“I spent the morning cleaning the baker’s rack in the attic and clearing a path to the door. The first thing I want us to do is carry it down to the kitchen. You’ll be happy to know I found the canning jars, jelly bags, and the tripod all stored on the rack—almost everything I need for jelly making.”
“Have you found Betsy’s recipe yet?” asked Alice, as they started up the stairs.
“Not yet, but I’m hopeful after finding the other things. If the rose hips get to the point where they’re almost past their peak, and if I still haven’t found the recipe, I’ll look up a recipe online. Then I’ll have a whole year to find Gram’s.”
“With the intimate relationship I maintained over the years with Betsy’s rose-hip jelly, I’m hoping it won’t come to that,” Alice said.
“I will make it my mission to reunite the two of you before the season is over,” Annie said as she opened the attic door.
“Whoa! I wasn’t the only woman working hard this morning.” Alice punctuated her approval with a low whistle. “I’ve never seen this much of the attic floor boards in my life.”
“At least I didn’t have to wear heels all day like you. For that difficult feat, I’ll let you have the forward-facing end of this chore.” Annie plucked an old tablecloth from a box of old linens, rolled it into a tube, and bent to wedge it under the attic door to keep it from closing.
“If you insist.” Alice placed herself at the left side of the rack, trying different holding positions for the easiest lifting. She bent her knees and grabbed the vertical posts under the second shelf from the bottom. “I’m ready when you are.”
Annie moved into position. “OK, lift!” Both women raised their side of the rack, Annie glancing behind her to make sure they were not veering away from the clear path. She shuffled backward at a steady pace so she wouldn’t jerk the rack out of Alice’s grip. When they reached the door, Annie gasped, “Set it down for a minute.”
“That’s one wicked solid piece of furniture!” Alice exclaimed. “It could stand up in any nor’easter.”
“Good thing too, since I have two sou’westers named Joanna and John heading our way.” Annie paused to access the best way to maneuver the rack down the two flights of stairs. “Let’s turn the rack horizontal.” Annie stepped through the doorway and down one step.
“Are you ready for me to tilt it toward you?” Alice asked, bending to look at Annie between the shelves.
“Tilt away.” Annie raised her hands to grab the top of the rack as soon as it was close enough. They descended cautiously, reaching the landing of the second floor without a problem. After catching their breath and shaking out their arms for a moment, Annie and Alice hefted the piece again for the trip down the main staircase. The generous foyer on the first floor gave them ample space to bring the rack easily around the corner for the trip down the hallway to the kitchen. Once they had the rack positioned in its former spot, Annie and Alice collapsed onto kitchen chairs.
Alice looked around the kitchen at the updates Annie had made since she inherited Grey Gables from Betsy. “The baker’s rack is exactly what was missing. There’s a perfect balance between new and old now.”
“I think so too,” said Annie. “And just picture a shelf or two filled with jars of Gram’s jelly.” Annie snapped two fingers. “Oh, almost forgot! I put together a meatloaf this morning for our dinner.” She left her chair to set the oven to preheat. Before returning to the table, she put the kettle on for tea and served up two slices of corn bread.
“This is a meatloaf kind of day, if ever there was one,” said Alice, “and a snack kind of afternoon too. I never eat enough on a double- or triple-booked day. Bring on the corn bread and don’t forget the honey bear!”
The two friends enjoyed their tea and bread before diving into the charming mess that was the library.
12
“My goal for the library is to arrange everything so John and Joanna can reach books and things that might interest them. And are appropriate, of course.” Annie and Alice stood facing a wall of built-ins crammed with reading material. Over the years, what had begun as an organized collection had been multiplied, shifted, separated, and put back together so many times it resembled a reading jungle. Determined not to be overwhelmed by the size of the goal, Annie had narrowed her focus. “Let’s begin by going shelf by shelf and pulling anything the kids might like. We’ll tackle the desk another time.”