Sunshine and Sweetness

Chapter 20

Eden with an Eve

Sweet fruit is its own reward, even after wandering lost in the country. Stephen is impressed with Parker Produce and Fruit and with Carol Parker. 1979

I really love your peaches

wanna shake your tree -

The Clovers - Lovey Dovey - Devil or Angel


Sunshine and Sweetness

It was a busy day at the farm. Carol was working with Ruth’s cousin Lizzie at the Market. After the wedding, Ruth had convinced Carol to have Lizzie help during apple season and live with her. Lizzie became Ruth’s replacement housemate. Lizzie was working on a similar agreement to the one Ruth had with Carol. Ruth and JB lived at his house. Lizzie had grown up in Tennessee and thought the winter exceptionally brutal. Carol told her she didn’t need to rush around the house doing dishes and laundry, it was OK to relax sometimes. Lizzie said if she slowed down, she was sure she would freeze in place. Lizzie was just as energetic as Ruth and twice as talkative. Everyone busted tail to prepare for opening day at the Parker Market. They had a good supply of early season produce lettuce, greens, radishes, green onions, rhubarb, and asparagus. They were selling flowering plants and garden plants like tomatoes and peppers. Now that it was slowing down Carol knew it had been a good day.

Carol had seen the Shires as Ruth worked with them. Having the team come clopping up near her was still a shock because they were so big. Ruth’s Shire horses were a huge hit; she had many in line waiting for the next ride. After selling her prize-winning quarter horse Ruth had purchased a team of Shire horses.  Ruth was right, people did love them. Carol hoped they were as gentle as Ruth claimed. In two weeks, they would be at their busiest, challenged to be in two places at once. JB would use the trailer and haul Carol and the pallets of strawberries to the same festival where Ruth adopted herself to Carol. Meeting new challenges is the cost and stress of growth. Ruth had a nephew coming to help next week as she and Lizzie ran the market. Carol decided Ruth likely had enough shirt tail relations to offer an endless supply of part time help.

Stephen Capuano came driving into Parker Produce and Fruit about an hour and a half after Carol had left the students in Ruth’s capable hands. He had taken a roundabout route turning on the wrong road initially. He had asked for directions and must have missed the jog in the road at Anderson’s old crib when trying to get back. He rechecked the little hand out from last Saturday. His circuitous route did get him back on the road to Parkers; he arrived from the opposite direction he originally intended but here he was. He parked his Fiat 500 off the lane going to the house. He took his camera and began looking at the raised beds, the new fruit trees starting to get some height. Several photos of the house and the elaborate garden behind it. The light was good today, he was shooting on black and white. He was impressed by all the traditional homestead plants: peonies, trumpet vines, lilacs, tiger lilies, and red bud. The catalpa trees were in bloom, he saw healthy rhubarb patches and asparagus beds. He knew these were not just recent additions. These beds had been here for many years. Every growing thing seemed to be well tended. Walking over to the market area he crossed the road and toured the gardens growing there. The market was still busy with people, he avoided it. Many people came and went but leavers were beginning to outnumber the comers. Carol had looked up and saw him walking across the road. His long dark hair was tied back into a ponytail and he was wearing a gray fedora with a feather in the band. He appeared to be a very well-dressed hippie. She had to answer a customer and looked away. Stephen walked looking at the garden spots and beds in back of the market. There were briars growing near the back that would produce blackberries and raspberries later. Stephen was sure Carol must have planted them. They didn’t look to have been here for more than three years. He wondered how much help Carol had to do the work. He thought she is one hard working woman if she is maintaining all of these. He was heading back up towards the market when his students spied him. They were having a great time but were about to leave. “Professor Capuano what to do you think about Parker’s farm?”

“It is obvious they are planning on growth. New trees and more raised beds are under construction. It all looks to be doing very well. The strawberry crop looks to be abundant and will be ripe soon.”

“Ruth is back; you should let her show some of the rest of the farm.” They guided their professor over to where Ruth had unloaded the last of her passengers.

A family who were getting their things together thanked her profusely. “It is so wonderful to see these two work together. Thank you, Ruth.”

“Come back out, it should get better as the season continues.”

The kids gathered around Ruth, “Ruth this is Professor Capuano.”

“Stephen. It is nice to meet you Ruth. You seem so small to handle such large horses.”

“Horses don’t respond to strength professor; they respond to trust.”

“They are impressive, a little intimidating.”

“They are a wonderful team, time to take them back for water. It was our first day they seemed to enjoy it.”

“Professor, Ruth was a barrel racer. She sold her quarter horse and bought this team.”

“It must have been quite a horse to buy two such large horses in its place.”

“I got a heap more than this pair of Shires, I had just won a national event, but barrel racing doesn’t quite fit motherhood. Ruth rubbed her tummy which had a small rounding protrusion. I better take these big boys up to the barn, nice to have met you all” – Ruth lead the team across the road and up to the barn.

Carol walked out to the group. “Goodbye, Ms. Parker we had a great day. Ruth and those huge horses are amazing. Professor Capuano has been taking photos I expect they will be a part of a future class’”

“I am very impressed Carol; you have accomplished so much here.”

“We have much more to accomplish, Ruth and JB have become partners and no one out works Lizzie or out talks her either.”

“I am so pleased I came out. I never went on a ride with Ruth, I will have to come back.”

“Would you like to see our conversion of the barn into our market?”

“Yes, I haven’t been in yet. I have seen apple orchards and I suppose you have zucchini. Parker Produce and Fruit must have a plan for everything from A to Z.”

“We want to offer variety. We are still learning what we can grow best and what is the most profitable. “

“We’ll see you in class professor.” – the students went back to their car.

“Think Professor Steve is going to pursue Carol?”

“I would, she seems everything he would want. A woman doing what he is teaching and one who has a commanding presence.”

“You mean she’s hot?”

“I was trying to stay appropriate not mention those long legs all the way to her fine ass.”

“Joe you have graduated from Neanderthal to caveman.”

“If Professor Steve starts banging Carol how will poor Renee ever pass his class. She seems to require in depth instruction” – all laughing as they drove away.

-

“We had this old barn and felt it would make a great site for a market here on the farm.”

“It looks very old.”

“It is, those are pegs and you can see the beams were hewn with an axe.”

Some of the outside vendors were loading up, “Thank you, Carol we had a good day. Hope you do this again next year.”

“Yes, I think everyone was pleased, maybe not Dutch John. One of the young people thought his sculpture was Mork from TV. It was supposed to be Neil Armstrong. “

“I caught a glimpse of it; I thought it was a scarecrow. Thank you for coming.”

“Lizzie this is Professor Capuano, the students out here today were from his class.”

“Those kids had a great time they were everywhere.”

“Yes, they were excited to come out, they met Ms. Parker at the farmers market last Saturday. I am very impressed myself. You have done tremendous work out here.”

“Ruth and Lizzie are great help. Many things I began are just starting to produce. Everything looks good at this point.”

“I see you have a vending machine could I buy you two a soda?”

“Soda? Oh yes ready for a break Lizzie. “

“It would be good. I could use a coke. Let me try that new strawberry, We ought to have moonpies. Folks love moonpies.”.

“Not up here Lizzie no one knows what they are. We’ll just keep selling the peanuts. Chocolate melts.”

“I thought she wanted a coke.”

“Everything’s a coke in Tennessee."

“How is the strawberry?”

“This is a good one. Kids will love it.”

“I hate to impose, but I was very lost getting here. Could you show me the way back to the highway?”

“It is just down the road, but I know it seems confusing out here. It is time to shut the stand up. You help us put things away and we’ll get you headed home.”

“I really appreciate it. I have a lot of grading to do; we are almost done with the semester. I need to get back not drive around in circles.”

“That should do, we will open tomorrow. It will be slower.”

“Lizzie if you want to get the pickup. I will ride down to the highway with Stephen. Let Sam out he’s had a miserable day in the basement. He can ride with you, make up for his boring day.”

“Sam?”

“He’s my dog. The giant beasts are new to Sam and with a ton of people out here we decided to keep Sam locked up. At least it was cool in the basement.”

“This is your car?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Funny looking little car what is it?”

“It is a Fiat. They are made in Italy.”

“If you got an American car you might get a whole car.”

“Lizzie don’t make fun of his car.”

“OK I’ll get Carol’s foreign truck. It isn’t a grown-up truck either, but it does run well.”

-

“It is a straight road to the highway. I will try not to miss my turn the next time. I hope it would be agreeable with you if I came out and visited after school is out.”

“I would enjoy your visit. Maybe you can offer some advice on some of the problems we have sometimes.”

“I would be glad to offer whatever useful advice I might have.”

“We are here every weekday. Some of us have to go to the farmers market on Saturdays. We’ll be taking strawberries to New Harmony. It is a big day. Weekdays are calm a good time to come by and see what we do. Lizzie is here.”

“Thank you very much Carol. I will be back in a couple of weeks during a weekday. My that is a big dog.”

“Sam is not too huge, not as big as Ruth’s horses anyway. See you in a couple weeks.”

“I had a good day, look forward to coming back.”

-

“How could he be lost; all you have to do is drive down the road?”

“He missed this road and circled all over getting here, he was just disoriented.”

“Not a bad looking hippie type.”

“I agree a dapper hippie. I hope you can see with Sam hanging out the window.”

“Sam was pouting when I Iet him out. He found your track and was happy to get in the truck. I think he knew you were in the car ahead of us. Sam may not of had a great day, but we did.”

“Ruth is right about those big horses; people did love them. Stephen is coming back again in couple weeks after school is out. If he doesn’t get lost again.”

“He must have found Ms. Carol Parker rather dapper.”

“He teaches horticulture and promotes operations like ours. I’m sure he’ll have advice we could use.”

“We could use two more hands picking and weeding. Maybe he could run his advice-giving mouth while using his hands for something useful. He seemed to be admiring you rather closely. You be careful about his advice and his hands.”





photo saownictwo