Tumbleweeds

[chuck j]

She said ...we need to take care of Pie before it gets dark , I have the makings for another poultice and will start that . You could take the bucket of hot water on the hearth to the shed and start soaking his leg , I'll be along . Zeke said ...is anything else going to the shed ? She said ..No .

He picked up the bucket and when he got to the door he put his hat on his head . He turned around and told her ...You are a strong woman ma'am and you have honor . He left to start tending Pie's leg .

She was folding a wet flour sack for the poultice on the table and she thought of what he said .

[chuck j]

They got Pie taken care of and she went back to the cabin . She cleaned the dishes and changed Nate , she went on and ground some corn in their handheld coffee grinder for breakfast and laid out the mustard seed to start hand grinding it tomorrow . As she worked she wondered how having Zeke here working would work out . She bathed and brushed her hair , she put on her gown . The rim of the sun was barely visible on the horizon .

She lit the oil lamp and carried it to the table . She sat down and moved the lamp to her left side . She reached across the table and pulled her bible to her . She turned to John 14 and started at the first verse ... Let not your heart be troubled ye believe in God, believe also in me.....

[chuck j]

She woke up and sat on the edge of the bed . Nate had slept all night , he was getting older and more easy to care for . She thought about the night her water broke and she had waked Hosea telling him it was time . He was excited and lit candles , he tended her and Nate was born midmorning . Her labor had been light but she was wore out . Hosea had cut the cord and bathed Nate before he put him in the bed with her ...he was glad she didn't have trouble delivering him . They marveled over him and were so happy .

She got up and lit her lamp and started working with grinding the mustard seed , it was time consuming with what she had to work with . She heard a horse whinny and the black mule bray , she knew Zeke was tending to them . She drug the banked coals out of the ashes and laid some tender then put wood on it caught quick . She sit another bucket of water to the side by the fire to start warming for Pie's leg . She put the cornmeal she had ground in a pan and added water to make mush . There were two ears of corn left from last night's meal so she shucked it and cut the corn off putting it in the pot . She went back to grinding mustard seed .

[chuck j]

At first light she didn't know if Zeke was through with his chores so she opened the cabin door to go check . She stopped short at opening it ! There on the porch were sacks ! Two of them were one pound sacks of coffee beans ! She had not had coffee since end of last fall ! There was a five pound bag of sugar ! A five pound bag of flour , a two pound can of lard , two one pound bags of salt and a big packet of tea and to top it off a half side of bacon ! Things she had run out of long ago .

She stared in wonderment , she knew Zeke had put them there . She didn't know what to do , she couldn't accept so large a gift . She heard a sound and Zeke was leading the black mule with a hoe in his hand smiling .

[chuck j]

Zeke tied the mule to the mesquite tree out in the yard and walked to the porch . As he walked toward her he said ...I see you found my present , I wanted to surprise you . She said ...I can not accept this , it is too much .

Zeke finished walking to the porch and stood in front of her and took off his hat. He said ... ma'am I have to make a confession ma'am . He stood with his hat in his hand looking at his feet . Satan suffered me to give you those things through my own weakness for good eatin . Seein as you are a fine cook and me not given that gift I was usin you to profit myself through your GOD given ability to prepare a fine meal .

She stood and stared at him , in a min she said ...That was a well crafted lie , you knew I didn't have these things and were trying to help me . Oh ! You are a sly one ! Satan may indeed be working here ! And she started laughing ...Zeke put his hat back on and started laughing too . He said ...Lets carry these in ..I sure would enjoy a cup of coffee ma'am .

[chuck j]

She ground coffee beans and set her coffee pot on the coals , she put some sugar in a small bowl and set it on the table . She said ...I made cornmeal mush with green corn and this sugar will really be good in it . I have missed coffee so much , we ran out late last fall .

Zeke exclaimed ...I forgot the milk ! It's sittin on a fence post at the the pen ! I'll be back ma'am ! And he ran out the door . Just a few min later he came back setting the milk bucket on the floor . He said ...Little Nate will be wanting his milk I spect . They ate ..Nate had never had sugar and he loved the corn mush .

When they finished Zeke said ...I'm lookin forward to workin in the field today , I always loved to farm . But ma'am I wanted to talk to you about hay . Ya'll are using the prairie hay and I admit to not know much about it . We always used planted hay but I do know the prairie grass is fine to use but it needs to be cut before it heads out and dries . Hot weather is nearly on us ma'am and the hay needs be mowed or it want be no good . It seems to me that it needs doing now ?

She said .. I know , I agree . I was going to start soon as I got the corn chopped , I have to get hay in but I have been so busy it is running late . A lot of the grass is getting stemmy and weeds are starting with the warmer weather . Another week or two and it will not hardly be worth cutting . Zeke said...Then we will get it done !

[chuck j]

They left the cabin she carried Nate and the rifle , she handed Zeke three clean flour sacks and he said ... What are these for ? She said ... You always need sacks . She took the mule around back of the shed and put the rope bridle of the sledge on the saddle horn . You could see Zeke thinking as he said ... Well ain't that handy ! She put Nate on the sledge and got two baskets . Zeke laid his hoe on the sledge and they walked to the cornfield .

At the cornfield she put Nate under his bush and leaned the rifle up , took the lard can of water from under the bush that she had left when she saw Zeke coming out of the bottom . She soaked a sack and wrapped it around the can and hung it on a chaparral branch in the shade to cool . While she was fixing the water Zeke was bent over talking to Nate telling him he was going to make him something he would like .

Her and Zeke chopped as hard as they could go for about an hour and a half and they agreed to get a drink . She unwrapped the bucket and they shared it . It was starting to get warm , she said ... Texas is hot in the summer . They had really made progress and didn't have too terrible much to go . Almost as soon as they went back to hoeing she saw Zeke start running then stopped and started whacking at something on the ground . She said ... What is it !

[chuck j]

He held up a three and a half foot coontail rattler and said ...We got lunch ma'am ! He walked over to her and she had her belt knife out . He gave it to her , it was still twisting around with it's head near off . She laid it down and finished cutting it's head off and trimmed around the neck to get the skin started loose and held it up . Zeke pulled the skin off it like a sock and she gave him the knife , he gutted it . He got the water bucket and poured water on it rubbing it to clean it . It come pretty clean and she said ...That's good , save a little water for us a drink and to wet a sack . I'll clean it better at the cabin . She wet a flour sack , put it in and hung it in the bush to cool . She looked at Zeke and said ...You always have to have sacks .

[chuck j]

It took bout an hour to finish chopping and they loaded the sledge , she pulled off ten ears of corn and put them in a basket . It was getting hot and they went to the cabin . Zeke threw the bridle loop off the saddle horn at the porch and went to water the mule then led him to the mesquite tree and loosened the girt . She took Nate in and put him on his pallet and propped the rifle by the door , got the rattlesnake and corn . Zeke had went out to bring the stock in off the grass and water them .

She changed Nate and gave him a drink of milk then cleaned the snake meat cutting it in pieces . She pulled the banked coals and started a fire then started cleaning and doing . She turned the plums , they looked really nice and would be a blessing especially this winter . She drew more water in buckets , it was amazing how much water it took to be clean . Before Hosea had got the well dug they had to go to the river for water so the well was a great blessing .

The fire burned down and she scattered the coals and set the metal bucket of water for Pie's leg to the side of them . She put six ears of corn on the coals to the side She floured the snake after putting a bit of salt on it . Used a bit of lard in a frying pan and fried the snake golden brown .

She stepped out on the porch and saw Zeke in the shade by the pen with the scythe sharpening the blade with the long stone . She hollered to come eat .

[chuck j]

Zeke knocked on the door frame of the open door . She told him to come in . He removed his hat and stepped in . She was getting food off the fire and said ..If the door is open you need not knock . She set out the food on the table , Zeke hung his hat on the nail by the door the rifle bag and horn hung on .

He sat down , she gathered Nate and the milk then she sat getting ready to feed him . She sat down and Zeke said ...Ma'am ought not we give thanks to our Lord for what he has provided for us ? She said ...We surely should , would you offer thanks ? He said ...Yes ma'am .


They bowed their heads and Zeke said...
Father thank you for what you have given . Thank you for helping us in all things . Thank you for being with us always . Strengthen us Lord , guide us in what you would have us do . Thank you Lord . Amen She also said ...Amen


They started eating . Zeke said ...Where are you from ma'am ? She replied...Iowa . He said...Did ya'll eat rattlesnakes in Iowa ? She said ...Lord have mercy no , we don't have rattlesnakes in Iowa ! He said ...We had rattlesnakes in Georgia but we shore didn't eat em there , we were scared to death of em ma'am ! Texas is a different kind of place ma'am , now days I call rattlesnakes Texas chicken , it's bout as close to chicken as we are going to get ! She started laughing and said..I never in my life before we came to Texas would I have thought I would eat a rattlesnake let alone feed snake to my baby ! They both got to laughing till they lost their breath .

[chuck j]

When they finally quit laughing Zeke said...We got to mow hay ma'am . If you ain't got nothin needs doin I'll take that black mule since he is saddled and scout for the best grass that is closest to the cabin . It ought not take long ma'am , I got the scythe sharp and set the rakes and forks laid out in the shed though we don't need them yet . Where did you cut hay last year ? She said ...I did not go there , I was carrying Nate and my husband would not let me help but it was straight north behind the cabin .

Zeke said , there is still what's left of the old hay to haul off , your husband cut more than you needed . She said... We have two mules . Nate said ...I saw the two sets of harness in the shed , is the other mule matched with the black mule ? She said...Yes . Zeke said ...Then the harness would fit my black horse if we need the wagon back of the shed , the wheels need soaking before it could be used . I'll go scout some while it's too hot to mow .

[chuck j]

Zeke went to the northeast on the black mule looking for a good place to make hay . She changed Nate and cleaned up the dishes and banked coals for supper , it might be a late supper . She turned the plums , they were nearly ready and looked good . She had hoped to do one more batch but there might not be enough time to pick them .

She took the bucket of hot water to the shed with a poultice to tend to Pie . She spent time soaking his leg and flexing it . The swelling was down some ...that was good . She bound the poultice on his leg and went to cut him some fresh grass , they were trying to keep him from walking on the leg . There was so much needed doing she tried to organize in her mind . She wanted to go to the river and get the catfish if the turtles hadn't got to it .

[chuck j]

Pie being taken care of she gathered diaper flour sacks , cleaning rags and her other dress to wash . She got two peck baskets , took Nate in her old shawl and put the shawl around her neck and left shoulder with the horn and bag on her right . She managed to carry it all to her laundry spot on the river .

When she got there she was wore out , it was hot today . She washed the laundry as fast as she could , squeezed it out and carried it all to the plum thicket going as fast as she could not knowing when Zeke would be back . She spread the laundry on the plum bushes and picked two baskets of plums that she set in the shade going to get them in the morning.


She gathered Nate and the rifle . She went to get the catfish on the string at the river . He was still there , she took him and went back to the thicket and bundled the dry laundry carrying it all back to the cabin . She was completely worn out and had to sit down after killing gutting and cutting the catfish which she cleaned and put in a metal lard bucket with a wet sack wrapped around it to keep it cool .

[chuck j]

Nate went to sleep for a nap after her rocking him . She drew water and hauled it to the water trough in the pen , it being so hot the stock were drinking a lot of water . She was picking dandelion greens on the way back to the cabin with the sides of her dress under her belt to carry them . She rose up from being stooped over picking and got light headed , she set the rifle butt on the ground and leaned on it . Her vision went black for a few moments but she managed to stay standing . She walked slowly to the cabin and cleaned the greens in a bucket while she sat . She got her pot , put water and the greens in it so they would not wilt .

[chuck j]

She looked at the plums drying on the wagon sheet outside the cabin in the yard . They were ready to be bagged up , they were really nice and sweet . She got several bags and started filling them half full tying them with cord . She raised up from filling a bag and went blind . She tried to make her way to the cabin but couldn't think . She passed out and fell face down in the dirt .