And the greatest of these is Love
Chapter 11
Page 31
Lana Peterson was home from nursing school for a few months and her sister Lisa was ecstatic. "Lana, I've missed you so much, tell me all about nursing school please!"
Lana was unpacking her clothes and toiletries as Lisa followed her from room to room. "Did you meet anyone special?"
Lana stopped and answered, "If you mean a man, yes."
"Who? Who?" Lisa sounded like an owl.
"You know him."
Lisa plumped herself down on the bed, "I do?"
"Yes, silly, Trevor Donahue. I've been writing to him ever since I left for school. Didn't you know?"
"Yea, well I thought maybe you met some new doctor at the school. You know, smart, rich, and good-looking!" she giggled.
Lana laughed, "Lisa, at a nursing school there are only women. We are learning from registered nurses who teach us, that have been around since cave women!"
"So, Trevor is still your main man then. What about Walter Gleixner? He left for medical school. He should be home too," Lisa figured.
"I haven't talked to Walter since Christmas, but it was such a surprise when he told Trevor that he looked familiar and recognized him as the medic who helped him when he injured his ankle, and me as one of the nurse assistants at the hospital where he recuperated," Lana reminded Lisa, "so, what's new with you?"
Lisa told her that she now was the receptionist and secretary for the handsome bachelor in town, Dr. Scholl, "He is in love with Mayor Fiona and vice versa. They make quite a handsome couple. Dr. Scholl is very nice too. I love my job."
After Lisa and Lana caught up with each other, they decided to take their horses out for a ride. All the horses at their horse ranch kept the Peterson's busy, especially every spring when they the new fillies arrived. It had been a long time and Lana missed taking Shiloh out for a ride. Lisa saddled up Stardust and the two of them left the horse farm for a lovely ride in the country. As they galloped out past the farms into the meadows, they spotted two Mounties.
As they came closer, Lisa started to giggle, "They're so easy to spot all dressed in red. I think they are Gunther and Andy. Gunther wanted to kiss me at the New Year's Eve dance and when he closed his eyes, I ducked, and he wound up kissing Kevin!"
"I remember, and Andy wanted to kiss Rosaleen, and wound up kissing Mike!" The two girls were roaring with laughter now.
The Mounties came cantering up to them and Gunther asked, "What are you two ladies laughing about?"
That made the girls laugh even harder. "We'll never tell!"
"Good to see you, Lana," Gunther smiled.
"Yes it is!" Andy added. "We're just finishing up our rounds. Where are you headed?"
"Just riding, nowhere special," Lana answered.
"If you come into town, join us sometime for lunch, our treat," Gunther offered.
As they separated, the girls decided to stop by the Lipinski house to see if Christy was home. When they stopped, Christy was outside with Timi Anne, pushing her on the swing. Rick had made a seat swing hanging from the big maple tree and she was strong enough to hang on to the ropes.
As Lana got off Shiloh, she tethered him and ran over to give Christy a hug. "Look how big Timi Anne has grown! What a precious smile!"
Christy was thrilled to have company and so happy to see Lana and Lisa. "Did you just get back?" she asked Lana.
"Yes, last night. It feels great to be back!"
"Have you seen Trevor yet?" Christy teased.
"Sure have, he's the one who picked me up from the train station, and to save you time, yes, he kissed me!" Lana filled in Christy.
"Now, let me take a good look at you," Lana asked Christy to turn to the side carefully checking her silhouette. "I knew it, you're pregnant again, aren't you?"
"Yes, I'm just starting my second trimester! Rick is so happy. He's been very busy lately, as Mr. Coulter has tons of work for all of them," Christy sighed. "Clara is having a baby too and due around the same time – in fall."
"I can't wait to get my nursing education finished so I can apply as a nurse to help out the Shepherds," Lana added.
"They just hired a Doula, who's studying to be a midwife. She's new in town, Violet Taylor. I just met her and she seems quiet but sweet." Christy said.
"Well, I certainly want to talk to them soon. The school took into consideration my nursing assistance in the war, so now that I have completed one year in nursing school, I only need one more semester and I'll be a registered nurse!" Lana said happily.
"Wow! That's great! They'll wait for you, I'm sure." Christy grinned.
The three friends and little Timi Anne went back inside for a cool drink of lemonade. It felt like old times as they sat and talked sharing past memories of days gone by. Lisa said, "I feel like I'm the only one who hasn't attracted a man yet."
"Just you wait girlfriend," Christy spoke up, "there's plenty of bachelors in this town and you just need to be patient. Have you dated anyone yet?"
"In Hope Valley? No. Even though I'm part of the Hopefuls, we're all just friends." Lisa complained.
"Maybe we should plan a bonfire or something soon. You know, we could plan one out on our farm." Lana suggested.
"That's a great idea! Sort of like a welcome to summer bonfire!" Lisa grinned.
"Let's do that next weekend. A where-the-boys are bonfire," Christy suggested. "I will bring my guy of course, Rick loves bonfires."
"Sounds great, a couple of guys play guitars, and Trevor can sing, so I'll ask him to lead the songs." Lana added. "I'm sure Rosaleen and Katie, maybe even Violet would enjoy more time with the guys."
"Of course!" they all laughed.
Timi Anne clapped her hands as she watched her mama laughing. "Mama!"
Page 32
When Fiona called the town meeting, more folks from the new row houses came to find out more about Hope Valley's mayor and plans. Making a home in a new town usually was fairly easy in Hope Valley. Most everyone was seeking employment after the war which had left the country deeply in debt, but with the new industries starting up work was easier to find. Hope Valley provided a new start for many families. The biggest employers were still Coulter Lumber and Gowen Oil, but along with them other jobs were available, especially with expansions and new stores.
Fiona handed out an agenda for the meeting as this was going to be a somewhat longer meeting than usual. Being efficient and getting straight to the point, she went to the first order of business after a prayer by Pastor Canfield.
"Thank you all for attending. I want to bring to your attention several items tonight. Concerning old business, we have ordered our fire truck and medical ambulance. The manufacturing company in Toronto have confirmed that they will be built and ready for service in five weeks." The crowd applauded happily.
Looking around she noticed that the Hopefuls were standing together, the Chickadees were standing together, the bachelors were standing together, the new folks were standing together, and the married couples were standing together. Fiona was hoping for more socialization. So, before going on to the next order of business, she asked everyone to break out of their groups and stand next to someone who they weren't that familiar with and shake their hand or give them a hug with a warm hello.
At first hardly anyone moved, but then after the first few walked to others, people followed. Now, Fiona liked what she heard, laughter! This idea of hers broke the ice and was working! James Scholl looked directly at Fiona and winked which caused Fiona to smile broadly and wink back.
Calling the people back to her attention she thanked everyone for participating. "Now, I'd like to wrap this up by everyone introducing the person they just talked to. Let's start on the left."
The Chickadees and Hopefuls were naturally the best at it and had the rest of the folks laughing. A few new ones were shy and needed some prompting. There was a woman in the far back row standing with her husband. One of the Chickadees, Diane, grabbed her hand and raised it and announced, "This is my new friend Babbling Brook Hutton and her husband Carl Hutton who just started working for the Hope Valley bank as a loan officer under Mr. Jenkins. I've learned that Babbling Brook makes baskets and enjoys her garden.
Fiona smiled warmly saying, "Welcome Babbling Brook and Carl. It's wonderful to have you in Hope Valley!"
Some of the ladies were taking in the new woman's darker skin and her dark hair in a long braid, and beautiful soft light brown eyes, which had them wondering if she was Indian. Carl sensed the unspoken questions, grabbed his wife's hand and spoke up, "Thank you for your warm welcome. This is Babbling Brook's first time leaving our house. Yes, she is part of the Cree native tribe and part French. Just so you know, she prefers to be called Brook. Your welcome means more to us than you know." With that the folks burst into spontaneous applause.
Not wanting to delay any longer, Fiona called the meeting back to order. "Folks, we have our second annual summer Family Fun Fest to plan for. Now, the ladies at Bible Study discussed what worked and what didn't last year. It seems most of the plans went smoothly so we are repeating what we did last summer." Fiona heard murmurs of approval.
She continued, "What we need now is to go over the plans, and see what you would be interested in helping with. I expect everyone to participate and that includes the men! I hope we have the equipment for the dunk tanks stored in the livery."
Kevin nodded, "Yes ma'am it's all still there. So, are the parts for the games."
"Great! Now, if you have any other idea besides the ones listed on the agenda, please speak up or let me know as soon as possible," Fiona requested.
As the folks poured over all the plans there was a lot of discussion. New ideas were shared and folks were walking over to the table to sign up under different committees.
Brook walked around with Carl and listened to different conversations. They were thinking that maybe Brook could make some baskets to enter in the raffle. When they walked up to the lists of committees, they signed Brook up under raffles.
Margaret, a Chickadee who was in charge of raffles, noticed, and came over to join them. "Oh, I see you signed up for the raffle committee Brook. What are you thinking of?"
"She wants to donate some straw baskets," Carl answered.
"That would be lovely, but if you don't mind my asking Carl, why do you answer for Brook?" Margaret asked.
"She doesn't speak much English. She knows French, but is still learning English, when I have a chance." Carl explained.
"Oh, I wonder if Elizabeth or Dee could work with Brook over the summer. They are our teachers, but with school closed now they just might have time. Let me introduce you to them," Margaret suggested as she led the way to talk to Elizabeth.
Brook was shy yet wore a polite smile as Carl patted her hand, "I'll go with," he reassured his wife.
As expected, Elizabeth was quite involved discussing the Family Fun Fest with Rosemary when Margaret brought Brook and Carl to her. "Sorry to bother you but we have a question for you." Margaret explained what she was thinking about tutoring Brook.
Following through with this, Brook was thrilled to have this opportunity. Carl thanked Elizabeth and told her about Brook's baskets. Rosemary was still standing there and asked about the baskets. "Would you like to show a few ladies how to make them? We meet every Tuesday at Minnie's Cafe. That way if we're able to learn quick enough, some of us could make some for the raffle!"
Rosemary wouldn't take no for an answer and told Brook she would pick her up and take her there with her and little Grace. Brook was delighted.
Fiona told everyone that she would go over the plans and send out a report to the committee heads. "Thanks all for coming, it sounds like we're going to have a wonderful Family Fun Fest!"
James came up to Fiona and congratulated her for handling the meeting so well, "You did fantastic dear, I'm so proud of you Mayor!" and pulled her over to give her a kiss.
"Why thank you Dr. Scholl, I have more from where that came from!"
Page 33
During the summer Opal was excited to help out babysitting and earn a little bit of money for goodies at the Mercantile. Always wanting a little sister, she enjoyed taking care of Grace whenever Rosemary asked.
Rosemary was back at the Valley Voice but only part time as Lucia Moretti was handling the reporting and doing a fantastic job, while Harper worked on the layout and printing. So, now Rosemary handled the telephone calls and managed the newspaper. Once in a while she would write a column like she used to just for fun, but lately, she enjoyed being home with baby Grace as much as possible. When Paul was out of school for the summer and busy with baseball practice, or scouting that gave Rosemary a chance to hire Opal for a hour or so, giving her time to go to the newspaper office.
Today, as Rosemary planned, she picked up Brook to go to the women's bible study. Even though Brook only spoke a few English words, she was ready. Greeting her with a hello in English, Rosemary helped carry her supplies to the automobile. She had all her materials ready to take to the Bible Study and show the ladies how she made baskets. They barely spoke during their ride, but Rosemary was very interested in Brook and wanted to be friends.
Brook's long, thick shiny black hair and soft brown eyes accented her high cheekbones and long neck. Rosemary could see how any man would turn their attention to Brook as her appearance was very striking indeed, with her native Cree of her mother mixed with her French heritage of her father. When they arrived, most of the ladies and Chickadees were gathered at Minnie's Cafe. Brook was very shy at first and barely glanced directly at anyone's eyes, as she felt them all checking her out as she brought in her supplies. She almost ran out.
Minnie knowing how it felt for someone not looking the same as the rest of the ladies, felt her awkwardness and immediately went up to her and guided her to a seat by her. She offered her tea and a muffin that they always had on Tuesday mornings.
Brook had just arrived in town so it was helpful for her to start by learning names. Elizabeth suggested that they print their names on paper and pin them to their blouses. After a few minutes, Elizabeth shared what Brook's husband, Carl had explained to her that she could listen and understand fairly well, but she hadn't learned to speak, write, or read English yet.
After the chatter died down, Minnie shared a prayer. She was glad that Brook relaxed and bowed her head.
"Ladies, it's good to see you all! I know we have quite a busy time ahead of us with the summer Family Fun Fest, planning Summer Bible Camp, and Brook here to show us how to basket weave. So, our Bible study part will be shortened. Since we just celebrated Easter not that long ago, we'll just begin by studying the Acts of the Apostles during summer. I thought we could just read the first two chapters today with a little discussion following and then start our meeting. Is that all right with you?" Minnie asked.
Everyone nodded in agreement. Minnie looked over at Mary O'Neill and asked her to begin reading the first few paragraphs and then continue around the room until both chapters were read. Luckily, there was little discussion as everyone seemed to want to get on with business.
Minnie spoke up first about the summer Bible Camp which would be held the first week of July, "We had such a great time doing Noah's Ark last year, remember? Do we have any suggestions for a theme this year?"
After tossing around a few ideas, Maryann asked, "What about being fishers of men?"
"Yes we have a pond here in Hope Valley we could use to fish and have a contest!" Rita suggested.
"Oh my! I'll have to think on that theme for a dance," Jane felt challenged.
"We might be able to make a big whale and tell the story of Jonah!" Kenda offered.
"Wait a minute, ladies, let's vote first on the theme. We've had several suggestions, but it seems that fishers of men sparked a lot of attention. Do you want this as our theme? If so, raise your hand," Minnie asked. Looking at the group she counted all agreed.
"I have just one suggestion. Can we call it fishers of people, instead of just men?" Joyce asked somewhat tentatively. She looked around as everyone was suddenly quiet. "Well?"
One by one, they all eventually raised their hands and began to giggle.
"That's it ladies, Fishers of people wins!" Minnie stood up and announced and the ladies applauded.
Soon people were offering to help with songs, food, activities, games, dancing, storytelling, etc. It was decided that Pastor Campbell and Fr. Ricardo were expected to say prayers and give talks at different times. Brook got caught up in the excitement and listened, watched, and relaxed.
Now, it was time for Brook to demonstrate basket weaving. She had drawn pictures of the different steps on paper and Diane held each page up for all to see as Brook showed first-hand how she made the baskets. Carl had written in English instructions and Elizabeth read them out loud.
1)Wood reeds must be wet by soaking them overnight and have to be kept wept while weaving. Grasses and straw can be used too.
2)The easiest weave to begin with is called plaiting. Use thin flat pieces of oak or ash splints with river cane or cedar strips as slats.
3)Simple plaiting is woven to follow a pattern of over one, under one.
"Oh, I see, just like the place mats I showed the children to make!" Elizabeth smiled.
Brook purposely went slow so everyone could see, and it was an easy first step in weaving. As they watched it was fascinating to most and by the time Brook had finished demonstrating, others wanted to try their hand at weaving. This made Brook feel accepted and very happy. She offered personal lessons at her row house and plenty of ladies would be taking her up on it.
"I bet we can sell these at the Mercantile," Flo told Brook. Brook laughed and nodded. It was a great beginning for this newcomer!