Day Two

I woke up in the shape of a crabapple tree, grumpy as a dwarf, and feeling a little sick, maybe from smoked bass and ground bear meat, (I'm sorry, Pops, but the more I eat meat, the more I want less) or maybe just feeling a little homesick. I thought I'd go for a short walk to get the bugs out of my head and my belly. Hearing voices downstairs, I grimaced, feeling like I might want some privacy. No more new people to meet today, I thought, knowing I already can't keep the new names and faces straight.

I was sneaking out of the bathroom when I ran into her. Mahonia. Without any effort at all, she made me smile. We ended up having quite an interesting day together.

I headed quickly for an old road that leads out toward camp Moshkodens. I chose the left fork around a pond and back into the forest. The woods are enchanted with colorful fairy-wings of leaves which sing with the breeze--many floated down into my outstretched hand as I collected a bouquet for Lety (Tamarack's wife). Except for the leaves whispering, it was quiet, with only the smell of pine and the coming rain to fill my head. I can't believe how beautiful--even when the sky is so gray, the color is in the trees.

I returned to find Mahonia looking for a ride to town--I took her myself, did a little grocery shopping after dropping her off at church. Then, we stopped by her grandmother's house for a quick visit. Before long, the sweet and lonely woman was warming homemade Minestrone soup and rolls in the kitchen while Mahonia and I raked the leaves in her yard. She was so happy--she had been anxious about the yard and Mahonia and I were happy to help out, especially if it meant a delicious, piping bowl of soup, a roll, some old Wisconsin stories, and a smile from the beautiful lady.

What started out as a crabby day--turned out pretty amazing. When I stopped and thought about it--I just realized how giving something to someone else always makes things a little brighter for me, too. Thanks, Helen, for the soup, the stories, and the smiles.