Tales From the Glades of Ballymore (3 page)

Bartholomew landed, quietly, on the front porch.  Through the window, he could see Morris sitting at his dining table.  After folding his wings, he walked to the wooden door and knocked.

Morris answered from within, “Come in, it’s open.”

Bartholomew entered.  The dining room was dimly lighted by a single oil lamp.  There were a few pieces of partially finished furniture on the floor.  There was also a partially finished dinner on the table.

Morris had on a well-worn bathrobe and looked neither healthy nor happy.  He was not as old as Bartholomew, but tonight he looked older.  His eyes were droopy, and his fur was dull.

“Good evening, I saw your light on, and I thought I would enquire.”

Morris looked over at Bartholomew and replied, “Hello, Bart.  I was just sitting here thinking about some things.”

“Is there anything I can help with, old friend?” asked the owl as he sat down at the table.

After a pause Morris spoke slowly.  “I’ve not been feeling well recently.  I don’t have the energy I used to have.  I’m not able to do everything that needs doing.  Also, the kite contest is only three weeks away.”

Every March the community held a kite flying contest, and Morris was responsible for building the kites.

“You do look a little pale.  Have you seen Dr. Brigit?”

“No,” answered Morris.

“How long have you felt poorly?” asked Bartholomew.

“About a month.”

 “I know you are trying to avoid seeing her.  None of us likes going to the doctor, but it is the best thing to do.  Most of the time, she will be able to help.  Please go and see Dr. Brigit in the morning.”

Morris looked down at the table.

“Of course, you’re right,” he said quietly.  “I’ve been brooding over this for too long, and it’s time I did something about it.  As always, you’re the bearer of good advice.”

He scrunched up his nose and said, “Sometimes it tastes like castor oil, but it’s still good advice.” 

Bartholomew smiled and rose.  “I’m confident that she will help you.  Now, it’s late, and we both need some rest.  I know I do.  It was good to see you again.  I’ll stop by tomorrow to see how your visit went.”

Bartholomew knew that if he said he was coming back, it was more likely that Morris would visit the doctor.

Morris also rose and gave Bartholomew a hug.  “Thank you for stopping by.  I hope you sleep well.”

Bartholomew said, “And you too, Goodnight.” 

He left, finished his rounds and returned to his warm treehouse.

The next morning, Bartholomew arose at 9 bongs of the hamlet church bell.  He felt stiff and needed to stretch his wings a few times.  Each morning it was the same and reminded him that he was not as young as he used to be.  One more good stretch and he was ready to begin the day.  He hoped Morris was visiting Dr. Brigit.  Before he returned to Morris’s, he decided to visit Grenby Groundhog.  After a quick breakfast he flew to Grenby’s hut on the southwest shore.

Grenby was the weather forecaster for Ballymore.  He lived in a wooden and thatched hut, which was mostly underground.  The hut was ancient.  It was the ancestral home of the Ballymore weather forecasters, who were always groundhogs.  Grenby was eccentric and preferred to keep to himself.  He rarely left his hut or the surrounding forest.  Whatever he needed, he had delivered to him.  From mid-November through mid-February, he went to the lowest level and slept for most of the time.  Consequently, there were no weather forecasts in the winter.  Winter forecasts were unnecessary because everyone should stay indoors; at least, that’s what he thought.

Groundhogs have a long tradition as weather forecasters, and Grenby continued that tradition.  He learned his skills from his father and has kept them a closely guarded secret.  In general he observed the trees, the caterpillars, the wind, and the sky.  Add in some intuition and you had a weather forecast.  He was right about 90% of the time.  Although he didn’t have any close friends, he and his forecasts were well respected.

Each morning he got up early, made his observations, created his forecast, and posted it.  Posting was done by hoisting colored flags up a flagpole near his dock.  Most of the animals could see the flagpole from their homes.  To ensure complete Ballymore coverage, a second and even taller flagpole was erected in the middle of the island.  The Swans, Stoddard and Sean, were responsible for hoisting the flags on that pole.  That was not their main duty, however.  Their job was to locate and deliver needed items to Ballymore from afar.  That meant a lot of long-distance flying for them.

There were six flags raised up each pole each day.  The first three flags were for the current day.  The fourth and fifth were for the following day and the lowest was for the following five days.

Unlike most groundhogs, Grenby didn’t provide seasonal forecasts.  He thought that it was too inexact a science.  Here is a listing of the flags and their weather meanings:

First Flag

Blue - Fair

Green - Cloudy or Partly Cloudy

Red - Rain

Black - Heavy Rain

Purple - Fog

Yellow - Ice

White - Snow

White/Black - Heavy Snow

Second Flag

Blue - Calm or Light Winds

Green - Moderate Winds

Red - Strong Winds

Black - Storm Winds

Third Flag

White - Very Cold

Green - Cold

Purple - Cool

Blue - Mild

Yellow - Warm

Red - Hot

Fourth Flag

Blue - Fair

Green - Cloudy or Partly Cloudy

Red - Rain

Black - Heavy Rain

Purple - Fog

Yellow - Ice

White - Snow

White/Black - Heavy Snow

Fifth Flag

Blue - Calm or Light Winds

Green - Moderate Winds

Red - Strong Winds

Black - Storm Winds

Lowest Flag

Blue - Nice Weather

Green - Moderate Weather

Red - Poor Weather

Black - Storm Weather

Purple - Variable Weather

The flag sequence for today was: green-green-purple, black-black, purple

As you can see from the codes, the most perfect weather would be Blue-Blue-Blue.  As you can also see, Grenby was predicting a storm for tomorrow.

Grenby’s Flags

When Bartholomew arrived, Grenby was sitting in an old chair in front of his hut.  He was slurping soup from a large bowl.  He liked to eat and didn’t believe in exercise, so he was paunchy.  The chair had become a bit too small for him.  More truthfully, he had become a bit too large for the chair.  He was wearing his favorite red and white striped pajamas with a green bathrobe.  Actually, he was more noticeable than his flags.  He didn’t look chilly even though it was only March.  Bartholomew smiled when he saw Grenby and thought, he hasn’t changed and never will.

“Good morning, Grenby, how are you?”

“I’m fit as a fiddle,” Grenby laughed.  He knew he looked ridiculous but didn’t care.

“Some March winds coming?” asked the owl.

“Yes, I think there will be a significant storm,” Grenby replied.  “It might last one or two days.  Check the pole tomorrow.”

“I certainly will.”

They continued to chat for a few minutes, mostly about the weather.  When that topic was exhausted, it was time to leave.  Grenby had more soup slurping to do, and Bartholomew was ready to visit Morris.  They said their goodbyes, and Bartholomew flew off.

Meanwhile, Morris had arisen early.  He didn’t feel like eating much but had a little porridge with milk because Bartholomew had remarked that he looked pale.  After breakfast he got dressed and began the walk to Dr. Brigit’s cottage.  He had always avoided going to doctors and didn’t particularly trust them.  The main reason he was going today was because Bartholomew had asked him to, and he didn’t want to disappoint his old friend.  It took about twenty minutes to get there, and he was tired when he arrived.

Dr. Brigit Badger took care of the animal residents in Ballymore.  She was an herbal specialist and kept a large garden of medicinal plants.  Besides Bartholomew, she was the only other animal who could read and write.  Her patients always said she was very understanding and kind.  They thought very highly of her.

Her cottage was typical for Ballymore.  It had stone walls and a chimney, heavy wooden windows and doors, and a thatched roof.  Inside were a parlor, kitchen, and bedroom.  Because the cottage served as her office, it had two additional rooms.  There was an examining room and a room in which a patient could stay overnight if needed.  That room was rarely used.  Animals who didn’t feel well would much rather stay in their own homes.  The animals felt the same as people about that.

Dr. Brigit greeted Morris at the door.  Morris didn’t know her well, and he felt uncomfortable.  Besides, she was a doctor.

He told her that his energy level had been down for about a month and that Bartholomew had suggested that he pay her a visit.  Dr. Brigit invited him into her office.  She closed the door, and they sat down.  She was middle-aged and slim for a badger.  Dr. Brigit didn’t look like a doctor because she wasn’t wearing the long white coat that people doctors like to wear.  Instead, she had on a pair of bluejeans and a green shirt.  She probably had been working in her garden.

She sensed Morris was nervous and tried to put him at ease by asking him questions about his furniture making.  He was happy to talk about that for a while.

“Now, let’s see how I can help you,” she said and began by asking him a bunch of questions such as:

How are you sleeping?

Does anything hurt?

Have you been losing any fur recently?

Has your taste for food changed?

How is your eyesight?

Then, she did a brief physical exam.  She looked in his eyes and ears.  She looked in his mouth.  She listened to his heart.  She looked at his claws.  She tapped on his tummy. 

After the looking, listening, and tapping, she said, “Morris, I believe your metabolism is slowing down as you are getting older.  This means that you would have less energy.  I also suspect that you are not getting the proper exercise or nutrition for a muskrat your age.  Come, let’s take a walk out to my greenhouse.”

Since it was March, only a few plants were growing in the garden behind the cottage.  He noticed some fresh rows of dirt, so planting season had begun.  They walked to the back of the garden where a medium-sized greenhouse was full of green and brown and yellow plants of many shapes and sizes.

In the greenhouse, she approached a group of tall green plants with yellow flowers.

  “The leaves from this plant will increase your metabolism.  You should regain your energy, but it could take a couple of months before you notice an effect.”

She picked several leaves from the plants and tore them into small pieces.  After putting the pieces in an envelope, she gave it to Morris.

“Now, put one piece of leaf in a cup of hot tea every evening.  Make sure you eat fruits and vegetables everyday.  Porridge is also very good.  Try to walk for half an hour each day if you can.  I’m sure you’ll begin to feel better within a couple of months, but I would still like to see you again then.”

She paused.  “Do you have any questions, or can I offer you a cup of tea now?” she asked.

“No, thank you.  I must be getting home,” he answered.  “Thank you very much for your help and advice.  I’ll do my best to follow it.”