A Year on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball

Author:Donna Ball
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Fiction.Contemporary, fiction
ISBN: 9780425225875
Publisher: Berkley
Published: 2009-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

As it turned out, the excitement was not over for the day. No sooner had Farley bounced down the drive in his truck than Deke’s cousin arrived with two other men, a pulley ladder, and a chain saw in a pickup with a magnetic sign on its door that read, Tree Cutting. Within the hour the air was filled with the sound of thundering chain saws, cracking limbs, and shouting men, all orchestrated to the background of manic barking and the drone of the lawn mower. They had to close all the windows even to be heard over the din, but fortunately the day remained so cool it was no hardship.

“It’s times like this,” Bridget said, chopping herbs for a pasta sauce, “that I really miss my library job.”

Cici was washing off the last of the overripe tomatoes they had been able to salvage from the ruins of the garden. “Somehow this is not what I pictured when I decided to move to the country either,” she agreed. “The guy said they have to trim back the poplar tree by the porch,” she added. “Otherwise the whole thing would come down when they felled the hickory tree.”

“I hate to see the hickory tree go. I was going to make a hickory nut cake.”

“It was already dead.”

She sighed. “I know. It’s just a shame.”

Lindsay opened the refrigerator and took out a bag of store-bought lettuce, which she began to shred for a salad. “At least Noah will have plenty of work cutting and stacking all that firewood.”

“Not to mention cutting back the wisteria and cleaning out the dairy barn.”

“You’re damn right,” said Lindsay darkly. “I’m not setting one foot back in there until all the creatures have been cleared out—and that includes dust mites.”

Cici chuckled and scooped a handful of chopped tomatoes into the pan Bridget had prepared. They sizzled softly and released a tangy fragrance as they struck the garlic-infused olive oil. “That should be fun,” she said. “Sanitizing a barn.”

Bridget used her knife to scrape the chopped herbs off the cutting board and into the pot. “What are you going to do about the holes in the wall?”

“Not a problem,” Cici said, “a couple of one-by-sixes and you’ll never know what happened.”

“Oh yes I will,” replied Lindsay morosely. “I’ll never forget it. What I’d like to know,” she added with a touch of weary indignation, “is why all the wildlife is picking on me. First the yellow jackets, then the snake . . . I hate wildlife. I don’t even like the dog.”

“Nobody likes the dog,” Cici pointed out.

To which Bridget replied defensively, “I do.” She poured a measure of red wine atop the tomato and herb mixture and set a pot of water on the back burner to boil. Then she said, “Maybe they’re trying to tell you something. I read a book one time about totems and animal medicine. Every animal has a different message.”

“Great,” said Lindsay. “Now I not only have to worry about being stalked by them, I have to figure out what they’re trying to say.

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