wondered,
What’s so great about making apple butter? This is more fun anyways.
When they got home later that day, Dad instructed everyone to empty their bag of walnuts into the wheelbarrow that was still sitting at the back of the house from the leaf-raking cleanup. Until most of the leaves fell off the branches, raking and picking them up was an ongoing project during the months of autumn, but now, with only a leaf or two still hanging on, and all the rest of the leaves gathered up, the wheelbarrow could be used for something else.
“Mark, after you wash up and change your clothes,” Dad said, “I’d like you to push the wheelbarrow into the barn so I can put the walnuts in a big tub of water.”
“Okay, Dad,” Mark replied, walking into the house. He remembered from years past and from reading about it, that floating the walnuts in water was an easy way to separate the hulls from the hard shell inside. The hulls would float, but the nuts wouldn’t. Mark had also heard that some English folks spread the walnuts out on a driveway, and when they drove over the nuts with their vehicles, it quickly shelled off the hulls.
“Hey, Mattie,” Mark yelled across the hall from his room. “Do ya wanna help me push the wheelbarrow into the barn when I go back outside?”
“No, that’s okay. I’m gonna stay here and play with my
bopp.
“
Mark went downstairs wondering why his sister would want to spend such a nice day inside playing with her doll. But then, he wasn’t a girl so he couldn’t really understand why Mattie did many things that he would never do.
Once outside, he walked to the back of the house where the wheelbarrow sat, now full of walnuts. He was about ready to take them over to the other side of the house where the barn was when he noticed something hopping by his foot. Looking down, he spotted a frog.
Oh wow
, he thought.
That sure looks like a wood frog to me. I never expected to see any frogs this time of year.
The wood frog was a brownish-tan frog, and it was easy to tell what kind it was because of the bandit-looking patch that extended from its nose and across its eyes, almost giving it a raccoon look. Mark thought it was so amazing when he’d once learned that wood frogs are capable of freezing
“That’s right, I forgot you’re the curious one in the family,” Russell teased, lifting Mark’s straw hat off his head and then flopping it back down.
“Hey now, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to learn about things,” Dad said, joining the boys on the other side of the tree.
“And you are never too old to ask questions about something either,” Mom added, watching as Ada put another walnut into her bag.
Mark stopped to watch little Ada, too. She sure looked like she was having fun filling up her bag with walnuts. Each one she picked up she’d say, “Look, Mamm. I found another walnuss!”
“I found one that’s open, and look here … there’s a white worm inside!” Perry announced, looking rather pleased with himself.
“Just toss it aside,” Dad said. “We don’t want any wormy nuts.”
Perry looked a bit disappointed, but he did as Dad asked.
“I wish Ike were here with us,” Mark grumbled to Mattie as they continued to fill their bags with nuts. “He’s missin’ out on all the family fun just to be with Catherine.” Mark had always looked up to his big brother. The last couple of years Ike had paid special attention to Mark, and they’d gotten especially close. At least they had until he’d started seeing Catherine. This was the first year Ike hadn’t joined the family to pick walnuts.
Mattie leaned down and wiped the dark stain from a walnut on the meadow grass. “Good thing I’m wearing somethin’ on my hands. Look how my gloves are getting stained already.”
“I like the stain.” Mark held up his black hands and grinned.
“You would—you’re a boy.”
Ignoring the remark, Mark thought about Ike again and wondered,
What’s so great about making apple butter? This is more fun anyways.
When they got home later that day, Dad instructed everyone to empty their bag of walnuts into the wheelbarrow that was still sitting at the back of the house from the leaf-raking cleanup. Until most of the leaves fell off the branches, raking and picking them up was an ongoing project during the months of autumn, but now, with only a leaf or two still hanging on, and all the rest of the leaves gathered up, the wheelbarrow could be used for something else.
“Mark, after you wash up and change your clothes,” Dad said, “I’d like you to push the wheelbarrow into the barn so I can put the walnuts in a big tub of water.”
“Okay, Dad,” Mark replied, walking into the house. He remembered from years past and from reading about it, that floating the walnuts in water was an easy way to separate the hulls from the hard shell inside. The hulls would float, but the nuts wouldn’t. Mark had also heard that some English folks spread the walnuts out on a driveway, and when they drove over the nuts with their vehicles, it quickly shelled off the hulls.
“Hey, Mattie,” Mark yelled across the hall from his room. “Do ya wanna help me push the wheelbarrow into the barn when I go back outside?”
“No, that’s okay. I’m gonna stay here and play with my
bopp.
“
Mark went downstairs wondering why his sister would want to spend such a nice day inside playing with her doll. But then, he wasn’t a girl so he couldn’t really understand why Mattie did many things that he would never do.
Once outside, he walked to the back of the house where the wheelbarrow sat, now full of walnuts. He was about ready to take them over to the other side of the house where the barn was when he noticed something hopping by his foot. Looking down, he spotted a frog.
Oh wow
, he thought.
That sure looks like a wood frog to me. I never expected to see any frogs this time of year.
The wood frog was a brownish-tan frog, and it was easy to tell what kind it was because of the bandit-looking patch that extended from its nose and across its eyes, almost giving it a raccoon look. Mark thought it was so amazing when he’d once learned that wood frogs are capable of freezing
Similar Books
