A Year Gone By

I know that a few of you have wondered whatever happened to Mr. Beachy. It's been one of those years that I hesitated telling you because for a while it all seemed so tragic. I hardly knew how to begin telling the story, and I was afraid if I started the words would spill out uncontrollably. It felt better to pretend it hadn't happened.

But Christmas morning I woke up to a glorious turn of events and now I must tell the story beginning at the beginning.

You may remember that Mr. Beachy took his daughter, Peaches, and her daughter, Soon, to China for a visit with relatives and friends. He enjoyed showing off his grandchild. Peaches enjoyed see her ancestors' home. She was so young when they left China that she had only vague memories of her own grandparents' gardens. They were excited to tell me about the trip and how much things had changed in China over the years. I was very happy to have them back. We spent evenings exchanging stories of our time apart, and then began to pour over seed catalogs to plan my summer garden. Mr. Beachy had many new ideas he wanted to try out.

It was one of those early days at the beginning of spring when the ground is soft enough to work and not too saturated with rain. Mr. Beachy started digging. Now I'm not sure what was going through his mind, but the more he dug, the more he wanted to dig. He would take only short breaks for water and he wouldn't let me come outside. He said it would be better if I waited to see the results and he did not want me interfering with his garden ideas. Well, I wasn't quite sure what his plan was and I had a squirmy feeling it wasn't something that was going to match my own garden plan. But I let him be because it was just so nice to have the family back home again.

What started off as a very pleasant activity soon turned into what Fireling would call a full blown manic episode. Mr. Beachy would dash into the house tracking dirt into the kitchen, drink a glass of water, then be off again. The first night he came in, cleaned up, and I think had a good night's sleep. But he was up and at 'em early the next morning. I would call out to the backyard to remind him to take a break and sometimes I had to call out 2 or 3 times to get him to come in. I had a hunch that he was up to something I'd rather not know about. And at one point I started to go out to take him some water. As soon as he heard the back door creak he was at the door with a delirious scowl on his face. "No sir. You no come out yet. Too dangerous for lady. You will be surprised and happy happy."

It occurred to me that he was staying outside digging in the garden later and later each evening and getting up earlier and earlier. At some point I realized that he had dug straight through the night and was so consumed with the garden that he hadn't even changed his clothes. Peaches agreed we had to take some action here. Apparently she had no idea what he was up to either. One night as he came in covered in mud and tracking it all across the kitchen to the sink to fill his water bottle, we both pounced on him and told him he had to take a shower and relinquish his clothes until they were washed. I was afraid all that mud would clog my drains! And I was just glad that Soon was asleep and didn't witness this confrontation.

While Mr. Beachy was in the shower, Peaches and I took the flashlight and headed outdoors to see what he'd been up to. We figured since we had taken his clothes he wouldn't leave the bathroom and be able to catch us spoiling his surprise. Well, we were surprised. No doubt about it. What we found was a hole about 15 feet in diameter and so deep the flashlight couldn't shine on the bottom. All the displaced dirt was heaped in a pile that covered the back driveway and was so huge that I could barely see the tip of the fir tree. I wanted to cry. For Peaches sake I didn't. I remember thinking it was a good thing we were looking at the hole in the ground at night because we really weren't able to see very well.

Quickly Peaches and I devised a plan of action. She would start cooking Mr. Beachy's favorite meal and I would get down the bottle of whiskey. We pushed a table in front of the backdoor and set it with candle light for a nice meal. We heard the shower go off and quickly passed clean pajamas through the door. We knew he wouldn't wear pajamas while working in the garden. There was quite a bit of grumbling coming from the bathroom, but we ignored it. He'd have to put on these clothes to come out. When he did, we grabbed a chair and started serving. The whiskey, then the food, then more whiskey. We feigned excitement and anticipation as we begged him to tell us how the garden was coming along. He finally relaxed and gave in.

And the plan he had! There was now no going back on it. He was determined. He had enjoyed the trip to China so much and had been impressed by their new technology and especially their bullet trains. He felt that Soon should grow up in China among her relatives and absorb the culture of her people. But he knew he would miss Missy Peachy and Soon far too much to be so far away. And he also knew that his heart was here working in my garden. So he had devised a plan to dig to China and once there, have the authorities install a vertical bullet train that could carry him back and forth at a very rapid pace. Why he could garden here in the morning and help Soon with her homework in China, then be back by bedtime. "Much work now delivers great prize in end."

Mr. Beachy had lost his mind.

We were at a loss to know how to handle this situation. He was so happy. The warm meal and 3 glassed of whiskey didn't slow him down. He fell asleep in the chair, but I heard him before the crack of dawn finding his overalls and boots and heading out to the hole. Well, we weren't allowed to call it a hole. We had to speak of it as "The Esteemed Tunnel Passage to Asia" or the ETPA for short.

He wasn't going to stop. He was convinced he could do it. He told me it wasn't something he undertook on an impulse; the dig had been brewing for quite some time and furthermore, he had researched the entire geography and technology of the plan before that first spring morning when he picked up the shovel. Peaches decided to take Soon and travel to China to wait for Mr. Beachy on the other end. I never had the heart to tell her I didn't think this was going to work. I spent days sitting inside and wishing I knew how to stop this craziness. Then I gave up. I started working in the front yard and side yard and only ventured to the back occasionally.

Sometimes Mr. Beachy would pack a lunch and be gone for days. It was a wonder that the shovel never broke. Then one day I went out and the hole had caved in. It took hours, but I finally reached Peaches by phone to tell her about it. We were both sure that Mr. Beachy had died in an avalanche of rocks and soil somewhere near the center of the earth. It was many days before I could quit crying and every time Peaches and I talked by phone she would be sobbing so much she'd forget to speak English.

You can see why I couldn't write about poor Mr. Beachy's demise. After a while I knew he wasn't coming back. And once it started raining, the hole became a huge muddy mess. I thought about it for a long time, then finally called a landscaping crew to come fill the hole in. By this time the dirt was piled so high that I felt like my house was surrounded by mountains. No way could I see my neighbors. And I was afraid the rain would cause a slide that would block the alley. That would involve the City coming out with a complaint and a fine. So I hired this crew and tried my best to think of Mr. Beachy dying a happy death fulfilling his dream.

After a while Peaches fell in love with a man who owns a tea plantation in the higher altitude outside the city. His name is Ahhavee Anplums. That's how I think it's spelled. It sounds like "Harvey" when Peaches talks about him. The wedding was lovely. She sent pictures. She knew her father would be pleased that she and Soon had a place secure in the world surrounded by beautiful gardens and the aroma of tender tea leaves. All the relatives approved. Now instead of Peachy Beachy, her name is Peaches Anplums. And Soon attends a little school nearby with all the children whose parents worked on the plantation.

One day in mid November I received a call from Peaches. The line was so crackly and she was talking so quickly that I could barely make out what she was saying. At first I thought she was calling to say she was pregnant. When I finally got her to slow down, she told the most amazing story. Apparently, unbeknown to either of us, Mr. Beachy had not died in that avalanche. It had been very dangerous, but he had escaped the rain of heavy boulders and been able to continue digging. He wasn't able to eat for ages and became quite weak, but there was enough spring water trickling down in little streams to keep him from dehydration. He pushed on and continued digging. At one point he heard voices and thought he was a goner and almost gave up. But it turned out that people on the other side of the soil heard vibrations from his shovel and started digging from their end to find out what was making the noise. With their help he emerged into the fresh morning air after days and weeks underground. He must have been a sight.

The people who found him were very kind. They showed him the best of hospitality. They took him immediately into their home. Mr. Beachy seldom has trouble with speech, but he realized right away that the dialect being spoken was a little tricky for him to make communication easy. It turns out that his geographical calculations were off by several thousand miles and he had ended up in Mongolia. His new friends provided him with warm clothes. (He said his old ones were so soiled that they wouldn't even burn when they were thrown into the fire. They just melted like a plastic bag and left a hard piece of black goo sitting in the pit.) The sunlight reflecting off the vast terrain of snow covered plains was very hard on his adjusting eyes. A cousin was sent to buy sunglasses at the nearest store. Turns out the store was in a village two weeks travel away. So Mr. Beachy enjoyed a much needed month of rest in the shelter of his finders home.

The cousin was instructed to call Peaches from the village store, but once again the dialect was a barrier and Peaches couldn't understand at all what was being said. So it was mid-November when Mr. Beachy showed up on Peaches' doorstep unannounced. He had traveled on horseback, scooter, rail, and bus to finally reach the ancestors' home place. Quite a parade of relatives and neighbors escorted him from the family home to the tea plantation. The children were just leaving school at the bottom of the hill when the group leading the traveller approached. Soon recognised her grandfather immediately. She was bubbling with excitement and wearing out her grandpa's ears as she led him to meet her new father and reunite with his beloved daughter. Peaches began sobbing again as she told the story.

Later that week Mr. Beachy called me. We had a better connection. He asked if he could come again to live at my house. He sheepishly promised to never dig a big hole like that again and to work together planning the garden. When I said yes, he said he knew that all would work out in the end. And Christmas morning he arrived, a brand new shovel wrapped as a gift for me. You know, he won't be able to take a bullet train to see his family, but I'm sure he'll find a way to visit and he seems so very happy right now asleep in the living room chair with Waylon on his lap.

The Beachys are Back!

Yay! Mr. Beachy, Peaches, and Soon are back from their l-o-n-g trip to China. They arrived last night all grumpy and tired out, but very happy to be home. They visited every relative in the Beachy extended family. Peaches said she didn't get to hold Soon for more than a few minutes the entire trip. Everyone thought she was the perfect baby. How could they not? Mr. Beachy is glad to be back in time to cook Thanksgiving dinner. He tells me everyone cooked for them while they were gone and they never ate so much food in all their lives. But they've been en route for three days and are happy I filled their fridge with their favorite American foods.

Early this morning Mr. Beachy was outside inspecting the yard and scolding, scolding, scolding me in his old familiar way about things I missed caring for in the garden. The weather has been cold and rainy, but that is no excuse. If Soon hadn't started fussing he would have given me an earfull! Peaches was all cheerful this morning, laughing that Soon couldn't let her take a shower without such a fuss. "Want to be with mama all the time! So many people in China; now all alone in big house. New colors, new sounds. Good while gone, now naughty. Baby Soon remember old house and be happy soon."

It's really great to have them back all safe and sound. I confess I was a little worried that they might decide to stay in China. Mr. Beachy knew I'd been thinking that might happen. He scoffed at me and muttered, "No, no. Chinese people all good with gardens. I go where needed most."

Just a moment to write

I talked to Mr. Beachy this morning. He was planting two kiwi vines that Lady M. had found while she was visiting. Her visit was indeed The Great Northwest Garden Tour of 2008. Mr. Beachy's putting the kiwi vines up against the garage (soon to become the garden-art studio) and hopes to trellis them over a window. The vines are supposed to start bearing fruit this summer or next, and in winter the branches will be intwined and red.

He told me Peaches had a very nice first mother's day. The 3 had a picnic in the backyard and little Soon loved looking at the blue sky. As for me, my little PDX family took me and the 3 dogs for a walk in the woods. It was great to be in the woods again and I have a zillion bug bites on my back to prove how much the woods missed me! They also gave me a funny little garden gnome doll that records your voice and plays it back in a tiny gnome voice. While Lady M was here, SIE heard her say, "... and blah, blah, blah". That cracked him up! I guess he'd never heard anyone say that before. So we recorded "blah, blah, blah" for the gnome and it's really funny.

In Which Miss Ingu Wraps the Beachy's in Green

Before I could even whisper my prayers this morning I heard the sound of a teensy baby crying. I could hardly believe my ears! I followed the sound and, faith and begorrah! The Beachy's have a baby!!! Peaches was beaming. And I can't even describe how delighted Mr. Beachy is. The baby girl was born early this morning before first light. Who knew! It turns out Peaches had a brief, clandestine tryst with a woods faerie last summer in the part of our old woods where we'd seen the owl. I can imagine it was never mentioned because of the shame of it all. But the shame has turned into the most wonderful blessing. Our new house is alive with joy. The baby's name is Soon. I'm not sure what the name means: both Beachys laughed and said it was because the baby came so soon. They weren't expecting her till Spring and weren't prepared at all. We found some green towels that have been well-used and are very soft. Soon is precious beyond belief!

To catch you up: the Beachys have made their home in a cupboard off the mudroom. They have their own exit behind a willowy bush that grows near my bedroom window. I'm glad they found a place so close by. Mr. Beachy is planning on clearing a patio underneath the blue spruce which grows near the back of the yard. He's quite delighted with the space and thinks it will be ready for summer nights. Both Beachys remarked about how comfortable their new quarters are. It seems the garden area is something Mr. Beachy really missed whille out on the farm. He loves how I lined up all the bonsai trees along the garage where the morning sun can greet them. And he laughed saying he hopes the sun comes out so I can mow the lawn....he doesn't want Soon to get lost in the grass!

Last week Mr. Beachy and Blue helped me pull as much of the raspberries as we could from the small space at the west side of the garage. He's so much more nimble that I am even though he's quite elderly. We planted hollyhock, sweet pea, and morning glory seeds in the empty space. It's hard to tell if there will be enough light back there for anything to grow. We did find some bleeding heart sprouts coming up between the rasberries, and even though I'm not a fan of bleeding hearts, we decided to leave them and watch them grow.

Well, I'm off now to find some corned beef and cabbage. Peaches thinks the broth will be very soothing, so I'm happy to bring her some.

In Which Miss Ingu Posts an Over-Due Update

Well, I still haven't found that fat lady, but I have a new key in my pocket! The past several days have been spent packing belongings into the jeep and moving them across the river into the dearest little house. Remember how I never found a name for this farm? For some reason, right away the name for this house came to me. I'll call it Little Nazareth. Maybe "Naz" for short

On Saturday Hapapapa and a friend came to move the big stuff. And I have one more trip to go tomorrow. So tonight's my last night here and it feels just right.

The Beachy's had me over for tea last week. The weather's been crazy with frost in the morning and 60 degrees by noon. We had tea outside overlooking the pasture near their little tree stump house. Peachy made some delicious tea and berry cakes. I'm not sure how she preserved the blackberries, but they were perfect.

We talked about the farm and laughed about all the adventures we've had. They refused my offer to help with the move. It was all I could do to persuade them. It ended up that I moved all their belongings in one trip and they are now on Hickory Street settling in. I just told them it would hurt my feelings to think of them carrying all their bundles down the highway. And it would have taken days for them to arrive! How much nicer for us all that they are safetly there and getting everything ready for Blue and me. Well you have to do that with these little people. They're just too proper and humble to ask for anything that would seem like help.

Since I couldn't find the fat lady, I decided to sing my own song. I think it's a response to the idea that all of nature is praising the Lord just by existing. It's a little bit stolen from Daniel 3:56-88, which is a Canticle used in The Liturgy of the Hours Morning Prayer every other Sunday Morning.

All you creatures praise the Lord. Birds on the wing or hiding in thickets, sing praise to our Lord, sing praise. Frost and chill, praise the Lord. Showers and dew, bless His Name. Breath of wind that warms the field, praise the Lord. Sounds of tumbling creek and trees that crack in the wind, Sunlight glimmering along wooded paths, Deer that hide among the brush, all ye creatures large and small, praise the Lord, our God. Colors of sky - blue, pink, and gray - praise the Lord in your own way. Colors of field and pasture and hills, reflect His glory. Give thanks.

It's a good song for walks.

Will write from the other side of the river as soon as my internet connection is up. Love to you, my dear ones.

By the By

Walking today part way down the pasture along the blackberry hedge I glanced over to see if anyone was watching from the carefully crafted arch that leads to Mr. Beachy's house. I'd forgoten to tell you when discussing Mr. Beachy, that he had moved from Ohio to the Northwest around the same time I did! On one of my first walks along the blackberry hedge last year I ran into him. Well, I only saw him for a moment. When he saw me looking, he ducked inside. He's a little shy, you know.

There are several little tunnels that emerge from the blackberry hedge and the grass near these tunnels is carefully groomed, so you know a rabbit or critter of some kind lives in there. One of these tunnels is very well-kept, and that is where I learned that Mr. Beachy had moved with his lovely youngest daughter, Peaches. Yes, Peachy Beachy. On this occassion he was wearing a grey, boiled-wool jacket. As I said, he stepped inside when he saw me seeing him. He stepped just to his left so he could still watch me as I continued down the hill. He's quite elderly now, but still spry. His little daughter dotes on him, making sure his tea is just right and mending his clothes. She was born with a speach impediment and never utters a word. That is perhaps why she has stayed at home with her father all these years. Let me tell you, she is so beautiful; quite slender, and still wears the traditional dress of her homeland. She bows deeply in greeting and her shy smile melts your heart. I have yet to meet her, but have heard all this in just the same way you hear everything from nature. If you're not sure what I mean, you can read about it in The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow: The Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley.

A Year in a Fairy Garden

I started writing a book with that title several years ago. Someday it will be finished and become a classic of children's literature. This morning I noticed the fairies had been here in the night. There was a most magical glittery trail along the floor in the bathroom leading into the bedroom. When you live in the inner city, you learn that dark smudges along the baseboard are caused by rats scurrying along the walls. Now some might say this trail was obviously left by a slug; however, there is no slug to be found! A-ah! I've missed those fairies. I'm so glad they're back!