Lali and the Storyteller Episode Two: Happy Thanksgiving!

oday is cleanup day at the community garden plots," said Mami. "And tonight, we'll all get together there for a big potluck supper to celebrate our good growing season. Rob and Carly Jo are bringing the big awning tent. They say if it turns windy, we can lower the sides, but if it stays as mild as now, we may not even need to."

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"What about Storyteller?" asked Lali. "Can she come with us, too?"

"Sure!" answered Dadi. "Joe down the road is giving her a lift there in his truck, this time. She'll meet us for supper, and we can all hear a story after the meal."

"Let's go over and help with the cleanup now," said Mami, putting on her walking shoes. "And while we're doing that, we can think about what to make for the potluck tonight."

So Lali and Dadi put on their walking shoes too, and everybody put on sweatshirts and bandanas. Then they went out back to the storage shed to get their tools. Dadi carried the rake, Mami carried the shovel, and Lali put the clippers and a trowel in her backpack. Then they all walked over to the garden plot.

It was a lovely fall day, and since the weather had stayed mild, many things were still growing. Mrs. Iverson had a sunny stand of yellow mums blooming all along the back edge of her patch. The Tsu family had row after row of salad greens in theirs. Mr. Ramirez looked up from his plot in the far corner and waved.

"Hola, Roberto, Sarah, Lali! Mira! Look! My crazy parsley plant is still growing!" And he beckoned them over to see the bright green leafy cluster.

"Those are biennial, Ernesto," Mami told him. "My friend Claudia says they'll winter over."

"De veras? Bueno!" Ernesto smiled, his black moustache bristling. "Un poquito de verde, a bit of green, is nice in winter."

"And we have pansies blooming," said Lali. "They'll winter over too. Come see!" So they all went over and admired the purple and blue and yellow and white blossoms.

"Now I must go," said Mr. Ramirez. "See you at the potluck tonight!"

"What are you bringing?" called Lali.

"Arroz y abichuelas con tomates! Rice and beans with tomatoes!"

"Yum! I remember that, it's good!" Lali waved goodbye to Mr. Ramirez, and turned to get out the clippers from her pack.

"How about if you cut down the old zinnia stalks?" asked Dadi. "Mami can plant garlic, and I'll work on spreading bags of leaves for mulch." He went over to the leaf pile to get some.

"OK!" Lali clipped off the dried flower stems until she had a big armful. Then she carried them over to the compost bin and put them in.

When she got back, Mami told her, "Our mint is still growing. How about if you cut a bunch, and we'll bring mint tea to the potluck tonight?"

"Sure!" So Lali cut a big bunch of fresh mint. It smelled wonderful! Mami gave her a bag to put it in, to carry it home.

A car pulled up in the parking lot. "Hey, Sandeep!" called Dadi, and waved. A tall dark haired man with warm bronze skin got out and came striding over.

"Hey! Good to see you!" he said, and smiled.

"Sandeep, this is my wife, Sarah, and my daughter, Lali. Lali, Sandeep is a friend of mine from the Food Co-op."

Lali looked up at Sandeep. "Neighbors here come from lots of places. Where are you from?"

Sandeep grinned. "I'm from Georgia, myself. Good old US of A. I was born there. My parents, now, they came over from India."

"Wow. I've been learning to read maps in the atlas--that's a long way!"

"Indeed, yes. All the way across the ocean."

"Will you be bringing a dish from there to the potluck tonight?"

"With my wife's help, yes. I've not got the knack for cooking that your Dad has, so at my house, I chop up the vegetables, and my wife Harinder cooks them together. She tells me I get too easily distracted and it sticks to the pan, otherwise. And I have to admit, this is true. But thanks to her, we'll have chapatis tonight!"

"Cool!"

"Well, I'd better get to work now. Frost has withered all the pepper plants, and it's time to take them away. See you tonight!" He walked over to his own patch and started clearing it.

"Time for us to head back now," said Dadi. "We have cooking to do, to get ready!"

"Let's just have soup and sandwiches for lunch," answered Mami. "Then we'll have plenty of time left to fix things. What shall we make?"

"Chocolate chip cookies!" cried Lali.

"What, no prune whip?" teased Dadi.

"No! Yuk! No mushy prune whip--nice, crisp cookies!"

"Well, sure," said Dadi, "but we need a main dish too. How about," and he winked at Mami, "Spider pie?"

"Ewwwww! No! Spider legs, ugh!"

"How about spaghetti?" asked Mami. "We can make a nice big pot, with our own homemade sauce." She crossed her arms and pretended to frown at Dadi. "And no spider legs!"

"No spider legs," he agreed, laughing. "I promise."

So they ate lunch, then simmered the sauce, baked the cookies, cooked the spaghetti and brewed the tea. When everything was ready, they packed it all in a picnic basket and a thermos bottle, and carried it back to the garden. Lali brought the blanket to spread out to sit on.

Under the blue and white striped awning tent was a big table loaded with food! They added theirs too, then got their plates and went through the buffet line. There were so many choices! Fresh bread and rolls, biscuits, casseroles, lasagna, spaghetti, salad, rice dishes, chapatis and more!

"I bet the Thompsons brought that pie," said Mami, adding a slice to her plate. "They grew the best pumpkins this year!"

"Look, there's Storyteller!" said Lali. "Can I ask her to sit with us?"

"Of course," said Dadi. "We have plenty of room."

So Storyteller joined them, and they all ate a delicious supper together.

Afterward, Rob called them all together under the awning again.

"Friends, as we gather here to celebrate with this good food, let us all think of things we feel thankful for. Myself, I'm thankful for our work together. People come here from all over the world, to study at the college. We have many different traditions we bring with us. Yet we have all worked side by side as good neighbors this growing season, and I am glad of that." Many people nodded agreement.

"Hey, Rob!" somebody called from the back. "I'm really thankful you got the town to put in that water tap for us!"

Marat spoke up, his dark eyes shining. "And I am glad the senior gardeners made us the compost bin! Look how full it is!"

"Hey, yeah, we all helped with that!"

Mrs. Iverson said, "I'm glad to get back out of the hospital in time to have a harvest. Thank all of you for helping me with that, too!"

"Next, we have a contest!" declared Rob. Did everybody put your name on a slip of paper here, and put it in this bag? Cool! Then I'll shake it up reeeeeeeal good..." he shook it vigorously, "and now I'll draw a name out. And the winner is.... Mrs. Iverson! Mrs. Iverson, you win the bushel of apples!"

"Why, thank you," said Mrs. Iverson. "However, a whole bushel's more than I need, just for me. What I'd like to do is take a few for a pie, and then I'd like everybody here to have one to take home with them."

"Fine," said Rob. And that's what they did.

"Now, Storyteller has agreed to share one of her tales with us," said Carly Jo. "So everybody have a seat and get ready to listen!"

"Which will you have," asked Storyteller, "a story or a poem?"