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“I think we need to be sure that the feed we’re giving the sheep is good and the only way to do that is to grow it ourselves.”
Tamar nodded and slowly tugged off her gloves. “I can spare a few minutes. I’ll be back to help lay this out to dry.” She draped the gloves over the towel bar and took off her apron. “But if you need me, call and I’ll be right here. We’ll just be in the piano room.”
Mrs. Eliza shooed them off and Alice tugged her sister-in-law toward the piano room where Josie waited. Ma had already joined her. Alice and Tamar sat nearby, forming a circle where they could talk and still see the children playing near the window.
Alice explained the basic idea she’d given to Ma on the ride over. Tamar’s brow furrowed deeply. “Just what would that take for us to do? If you mean to plant an entire field, won’t that take days? Hasn’t everyone else planted already? Will there be seeds?”
She had valid questions and, being Tamar, they were good ones since she’d never planted anything.
“Pa will need to buy seed, but I think we can do the work ourselves. It will be hard. Just as hard as planting the garden, but on a much larger scale. We’ll need to plow the area and since we have not tilled the area before, the land won’t want to be cut. We don’t have any big strong cows or oxen to pull the plow, only horses. They will wear out quickly.”
Josie laughed slightly and stood from the place she’d sat on the floor, then brushed off her trousers. “We have a mule. I asked Gideon to buy him for me to help me with my garden. I like horses for riding, but for plowing, a mule will work until you’re too tired to move. And then he’ll just pull you along.”
Alice laughed and clapped in her excitement. “May we borrow him?”
“I wouldn’t have mentioned him otherwise.”
Ma leaned forward in her seat, her eyes bright. “If we can get the land tilled quickly, Bodey will buy the seed for us. Then we only have to tend to it.”
“And cut it.” Alice bit her lip. “We have all the tools we need for everything but that part. They have machines now that cut it and bale it. Will we need to hire a team to do that? I don’t want this to burden Pa. I’d hoped for it to be a help to him.”
“It will be. Even if he has to hire that part out, he’ll make some back with what he can sell to other farmers and he won’t have to buy any, saving him some money. If he doesn’t have to buy any, that will allow others who need it to have what we would’ve purchased.”
Alice nodded and glanced around the circle of women. “Who can help?”
“I’m in.” Ma reached out.
“I would love to.” Josie laid her hand atop Ma’s.
“I will learn.” Tamar smiled and laid a delicate hand over Josie’s.
“I’ll work harder than I ever have.” Alice’s heart thrilled at the idea of working with all of them as she laid her hand over Tamar’s.
“What are all of you doing?” Mrs. Eliza bustled in. “Is this some secret meeting?”
“No, ma’am. We’re planning to plant a field.”
“I’ve never planted before, but I work hard. Don’t you leave me out.” She laid her hand atop Alice’s and they all gripped each other, holding tight for a moment.
“I’ll go and see what state the plow is in since we have not used it for the garden in quite some time.” Ma broke away first.
Josie lifted her one-year-old and took the hand of her older son, then headed for the glass door in the back of the piano room. “I’ll bring the mule over. He doesn’t have a name yet, so you can’t call him anything. He can stay in the barn until we’re finished.”
Alice rushed to hold the door for her. “We can take turns watching your children and plowing, so none of us gets too tired from trying to do it all.”
In an hour, Pa had staked out an area in a valley that had been washed out for years. The black dirt was warm to the touch, dry, and hard. He warned them what they planned would be a lot of work and he wouldn’t blame them if they gave up.
Alice had just finished her three rows on the plow and she laid on the grass, exhaustion tugging on her when Kent slumped down on the grass next to her and stared up into the sky. He surreptitiously reached for her hand and wove his fingers with hers.
The shade was a welcome respite from the sun while the breeze cooled her overheated skin. “Did you find any of the weed?”
He grunted softly. Strange that she now understood exactly what that noise meant. “I’m sorry,” she replied.
“We’ve looked everywhere, down in valleys, along the river. I checked the barn and the hay maw, thinking some had been accidentally put up with the hay. I can’t find any. Either I’m wrong about what we’re looking for or I’m not looking everywhere.”
She squeezed his hand. “Maybe it really is in the water? Could Blake go and get a sample? Then we would know for certain that the water is not at fault.”
“If that’s the case.” He sighed deeply. “I know Blake is willing. I’m not so sure Dakota Fertilizers will be willing to give a sample. Even if they aren’t to blame for this, they are mighty secretive about what’s going on over there. Why aren’t people allowed to see the river near the plant? It’s just not right.”
