 Hey again friends today. I have a story called the Gardener. I don't know about you But in our house, we've been thinking a lot about gardening Getting our garden ready to plant some plants and some seeds and to see what we can grow this summer So this one is by Sarah Stewart the Gardener and it's written all in letters So this first one August 27th 1935 Dear uncle Jim Grandma told us after supper that you want me to come to the city and live with you until things get better Did she tell you that Papa has been out of work for a long time and no one asks Mama to make dresses anymore? We all cried even Papa But then Mama made us laugh with her stories about you chasing her up trees when you were both little Did you really do that? I'm small but strong and I'll help you all I can However, grandma said to finish my schoolwork before doing anything else your niece Lydia Grace Finch September 3rd 1935 Dear uncle Jim, I'm mailing this from the train station. I forgot to tell you in the last letter Three important things that I'm too shy to say to your face One I know a lot about gardening, but nothing about baking To I'm anxious to learn to bake, but is there any place to plant seeds? Three I like to be called Lydia Grace just like grandma your niece Lydia Grace Finch on the train September 4th 1935 Dear mama, I feel so pretty in your dress that you made over for me. I hope you don't miss it too much Dear Papa, I haven't forgotten what you said about recognizing uncle Jim Just look for mama's face with a big nose and a mustache. I Promise not to tell him. Does he have a sense of humor? And dearest grandma Thank you for the seeds the train is rocking me to sleep and every time I goes off. I dream of curtains love to all Lydia Grace And here she is arriving at that big train station in the city September 5th 1935 Dear mama Papa and grandma. I'm so excited There are window boxes here They look as if they've been waiting for me. So now we'll both wait for spring and Grandma the sun shines down on the corner where I'll live and work loved you all Lydia Grace PS Uncle Jim doesn't smile December 25th 1935 Dear mama Papa and grandma. I adore the seed catalogs you sent for Christmas and Grandma, thank you for all the bulbs. I hope you received my drawings. I Wrote a long poem for Uncle Jim He didn't smile, but I think he liked it He read it aloud and put it in his shirt pocket and padded it love to all Lydia Grace February 12th 1936 dearest grandma Thank you again for those bulbs you sent at Christmas. You should see them now. I Really like Ed and Emma Beach Uncle Jim's friends who work here When I first arrived Emma told me she'd show me how to need bread if I would teach her the Latin names of all the flowers I know Now just half a year later. I'm needing bread and she's speaking Latin More good news We have a store cat named Otis who at this very moment is sleeping at the foot of my bed Love to all Lydia Grace PS Uncle Jim isn't smiling yet, but I'm hoping for a smile soon March 5th 1936 Dear mama Papa and grandma. I've discovered a secret place You can't imagine how wonderful it is. No one else knows about it, but Otis I Have great plans Thank you for all the letters. I'll try to write more But I'm really busy planting all your seeds and cracked teacups and bent cake pans and Grandma you should smell the good dirt. I'm bringing home from the vacant lot down the street love to all Lydia Grace Here's the place Lydia Grace found What do you think? Do you think it looks wonderful like she said? Can you maybe in your head? Think of a way that it could become wonderful like Lydia Grace is thinking Let's see what she does April 27th 1936 Dearest grandma all the seeds and roots are sprouting. I can hear you saying April showers bring May flowers Emma and I are sprucing up the bakery and I'm playing a great trick on Uncle Jim He sees me reading my mail Planting seeds in the window boxes going to school doing my homework sweeping the floor But he never sees me working in my secret place Love to all Lydia Grace PS I'm planning on a big smile from Uncle Jim in the near future May 27th 1936 Dear mama papa and grandma you should have heard Emma laugh today when I opened your letter and dirt fell out onto the sidewalk Thank you for all the baby plants. They survived the trip in the big envelope More about Emma. She's helping me with the secret place. Hooray Love to all Lydia Grace PS I saw Uncle Jim almost smiled today The store was full. Well almost full of customers June 27th 1936 dear grandma flowers are blooming all over the place I'm also growing radishes onions and three kinds of lettuce in the window boxes Some neighbors have brought containers for me to fill with flowers and a few customers even gave me plants from their gardens this spring They don't call me Lydia Grace anymore. They call me the gardener Love to all Lydia Grace PS I'm sure Uncle Jim will smile soon. I'm almost ready to show him the secret place What a change in the store, huh with all those flowers July 4th 1936 dearest mama papa and grandma I am bursting with happiness The entire city seems so beautiful especially this morning The secret place is ready for Uncle Jim At noon the store will close for the holiday and then we'll bring him up to the roof I've tried to remember everything you ever taught me about beauty Love to all Lydia Grace PS I can already imagine Uncle Jim's smile See and she put signs in the apartment. Please go up You've arrived this way Look at all those flowers And here he comes. Do you remember what that rooftop looked like before? Well, look at it now so much to see Look at all that July 11th 1936 Dear mama papa and grandma my heart is pounding so hard. I'm sure the customers could hear it downstairs At lunch today Uncle Jim put the clothes sign on the door and told Ed and Emma and me to go upstairs and wait He appeared with the most Amazing cake I've ever seen covered in flowers I truly believe that cake equals 1,000 smiles And then he took your letter out of his pocket with the news of papa's job I'm coming home Love to all and see you soon Lydia Grace PS grandma I've given all of my plans to Emma. I can't wait to help you in your garden again We gardeners never retire And then there they are at the train station Saying goodbye So I hope you like that one This book was written about a time in our country's history That your grown-ups could tell you more about when the world was a really hard and difficult place And we're kind of in one of those hard and difficult places now And so I hope that the story of Lydia Grace can Bring you some ideas of how you can create beauty Around your own house just like she did for Uncle Jim. She really transformed that bakery and definitely that rooftop So I hope you find a way today To make something beautiful to bring a little beauty and joy into your house and your family Take care and stay safe. We'll see you again real soon. Bye. Bye