A Haven From the Storm
Chapter 21 – The Dog Days of Spring
Looking back – now as well as then - on my first three weeks as the proprietor of Erehwon Farms was quite the mind-expanding experience. That Spring was one of the most eventful, stressful, life-changing and just plain full to overflowing times of my life. My attitude was one of relief that a whole mess of troubles, some my fault and some not, were behind me. But I wasn't relaxed, not by a long shot. I'd become wary and suspicious of the skill that Mineral Village life showed in throwing odd and unexpected twists at me.
Fortunately, for the remainder of the season things eased up on me. Who knows how much more stress I could have taken before I started acting badly or turned mean or some other such affliction was visited on my character. But all my life, I've heard preachers assuring us that the good Lord never sends you more in your life than you can really bear – although He may send you more than you think at the time you can take. It's true. I was due for a break and I got it.
It was one of the better kinds of breaks also. Not the thrill and excitement of some spectacular good fortune being visited on me. Really, the last week of that Spring was pretty uneventful. It's that I'd half-stumbled onto and half been led into a pretty peaceful and satisfying routine. I settled back into it the way I settled into the hot springs after a full day of farm labor.
The lady of the pond was actually easing off in the attentions she was showing me. We spoke in my dreams each night still, but she didn't spend a lot of time in soothing words of encouragement as before. She didn't see the need to and she was keeping to her word about not intervening in my life more than she thought necessary. 'You're doing just fine Jack. I'm starting to feel real good about how this is going.' Many nights, she'd just give me a farming tip or two and then I'd be back to normal slumber. Every other day, I'd take a fresh turnip up to her pond and gift her – partially out of gratitude but also to be honest I did it in order to meet face to face with the most beautiful woman I've ever known. Even now it's still my habit. My appreciation of her is something that the passing years have not dulled one bit and I pray that it always be that way.
My wakeup routine got refined a little. Wowser, Farmer Fran and Jimmy still kept me company while I broke fast with one of grandpa's MREs – or sometimes two. The more I worked, the stronger I got, which meant I could and did work even more, which bumped up my normally healthy appetite to the severely ravenous level. But I was doing more with Wowser than just scratching behind his ears, though I still did enough of that. I was training him.
Training a working farm dog is a whole 'nother matter from training an ordinary pet. I had plans for him as a working dog – aside from keeping at bay the wild dogs I'd already heard were in the area, I figured he could make himself useful by keeping varmints under control. I'll talk about my first run-ins with them in due course.
Just about the time I was considering start of classes for Wowser was when Won first showed up on my doorstep. I was suspicious of him right away. I mean, no Chinese has dressed like that – pigtail, yellow mandarin jacket, the whole smack – for at least a hundred years unless they were playing some kind of a part. Well, he started playing me right away. 'Distinguished Sir, such a fine looking puppy you have here. So much better he would be if trained properly.' And he proceeded to sing the praises of this pink India rubber ball he just happened to have with him. '...the daily use of which would greatly increase his intelligence. For just 500G, such a bargain!'
Such a bargain my hind leg! I knew darn well such balls cost 20G in any big department store on the mainland – and 5G in a thrift store. And Won knew he had me over a barrel if I wanted it - like I was really going to take two days off for a trip to and from the mainland just to fetch a dog toy. So I left him shaking his head saying, 'You don't have 500G? Such a pity.' as I declined his generous offer. But, he'd given me an idea.
A little rummaging through the junk in the barn – grandfather had been a pack rat and had apparently not thrown out anything that could conceivably be of use – and I'd uncovered some old rubber tires. Add in some old worn out socks for cores, a little trial and error construction and I had what I considered to be an adequate if esthetically unpleasing bouncy throwable dog toy.
Now, Wowser was without question the sweetest dog I've ever owned, but when I started his training I was thinking I was stuck with a retarded puppy. I'd throw the thing a few meters over his head and he'd watch its trajectory with vague interest while scratching himself. I had to show him myself what he was supposed to do – which almost caused Ann to die laughing when she stopped by the mountainside gate to watch me on all fours, nose to nose with Wowser holding the toy in my mouth.
Soon enough he got the idea, then saw the appeal of it, then I did also. It seemed like no time at all until old Wows and I were on the same page about spending the early morning in exuberant running, chasing, throwing and catching. I was so un-self consciously enjoying those romps that I didn't realize the spectacle we were making until one morning Ann and Popuri called to me from the mountainside gate.
"Jack, we couldn't help but watch you. You look like you're having the time of your life."
I walked up to them laughing as I tossed the thingie from hand to hand with Wows jumping up attempting to snatch it. "Well I am. Wowser knows fun. You two wanna come in and join us?"
They squealed "what a great idea!" as they came in together through the gate, and after spending a few moments of pouring extravagantly girlish attention all over him, we had a four way tag team going. They left for the goddess pond half an hour later in high happy spirits and when Ann got into town that day she must have spread the word that the good times were on tap at Erehwon in the morning.
The next morning we were interrupted in our morning recreation by something akin to a mob scene at the townside gate. Ann and Popuri had returned, and had brought along Cliff, Karen and Mary. I was amused almost beyond words.
"Gosh, this must be a boring little town if the lot of you came all the way out here just to see a boy playing with a dog!"
Cliff chortled, "We came to join in." He waved his hand at the rest. "Let me introduce you to the Mineral Village Canine Calisthenics Squadron..."
Ann interrupted as she and Popuri held up picnic baskets. "...and Chowder and Marching Society! We brought the breakfast."
I goggled. "You brought chowder?"
Karen smirked. "For breakfast? Tard." The two basket bearers laid out a cloth on the ground and started unloading fruits, eggs and pastries as Wowser watched with the greatest of interest. "Now, as for what I'm bringing to the table..." She reached into the paper bag she was carrying.
I groaned in mock horror. "Karen's cooking again! Stand by one while I get the gas masks."
"Keep pushing it, Jack." And she surprised me by drawing out an old fashioned plastic frisbee – day glo orange – and sailing it right at me, sending my cap flying as it bounced off my forehead and throwing everyone into uncontrollable laughter. Wowser was momentarily confused at the target rich environment before deciding to shun the all too familiar headgear in favor of running after the strange glowing saucer.
I mock snarled as I fetched my cap. "You really like doing that, doncha? Where'd you get that thing anyways?"
She answered while reaching for a muffin. "It was in the attic. I think it was Dad's."
I fixed my cap back into place with one hand while while grabbing a fried egg sandwich with the other and getting in a monstrous first bite. "Mmph. Darned good! This yours, Ann?" She nodded and I continued talking between bites. "Second time I've had your cooking. Each time first rate. I'm really sorry I haven't been taking dinners at the Inn. Can't afford it yet."
Popuri smiled as she scratched the frisbee chewing Wowser behind the ears. "Well Jack, you might could afford it if you weren't giving Ma so many fresh vegetables for free."
Karen chimed in. "And Ellen."
Mary piled on. "And the pastor. And the clinic."
I covered my embarrassment by cramming the last of the sandwich in my mouth, then grumping. "You folks are comparing notes. Doesn't a guy get any privacy in this burg?"
They all shouted "NO!" in unison. Karen picked it up. "It's a small town. Haven't you figured it out yet, rocket scientist?"
I tried diverting attention from myself. "Well, while we're on the subject of small town mores – Mary, how did you get to come here without me filing a schedule and itinerary with Anna? Your Mom isn't scared about you being in the big bad city boy's bachelor pad?"
She waved her thumb at Karen. "She's my chaperon."
"If I was your parent, that'd make me twice as scared for you."
Karen stood up and glared in the direction of Chicken Lil's. "I see someone over there who damn well better be scared of me. Richard! You knew this was happening! Get your sorry rump over here right now!"
And a couple of minutes later, Rick came in the gate and made it seven of us sitting on that old fashioned red and white checkered cloth loading up on world-class country cooking. Before we got too logged down with food, Ann brought up the thing that started it all.
"Everyone on their feet. We all have to play frisbee with Wowser." And we more or less randomly tossed it from person to person with Wowser running around like crazy until someone or another decided to give him a good run by sailing it way out in the fields. Then, Karen proposed adding a little formality to the game.
"OK, boys versus girls! Whoever Wowser brings it back to scores for their team."
"Not fair! There are more of you than of us!"
"It's even – Wowser's male."
"But he's the scoring system! He doesn't count!"
"So, he'll side with you guys in delivering."
Try arguing with a woman. Go ahead, try it.
We got to girls 21, guys 19 when our appetites took over again and we plumped back down on the cloth to finish up the goodies – Wowser helping of course (he'd taken a special fancy to cheese Danish.) That got us up to the time when we all really had to start our work and we all said our goodbyes as they filed out the gate promising to do it again.
And we did. We couldn't have a morning get together like that every day, but from that time on, the M.V.C.C.S. & C. & M.S. gathering on Erehwon at least once a week has been a village tradition. We've gone through three generations of dogs, twenty seven frisbees and for the last few years I must admit we've let the young-uns do the bulk of the running around. But it's one of those things that bring us together and I reckon that in our twilight years, we'll still be sitting there chowing down while watching our grandkids keeping their dogs alert and happy.
Haven Lives!
OK, this chapter doesn't really move the plot along that much. Really, it's a ping more than anything else. And a thank you to those individuals who have been 'reminding' me for over a year that this story is not finished.
