Working men

Hitty Husband and the boys have been hired to build a house for the neighbors. For days and days now they have slipped off early every morning and come home in the evening exhausted. The boys haven't even had the energy to get up to their usual antics. 

This morning Orange Blossom and I (Isabella) decided we would make them some lunch and go see what they've been doing on the new house. 

Long before we reached the construction site we heard bangs and clanks and some very male grumbling. We stopped at the top of a hill and spied on the boys. Were they really working like they claimed or had they found a new playhouse and didn't want to tell anyone?

Playhouse or real house...the boys were definitely working. Justin was busy doing something with a second story floor, a screwdriver and some moss.

"What's he need a screwdriver for?" Orange Blossom whispered close to my ear.

"I have no idea." That was something I couldn't figure out either.

At least what Hook was doing made more sense...sort of. He appeared to be trying to work on a staircase but he kept hitting his head on the ceiling. Each time he bent down to hammer a stair...bonk...his head hit the ceiling. 

I had to stifle my giggles behind my hand. 

Hitty Husband wasn't doing much better. He was laying on his belly on the third floor, sawing at it. He seemed to be doing just fine so long as he didn't try to sit up. Each time he tried that he hit his head on the ceiling.

"Who or what is going to fit inside these short rooms?" Orange Blossom held her hands apart about as tall as the rooms were. 

"Hook says the neighbors are midgets." I shrugged and went back to watching Hitty Husband who had progressed to inching around the floor on his belly until he hung over the edge of the floor.

"Do you think they really are?" Orange Blossom peered about, presumably looking for the neighbors.

"Who knows? Hook also says they are pirates and outlaws. With Hook you never know if he's serious or if it's all a made up story."

"He sure is working hard to a figment of his imagination." Orange Blossom pointed at Hook, sprawled on his belly over the stairs.

I had to admit she was right. Who would go to so much trouble for something they had imagined? Besides, Hitty Husband was in on this and he never joined the boys in their shenanigans.

Hook wiggled and squirmed until he way sprawled head down on the stair case. I shook my head. 

Boys.

Orange Blossom laughed until she was doubled over holding her stomach. "That's...too....funny," she gasped.

"That's Hook," I muttered. Nothing new in what he was doing, unless you counted the fact that he wasn't actually standing on his head.

Justin seemed to be getting more done than Hook was because he tossed the moss aside, dropped his screwdriver, grabbed a hammer and started pounding on a support post.

Then he moved to a domed window and started doing the same to it.

"Do you think he'll break the window?" 

"Good chance of it." Why did boys always have to be...boys? "If it can be broken, those two will break it."

"Let's get their lunch down there before he breaks it." Orange Blossom started toward the house in progress. 

I shook my head at the 'work' going on and followed behind the girl I was beginning to think would be my new sister, the picnic basket hanging off my arm.

"Who's hungry?" By the time we made it down the hill, Justin had abandoned the window and was helping Hook with the stairs. Probably a good idea.

Getting no response from the boys, I could only assume they couldn't hear me over all the banging they were doing. I didn't mind though, it gave me a chance to get a better look at the house. It was like a bigger version of my tiny house.

"Hey, food." Justin poked Hook in the shoulder.

"Did someone say food?" Hitty Husband poked his head over the side of the house. "I'm starved. I haven't eaten anything all day." 

"We have sandwiches." Orange Blossom called up to him.

"Mmmm." Hook tossed his hammer aside and started squirming up the stairs. Let's eat on the carpeted floor. It's more comfortable. "

"It also has-"

"What do you girls think of the house?" Hook yelled.

"It's a bit...small." Orange Blossom bent over to peer inside the first floor motioning for me to do the same. "Don't you think the walls should be...taller?"

"Gee, Tillie gives you a name and you get all opinionated." Hook muttered something I didn't make out then yelled for Justin. "When I get to the side, hand the basket up."

I stepped back far enough to watch Hook crawl to the edge of the floor. This really was something to see, they way the shimmied and wiggled around this place.

"Okay, give it here." Hook leaned over the edge and took the basket of food from Justin.

He nearly tumbled off the edge doing it, too. He steadied himself just in time. "Nothin' to it." 

"You boys, watch out." Hitty Husband called, dropping from the third floor to the second. "Come on up, girls."

Up. As in wiggle and squirm our way to the second floor. Orange Blossom shrugged and proceeded to do just that. Wiggling her way up the stairs.

She seemed to get stuck halfway between the two before she managed to free herself and clear the staircase. It made me glad my tiny house didn't have stairs. It also made me wonder if I really wanted to go up there.

"Do it like this." Justin grabbed the edge of the second story floor and pulled himself up. It was almost the method I used to get upstairs in my tiny house. Almost. He didn't bother to climb on anything to get up there, though.

"I, uh, think I'll take the stairs." 

Maybe. 

I started up the stairs only to discover why Orange Blossom got stuck. The hole in the second story floor, where the stairs were, was a very tight squeeze. I had no idea how Hook fit through there.

"Um. I think I'll just stay downstairs." I wiggled my way free of the staircase and stepped back to inspect this four story tall giant house that was made for super short dolls.

Hitty Husband dropped to the ground beside me and cleaned up all the tools the boys had left out. "I don't fit up those stairs either, or in the rooms."

"Us either." Orange Blossom wiggled back down the stairs." 

"And the floor's still wet. I tried to tell Hook that." Justin handed the lunch basket down then he and Hook dropped to the ground, sitting where their feet landed.

"

I handed out juice boxes. The boys slurped at them with such appreciation that it made it worth walking over here.

"We have chicken sandwiches or jelly sandwiches." I grabbed paper packages out of the basket and waved them at the boys. "What'll it be?"

"Napkins first." Orange Blossom handed out little white squares. "I remember the mess you boys made with the cake."

"Napkins!" Hook grumbled. "Those things are for girls."

"They're for anyone that makes a mess with their food." Orange Blossom set a stack of napkins between the boys then waved one in the air. "You just make sure you remember to use yours, Hook Hitty. You made a bigger mess than Bitsy did."

"Did not." Hook glared at the napkin in his lap. "Besides, I brought my own napkin." He waved his arm in the air. "What do you think all these muscles are for? And the hair? They wipe away food better'n any old napkin ever could."

"That's gross." Orange Blossom waved her napkin harder. "I'm an orphan and I know about proper manners. Use. Your. Napkin." 

"A napkin. Golly, Justin, did you hear that? A napkin?" He scowled but perked up when I set a chicken sandwich in his lap.

"Hey, this looks good." 

"I got jelly." Justin stuck his finger in his sandwich and sucked the sweet goo off his finger. "My faborite." 

"Faborite." Hook laughed, "that's favorite. Next time empty your mouth first."

"I got green stuff." Hitty Husband wrinkled up his nose and pulled the lettuce off his sandwich. 

"This stuff is rabbit food." He tossed the lettuce on his boot. "But the chicken is good. Thank you, ladies."

That was Hitty Husband. Always polite even when he was complaining.

"Napkins, boy, nap-kins." Orange Blossom waved her white square in the air. "Hitty Husband you have food in your beard." 

I turned away, using the excuse of checking out the domed window to stifle my laughter.

Happy Easter 2018

 Sunlight filtered through the bedroom window and woke me with a bright beam to my eyes. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out this day but it was no use. With a groan, I rolled over and looked at the clock, 6:34am.

Too early.

I tried to go back to sleep but sleep would not come again. Maybe because there was this steady bumping and thumping coming from the other room. It must be the boys. There was no other excuse for that horrible noise at this time of day. Only those pesky boys would be up to so much at this hour.

I almost yelled at them to knock it off but remembered just in time that today isn't just another normal day. Today is Easter. I climbed from my bed and hurried to get dressed while more and more noises came from the kitchen.

And no wonder. When I stepped into it, everyone was busy bustling around. The big people's table was piled high with big white eggs and what looked to be every cup in the house. I climbed a chair leg and pulled myself up onto the table.

The boys were already up there in the midst of things.



So was Hitty Mama, Bitsy, Isabella, and our newly added sister that still refuses to tell us her name. They were all petticoat deep in eggs and dye.

I leaned over the edge of an oval cup and peered into the peach water inside. The cup was big enough for me to bathe in but that colored water did not look like anything I wanted to soak in.

Bitsy did not share my opinion on it though because she was crying for a "bath" at the top of her lungs and tugging on her dress. Hitty Mama had a firm hold of her pinafore and was busy explaining why the murky water wasn't good for bathing.

"It's nasty, Bitsy." I bumped the edge of the cup closest to her, making the dark green water slosh. "Look at that dirty water. You can't have a bath in it." 

Bitsy didn't appreciate my explanation any more than she did her mother's. She just kept wailing for a 'bath'.

I left Bitsy with her mother and the eggs with the other's. This egg coloring stuff didn't strike my fancy. While they played in colored water, I did a bit of baking.  I was surprised to discover it took the eggs longer to dye than it took my cake to be ready to eat.

Once I had the cake frosted and ready to eat, I carried it outside, yelling for everyone to 'come and get it'. 

They took me at my word, showing up with cups in hand and a stack of plates and silverware.

  My cake was almost too pretty to cut but I could hear the boys stomach's growling from where I sat and Bitsy was whining about 'cake'. I cut into my cake, slicing through the layers of frosting and cake, just as...

Bitsy dove face first into my cake.

Ugh.

I could hear her munching as she giggled and dug at my hard work.

 

Hitty Mama pulled her out of the cake. I couldn't help smiling at the little girls happy grin or her fistfuls of cake.

Just as Bitsy was about to eat a fistful of cake a bee landed on her arm and helped itself to the sweet treat. Bitsy screamed but stood still. 

I think she was as fascinated with the bee as the rest of us because she stayed there, frozen, watching the bee nibble at her cake.

I went back to cutting my cake. Sometimes I sure wished food could be saved to look at because I wouldn't have minded having my cake on a shelf.

Instead, I cut it into thick slices and put it on plates. It smelled so good. All sweet and spicy.

I started to hand Bitsy the first piece but she was still busy feeding the bee.

I cut more cake, serving up slices until I had one for everybody.

Then I passed them out. 

  Hitty Mama kept a close watch on Bitsy while she ate her own cake, warning the little girl to be very careful with the bee.

"I should have brought napkins." Isabella wiped a bit of cake on the bottom hem of her dress. "This cake is good but it sure is messy."

"If you think it's messy, get a look at Hook." Justin crammed another bite into his mouth and pointed at his partner in crime.

Hook had cake smeared on his face and across his lap.

"What?" Hook muttered around a mouthful of food. "It's good."

He swiped the back of his arm across his face wiping most of the cake away.

I might have made the cake but I had to agree with Hook. It was good.

Bitsy must have agreed because she was busy shoveling cake into her mouth with both hands. Her spoon barely had a spot of frosting on it.

Bitsy's big sister was quietly eating, watching the little girl.

"What's your name?" This having family members without names business was awfully hard. I had no idea what to call this newest addition to our family.

Bitsy's sister just smiled, using the cake in her mouth as an excuse to not answer. Again.

"I can't just go around calling you 'Bitsy's sister'. You've got to have a name. What is it?' I finished the last of my cake and set the plate to the side while the boys helped themselves to another slice each.

No answer came from the red headed girl.

"Okay." I brushed the crumbs from my skirt as I secretly wished for one of those napkins Isabella had mentioned. "We have to have a name for you. I'm going to call you...Orange Blossom."

I waited for someone, anyone to object, more than anything I wanted the new girl to object and tell us her real name, but she didn't. She just shrugged her shoulders and went on eating her cake and watching her sister.

Well...Orange Blossom wasn't a horrible name.

I hoped.

Bitsy finished her cake and went around collecting everyone else's, snatching bites of crumbs off each plate, and stacking them with mine.

Isabella offered to do the dishes, carrying them off to what she had claimed was 'her tiny house'.

I was more than happy to let her wash the dishes, it was far from my favorite chore.

Isabella, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy it. She hummed a happy tune, stopping only long enough to call out a Happy Easter to anyone within earshot.

And it had been a Happy Easter.