Chapter six
“The cross is done.” Timothy announced, showing the cross to his wife.
“Good, the cake is done, too.” Mrs. Winters said.
“It’s one ‘o’ clock, so let’s have lunch then we will put the cross into the ground and then we will do the Miller traditions.” Emily said.
“What would you like for lunch, ladies.” Said Timothy
“I would like a ham sandwich.” Answered Emily.
“That sounds delectable.” Agreed Mrs. Winters.
“And you, Lily dear?” asked Timothy
“I would like a sandwich.”
“Then we’ll have a big, sandwich buffet!” exclaimed Timothy
Timothy laid out some ham, roast beef, turkey and some leftover chicken breast. He chopped up some lettuce (originally to be used in the salad for Lily’s birthday dinner). He got out some American, Swedish and Parmesan cheese. Last but not least he got out the bread. Then he started to cook some hardboiled eggs. Emily and Lily went outside to get some marigolds, carnations and day lilies to eat. They knew that these flowers are edible and loved to use them. They put them on a plate (that Emily painted with flowers two years ago) by the sandwiches.
“I was thinking honey, that we could have an herb garden. I remember in my youth, my mother had a wonderful herb garden and every day I would run out and eat some of them. My mother’s rule was ‘only take as much as you will eat’ and we had to eat them one at a time. I loved it and they made very fine dinners.” Said Timothy to his wife.
“What a good idea! I think we should have it in that little corner in the back of the yard.” Emily replied as she took little Andrew out of Mrs. Winter’s arms. “Lily why don’t you make something for lunch. I love your cinnamon cones.”
“And I’ll help her!” announced Mrs. Winters.
Lily and Mrs. Winters got to work. Lily’s cinnamon cones were made by a store bought sugar cookie mix. She would roll out the dough and then she would sprinkle it with cinnamon. Lily would pick up the end of the sheet of dough and she would fan fold it and put it in the oven. It was the dessert of the day.
“Mom, Lily, lunch is ready.” Said Emily. Mrs. Winters came out of the kitchen to the little buffet in the dining room. In the Miller household the kitchen was next to the dining room. Their was a door way but their wasn’t a door. The Millers put a fancy curtain in the doorway. The buffet was on a counter in the dining room. The dining room itself was a dark blue room with a counter attached to one side and a small fish tank on the other with five angelfish in it. There was a window across from the doorway with a nice scene. Emily had designed that area of the garden for the dining room window. There was a cherry tree in the left hand side of the window and a bunch of petunias around the trunk. Beneath the limbs of the tree there was a white, concrete bench with two legs, shaped like ocean waves. It was designed with butterflies on the sides. On the right-hand side there was a jasmine plant that made the area smell lovely. Since the weather was nice, Emily opened window, the jasmine made the room smell lovely, too.
“Emily darling, it was pure genius planting the jasmine right next to the house! It makes the room smell as though we were walking through a garden.” Mrs. Winters told her daughter, as she made herself a ham and roast beef sandwich. “What a banquet for such a small group.”
Meanwhile, Lily made herself a ham sandwich when she heard a timer go off. “Grandmother Winters, the timer is beeping.”
“I’ll get it, dear.” Replied Mrs. Winters. She went into the kitchen to get the cone and it smelled almost as good as the jasmine plant. Mrs. Winters brought it into the house and said. “I see why you had Lily make this cinnamon cone. It smells scrumptious”
The lunch went on without much event. They talked about gardening methods, Timothy’s job as a secretary, the economy, other births and the parties after them and about preschools and which ones Lily should go to. Once the meal was over and the conversations had died they did the Miller traditions.
“In my family we decorate front door with blue streamers and put up a sign that says ‘It’s a Boy!’” Said Timothy.
“Yay!” Said Lily. They decorated the front porch beautifully. The ‘it’s a boy’ sign was above the doorway. There were blue streamers hanging down from the sign, gracefully curving down to the ground. They had streamers from the top of the doorway down to Lily’s hips in a way that anyone who walked in would be walking through the blue.
“Next we take a picture of Andrew on the couch. We take a picture of Andrew every year. Lily, we have pictures of you from every year. Do you want to see them?” said Timothy
“Yes! Yes, yes!”
“Here they are.” He said, handing them to Lily.
“Cool” Said Lily. They looked like one picture of a bald baby in pink and one of a baby that looked like a girl and another baby that looked like her. The last one looked really like her.
“Lily can you sit on this couch?” Asked Emily. “Smile!” The camera went click.
“Good. Now it’s Andrew turn.” Said Timothy. Andrew had to be laid on the couch so he didn’t fall over.
“He’s so cute.” Said Mrs. Winters, crooning over her grandson.
“Your family traditions are really quick.” Said Lily to her father.
“It’s how my family does it. And there’s no link to past. It’s just how we celebrate. Now it’s time for cake!
I would appreciate comments on my story. My birthday was very nice. We went to the original pancake house and ate breakfast there. Then Mom and I went shopping for clothes so that I did not get clothes I do not like. I have five fashion rules.
- No monkeys.
- No peace signs
- NO UNFASHIONABLE ITEMS
- Must be able to do full splits in all pants
- No excuses.
Thomas got me a balloon twisting kit and I can make a wiener dog, a dog, a girrafe, a snake, a poodle, a sword, a frog, a teddy bear and a duck. My frog, teddy bear and duck are just heads with a stick of balloon to hold them up. Our balloons are below the average size so there is no room to make their bodies.