The Picnickers
by
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He made a few necessary stops around town and was looking over a rack of bridles at the tack counter of the feed store. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Emil Haus’s grin lighting up the scenery.
“Good to see you, Emil. How are Colleen and that daughter of mine?”
“She looks like herself again. The swelling has gone down but she’s sure that the mumps have left flaps around her neck like a bulldog.”
“She’s young. They’ll go away.”
“Do you know she’s planning to go straight to Normal School this spring? I been telling her she should go home first, but she’s got her head set on it.”
“Tell her we would really like for her to come home first. She’s got a new baby sister as of yesterday.”
“Congratulations! I’ll tell her, but she knew the baby was on the way and Colleen still couldn’t talk her into changing her mind.”
“Do your best, Emil, and if you think she still won’t come home, let me know and I’ll try to get down to see her before she goes. I need to talk to her.”
“I can’t promise much but at least we’ll see that she gets safely to the campus. Take care, Friend.” He shook Tabors hand and went out the door to head back toward
On Tabor’s way out of town he pulled up to let the county commissioner come along side. “Ready to finish the job we started last fall?” the commissioner shouted over the sound of his vehicle.
“Guess so.”
“Then how about meeting at Elzie’s place tomorrow?”
“It works for me. Better get on your way early in the morning before the mud thaws too much. I might have to pull you out.”
“
“I’ll be there. I’ll call Mort tonight to ask him to meet us.”
“See you then.” Tabor clucked to the horses that were more than willing to pull away from the side of the noisy contraption.
On his way home he ran into a stretch of the ridge road that left him relieved to be driving the team and not the Model T. Elzie was attempting to do some cultivating in his fields next to the road and had decided that the road belonged to him alone. He had pulled onto the right of way to turn around without raising his plow and was leaving furrows that would be enough to shake a car to pieces if it could even handle the ruts at all.
Back at the courthouse the county clerk and recorder was leaving for the day. “Gilda, don’t forget to record the Hesseman baby that was born yesterday. The stats are on your desk. I’d do it but your calligraphy looks so much better than mine in the official record.”
“I’ll do it before I close up tonight.”
“See you in the morning.”
Gilda began the process that produced her unique calligraphy. She first took a lead pencil sharpen just to her specifications and pressed the letters deep into the page of the thick permanent record book. When she was satisfied she took out her favorite pen and
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About the Book
The Picnickers has ached to be written and in the nick-of-time, before the delicate nuances of memory fade into oblivion, it is. Descendants research Elizabeth, her one-time circus performer husband Tabor, and their children carving out a farm/ranch operation in the unbroken sod of Dakota. Following the 1905 opening of reservation land to homesteaders, innuendos besiege the family throughout the WWI loss of a son, the birth of their eleventh child followed abruptly by Tabor's murder. Elizabeth and her children are left to cope with the aftermath. You are invited to join the Picnickers and sort through the confluence of points of view, for from an array of eleven, surely one speaks from your own ancestry.
About the Author
Floy Timmerman, author of I Never Knew You Had a Canary and newly published A Blanket Benediction projects her passion for her stories to her readers through praiseworthy characterization. She has placed herself in the shoes of her characters and comes face to face with their experiences. Having grown up in the Dakota setting, in The Picnickers, she transports the readers to another time and place in a “both feet on the ground” account of an ordinary frontier family who become extraordinary influences on lives of a host of picnickers. A former teacher and school administrator, she frequently speaks to groups from elementary school through the university setting and from senior citizen groups to parent/teacher leagues on a variety of topics including her books, pioneer history, the writing and publishing experience, and encouragement for writing - just because its way more fun than reading. She promises another novel, Miracle Downs, and a yet untitled work of short inspiritual writings in the near future.