A long time before I was born, my Grandma and grandpa moved into the house on Beechwood Avenue. They had a young family-of 4 little girls .The little girls Slept in the attic in a big feather bed.It was cold there on winter night. Grandma put hot bricks underd the covers at the foot of the bed to keep the little girls warm.
During the Great Depression,work was Hard to find,so Grandpa did whatever jobs he could.He dug ditches during the week and on Weekend he and Grandma dug a garden to grow some of their own food.
The house on Beechwood Avenue had a big Front yard with shade trees and fruite trees.In the middle of the yard was a water pump where the four little girls pumped water for cooking, cleaning and watering the garden.On one side of the yard,Grandma and Grandpa planted tomatoes,beans,squash,cucumbers,peppers and strawberries to feed their growing family. They planted Roses geraniums lilacs and irises on the other Side of the yard,around the statue of the Blessed Mother.
Eveqbody worked to keep the garden growing.All summer long,the family ate food from the garden and enjoyed the beautiful flowers.Grandma put up strawberry jam,tomatoes,beans,peppers,pears and peaches in canning jam.They were good to eat through the long winter.
The family grew up, and before too many years had passed,the grandchildren came to visit. Grandma and Grandpa still planted their garden every spring.Everyone still enjoyed the good food from the garden and always took some home.
Grandchilden grow up,and grandparents grow older.It became harder for Grandma and Grandpa to keep up the garden. So they made it a little smaller.There was still plenty to eat from the garden and lovely flowers to enjoy.
Then one sunmmer when Grandpa was eighty-nine years old, all he could do was watch from his lawn chair as the vegetables grew and the roses bloomed.Summer slowly faded,and Grandpa died before it was time to bring in the harvest.
It was a lonely Winter for Grandma. She sat near the window,looking out at the yard and wondering if she could plant the garden in the spring.It would be hard to care for it by herself. When spring came,she planted only a little garden.
One sunny day in the early summer, Grandma heard a commotion in the front yard and looked out the window to see a frightening sight a gigantic swarm of bees filled the air between two tall trees. There was thousands of bees in the air,so many that the swarm reached the tree-tops!The buzzingsound was tremendous.Grandma watched as the bees made their way into a hole up in one of the trees.Before long,everyone of those bees had disappeard into its new home.
Grandma wondered what in the world she Could do.Should she hair someone to get rid of bees?That would cost more than she could afford.She decided to wait and think it over.
During the next few days,the bees were busy mading their own business.Grandma could always see a few bees buzzing in and out around the opening high in the tree.Before long,she decided the bees won't bother anyone,so she went about her business and didn't give them any other thought.
That summer,Grandma's little garden grew and grew.The neighborns would stop to admire the huge crop of vegetables and puzzle over their own gardens weren't doing well.No matter,because Grandma had enough give some away.Of course,everyone who came to visit was treated to a meal of good things from the garden.
One day,Grandma's brother Frank visited from Arizona.As Granndma made Frank a delicious lunch of squash pan cakes and home made apple sauce,she told him the story about the swam of bees.
Frank said，"in Arizona, the famers often hired beekeepers to set up beehives near their fields.The bees pollinated the crops and helped them to grow."
That was when Grandma realized that her bees had helped with her garden all summer..
"So that's why my little garden had such a big crop!"she exclaimed.
From that Time on,Grandma always believed that since Grandpa couldn't be there to help her that summer,he had sent the bees to take his place and make Grandma's little garden grow and grow…
大蕭條時(shí)期,工作很難找,爺爺什么苦工都做。在平時(shí)他挖溝渠,周末和奶奶在花園里挖挖鋤鋤,種點(diǎn)自己的糧食。
碧奇烏大道的房子有個(gè)大前院,院子里種著濃蔭遮蔽的大樹(shù)和果樹(shù)。院中央的是個(gè)水泵,小女孩們就在這里泵水用來(lái)做飯、打掃衛(wèi)生、灌溉花園。奶奶和爺爺在院子的一邊種上番茄、豆子、南瓜、黃瓜、辣椒和草莓,供應(yīng)這個(gè)大家庭的吃用。在另一邊,他們圍著圣母的雕像種了玫瑰、天笠葵、丁香和蝴蝶花。
人人都辛勤地耕種花園,使它曰漸豐實(shí)。整個(gè)夏天,我們一家人吃著花園種出的食物,欣賞著花園里的美麗花朵。奶奶還把做好的草莓醬、番茄、豆子、辣椒、梨子和桃子裝進(jìn)罐子里,使它們的美味能保持一整個(gè)漫長(zhǎng)的冬天。
多年過(guò)去,孩子們長(zhǎng)大,孫子孫女們也來(lái)到了世上。奶奶和爺爺仍然每年春天都耕種花園。人人都能分享花園種出的好東西,也總能帶上一些回家里。
孫子孫女們長(zhǎng)大了,爺爺、奶奶年邁古稀。維護(hù)花園花去他們更多的精力,所以他們縮小了些花園的面積。但里面種出來(lái)的食物還足夠吃,花朵也還招人喜愛(ài)。
等到爺爺八十九歲的那個(gè)夏天,他只能坐在草地的椅子上,看蔬菜長(zhǎng)大,玫瑰開(kāi)花。夏曰漸漸消逝,爺爺在豐收前就去世了。
對(duì)奶奶來(lái)說(shuō),這是個(gè)寂寞的冬天。她坐在窗邊,望著外邊的院子,考慮著來(lái)年春天還要不要耕種花園。只靠她自己來(lái)打理太難了些。當(dāng)春天來(lái)到時(shí),她只稍微種了一點(diǎn)。
初夏的一天,陽(yáng)光燦爛,奶奶聽(tīng)到前院傳來(lái)一陣騷動(dòng)聲,她看出窗外,看到可怕的一幕。兩棵大樹(shù)上滿滿綴著大團(tuán)大團(tuán)的蜜蜂。空中還飛舞著成千上萬(wàn)只,多不勝數(shù)的蜂群一直排到樹(shù)梢上!嗡嗡聲不絕于耳。奶奶看見(jiàn)這些蜜蜂先后鉆進(jìn)一棵樹(shù)上高高的樹(shù)洞中。很快,所有的蜜蜂都搬進(jìn)新家,消失了。
奶奶不禁發(fā)愁起來(lái)。她是否該請(qǐng)人清走這些蜜蜂呢?但是她根本支付不起費(fèi)用。于是她決定等一等,再想想辦法。
隨后幾天,蜜蜂忙碌個(gè)不停。奶奶總能看到有一些蜂兒從高高的樹(shù)洞里嗡嗡地飛進(jìn)飛出。不久,她看出蜜蜂并無(wú)妨礙,于是自顧自地干活,不再理會(huì)它們。
那年夏天,奶奶的小花園碩果累累。鄰居們都駐足羨慕里面生長(zhǎng)豐盛的蔬菜,納罕怎么自己花園的長(zhǎng)勢(shì)就沒(méi)有這么喜人。沒(méi)關(guān)系,因?yàn)槟棠逃泻枚嗫梢运腿恕５情T(mén)來(lái)訪的人當(dāng)然都有花園里的美昧來(lái)招待。
一天,奶奶的弟弟法蘭克從亞利桑那州前來(lái)拜訪。奶奶給他做了一頓香噴噴的午飯,有南瓜餅,有自制的蘋(píng)果醬,她還把蜜蜂的故事告訴了法蘭克。
法蘭克說(shuō):"在亞利桑那,農(nóng)夫們常常雇請(qǐng)養(yǎng)蜂人在農(nóng)田附近搭蜂箱。蜜蜂授粉有助于莊稼成長(zhǎng)。"
奶奶才意識(shí)到,原來(lái)是這些蜜蜂在夏季助成了花園的豐收。
"所以我的小花園才有了大豐收!"她大聲地說(shuō)道。
從那時(shí)開(kāi)始,奶奶便相信是因?yàn)闋敔斈悄晗奶鞗](méi)能親自幫她,才派了蜜蜂到這里,讓奶奶的小花園欣欣向榮。
