For The Love of of Aunt Rose 10

Aunt Rose was out back in her aromatic herb garden when her phone rang. It was time for her to take a break as she had been out in her herb garden all morning. Summer savory, Fennel, Genovese Basil, Greek Gray thyme and English lavender were the herbs she was concentrating on this year. One thing about them was the fact they did not have to grow in rich soil or need a lot of water. In most countries such as Greece or Italy they were actually considered weeds. She tended them to her own area keeping them from becoming invasive in the grass area or too near plants such as the roses. She planned to make her own Herbes de Provence after they were dried properly.

It was Nolan on the phone.

" Hola querida. ¿Cómo van las cosas con tus clases de español? Asked Aunt Rose.

“Mi maestra, la Sra. Espinosa, dijo que estoy bien.” answered Nolan seriously.

“Buena.”

“I am calling for Grandfather. We will be coming to Pasadena in a few days to see Mrs Peabody. GrandFather wishes me to ask you if you would like to visit Mrs Peabody also?”

“ Why that would be wonderful to visit with her. I must know the day though because I may be going somewhere with Kitty and or Gordon. I help her in her business sometimes. Also we all belong to rock and mineral groups in nearby areas. You find out the days and tell me tonight. I will tell you if I have previous engagements scheduled.”

“ I will do that tonight when I send you my new poem called Pokey little bird.” replied Nolan.

Later, after dinner time he sent his poem.

Pokey little bird

hopping all over the ground

looking for bugs and crumbs

and hopping all around

You are a funny bird

hop hop over to the family with little children

they drop their bread and vegetables

you stay at a distance so they will not catch you

but hop hop close enough to get a crumb

You are a funny bird

hop hop over by the flowers in the fields

there might be some more bugs

or if you should get ever so lucky

there will be a fat juicy worm

You are a funny bird

~ Nolan

Aunt Rose told him she liked the poem very much then she would call him back after speaking to Kitty and Gordon.

Aunt Rose informed Kitty and Gordon what was going on and said she did not know of anything they had planned for the next week. Neither of them had plans. “I will let Nolan know any day next week will be fine.”

Rose and Nolan agreed on a day and time. Then Aunt Rose and Nolan talked about his poems. She thought his poetry was advancing nicely.

"Here is a story I wrote for a young lady I know here in Pasadena. Isabella is almost ten. Someday you might meet here if you visit when she is here. She was visiting her grandfather while her parents were in France. She was only here for one month but then got quite homesick. I started teaching her how to write stories. I wrote this one for her to read on the way home after they picked her up to drive to Nevada." replied Nolan.

The Conférence

“Isabella, don’t run, you'll fall down and the animals will eat you up! "

“No they won’t Mama, the animals all love me because I’m kind to them."

Isabella runs and spies a rabbit caught in the wild blueberry patch.

She stops and sings soothingly to the rabbit.

Rabbit ain’t got no tail at all

Tail at all, tail at all

Rabbit ain’t got no tail at all

Just a powder puff

It looks up at her with big eyes and twitching ears then allows

her to pet it on the head. She looks at the rabbit and says

“My name is Isabel and I will help you go free. Now hold very still

and I will untangle you from this messy sit-U-ation you are in on this sunny day."

She releases the rabbit still singing:

Rabbit ain’t got no tail at all

Tail at all, tail at all

Rabbit ain’t got no tail at all

Just a powder puff

The rabbit is now free and hops off behind a very large tree then

peeks around the trunk and twitches its nose as if to say thank you to Isabella.

Isabella runs to see if the rabbit is OK and she gets

her foot caught in a root that is sticking up.

Bang she falls and hits her head on the tree trunk and

feels very dizzy but tastes blood trickling down to her lips.

She awakens in a very dim subterranean den that smells

like the dust that is stirred up after a rainstorm.

There is a lot of mumbling going on and she hears arguing squeaky voices.

“The blueberries and black cherries will soon be gone,'' said Ruffed Grouse. Let’s eat her."

“Well I need my leaves to keep me warm in the winter and she will crush

them under her big body so let’s eat her '' said the Northern Red-back Salamander.

The American Marten yelled this is my den and she’ll take up my space. She will gobble up all the acorns and beechnuts and I already almost lost my home to the spruce budworm ! I too say let’s eat her"

“As long as she doesn’t climb up to the top of the hollow logs and ruin my nesting areas it’s OK if she stays here but if she climbs to the top of my tree I will eat her." said the Barred Owl.

“Well I was caught in a thicket today, '' replied Snowshoe Hare but

I think we should put her in a trap so Lynx can eat her instead of my cousins."

Isabella was now wide awake and started singing:

Rabbit ain’t got no tail at all

Tail at all, tail at all

Rabbit ain’t got no tail at all

Just a powder puff

All the animals turned around then started to scream

and hide when a huge shadow popped its head in

and said:

“I am Lynx and I would never eat Isabella. Why?

Because she rescued my children when a huge fire

went through the next forest over. If you all promise to set her free

I will not come to your forest to eat Snowshoe Hare or his cousins for five years.

Rabbit ain’t got no tail at all

Tail at all, tail at all

Rabbit ain’t got no tail at all

Just a powder puff

Another shadow crept into the deep dark den. It was Gray Wolf. In a husky wolf voice he said he would never eat Isabella. Why? Because she had kept his baby wolf safe and well fed when the hunters had wounded his mate. When he was tending to her wound and keeping her alive Isabella fed the baby cow milk and oats in the big barn.

Three days later when the humans went to church he crept into the open barn window. He carried the baby wolf home to its mother.

Rabbit ain’t got no tail at all

Tail at all, tail at all

Rabbit ain’t got no tail at all

Just a powder puff

In entered a slithered garter snake saying : "I would not hurt or bite Isabella. Why? Because she kept my eggs covered in the garden when the dog was digging. She kept them safe and warm until they hatched and I rescued them.

Rabbit ain’t got no tail at all

Tail at all, tail at all

Rabbit ain’t got no tail at all

Just a powder puff

Isabella was set free. She was guided up and out then taken

to the edge of her home so she could get to her Mama.

Mama found her slightly soiled with a spider web bandaged around her wound.

She told her story and only her Mama believed her to this day. ~Nolan