195. Cow Appreciation

Multiple feet

Hunk of meat

Hardly fleet

Udderly sweet

194. The Prince- Nervous

Ella is silent again. She must be worried about Lady Denise. I do not want to disturb her thoughts with nervous prattling so I keep quiet as well. Nervous. It is a strange sensation to me. 

I have no doubts that she would be a great queen. The people would love her. She is knowledgable about much of the world and would be eager to learn what she didn't know. She is kind, caring, compassionate. And yet I am nervous. Would she be happy? Would she want to be a queen. It is such a different life than that of a servant. And yet even that would help her be a great queen. She would see details I could never think of because I do not know the lives of so many of my subjects. 

My thoughts are broken by her sweet voice. "Edmond, do you know what happened to Sir Eccles? Madame has never spoken of it to me. There was a time after he disappeared when her solicitor visited frequently and there were many messages passed between them, but I never learned of their content. Was he ever found?"

I am surprised by her questions. I would have thought all the servants would know. "Several months after he disappeared, a man came into town in Sir Eccles' carriage. One of the townspeople recognized it and sent word to my father's guard."

"The carriage was sold to him by a man in Frendal. Alfred was part of the guard that my father sent to inquire. The man who sold it led them to a physician in a nearby town. The physician had tended Sir Eccles after he was found on the roadside. He had been robbed and badly wounded." A tear falls down her cheek. I want to comfort her, but I don't know what to say. Nervous and awkward. What would Father say? 

Another tear falls. "He is dead, then?" She asks and I silently nod. I don't know what else to do. She sighs and wipes another tear from her eye. "I knew he must be," she continues. "When he didn't return...and then Madame changed. I knew. I just kept hoping he would somehow come back."

"He was a good man," I respond lamely. I am still surprised that this is new information to her. I cannot fathom how or why the family would keep the master's death from the servants. It was common knowledge in the town. I attended the memorial service with my father. 

"Your lady never said anything?" I finally asked, perplexed. "Wasn't she upset at the death of her father? Didn't she cry? Throw a fit? Do whatever it is young girls do when they lose a parent?"

"I wasn't serving Denise then. Things were a bit different. And no, she wouldn't have. Sir Eccles wasn't Denise's father, Edmond. He was mine."

193. Come, Follow Me

My Savior, Lord, from Galilee,

Was born among the ox and flea.

A shining star led wisemen three,

And spake to them: "Come, Follow Me."

My Savior, Lord, from Galilee,

He came to set our spirits free.

And as he helped the people see,

He said these words: "Come, Follow Me."

My Savior, Lord, from Galilee,

Was lifted up for all to see

Upon a cross so painfully.

The people heard, "Come, Follow Me."

My Savior, Lord, from Galilee,

Rose upon again in great glory.

His resurrected self to see,

He called to them, "Come, Follow Me."

My Savior, Lord, from Galilee,

I'll serve thee always, faithfully.

I'll answer when you call to me.

I love thee, Lord. I'll Follow Thee.

192. Banana Tree

1. 2. 3. 

Banana tree.

Bananas squish

Bananas free.

Slip and slide

And groove and glide

1. 2. 3.

Banana tree.

Bananas bananas

Yellow and slim

Hang in the tree 

From limb to limb

Slip and slide

And groove and glide

1. 2. 3.

Banana tree.

A-jiggin' and a-joggin'

A-wigglin' and a wogglin'

Shaking and snaking

Bubbling and baking.

Slip and slide

And groove and glide

1. 2. 3.

Banana tree.

191. Diseased

"Hand, Foot, and Mouth"

That's what the doctor said

"That's why he's hot and mean,

That's why those bumps are red."

"But he's been home with me,"

I jumped right in and said.

"No one's been around,

Our house is like the dead."

But somehow my poor boy

Had got quite infected

And now he's got these bumps

From toe up to his head.

I wondered how he got it.

Could it be in his bed?

Could he have got it from

The mud back in the shed?

But now I do not wonder.

I caught him flaming red.

He didn't eat his dinner.

He ate his poop instead.

It happened in the bathtub.

It wasn't that widespread.

But now there is no question.

My little boy's diseased.

190. Mating Day At The Pond

The constant quacking is what first drew my attention. One long continuous stream of agitated quacking. It just kept coming. Non-stop quacking. Quack quack quack quack quack. At first I was too far away to see where it was coming from, but as we got closer, I saw the big tan duck waddling next to the house. It just kept quacking. Like it didn't need to pause even to breath. It disappeared behind a bush just as a smaller, darker duck came into view. He quickly disappeared after her, but the quacking continued. Soon the bush started moving, and I could make out the progress of the pair by the dancing of the leaves. He was gaining on her. She made it to the far side of the bushes alone, but she only had a few seconds of freedom before the male burst out behind her. She gave one final quack of defiance before he caught her and mounted her. Then she sat down. 

I looked across the pond, and saw two more tans, darker than this one, leading a pack of five crowding males. I'm not sure which males won, or if they all took their turn. 

All the while, quacking rang around the pond.

It's mating day.

189. Sick

When kids get sick 

They get to stick

Around in bed

And rest their head

When moms get sick

No little trick

Will get her booty

Out of diaper duty