Family Planting — Elizabeth Ross

A family in transition is moving to a strange new concept of life. From isolation and freedom, to small town living, the children are used to wild animals, snakes, hills to climb and no close neighbors for miles. They will soon be confined to a home with untouchable, elegant furniture, rooms with wall-to-wall books, china dishes and crystal figurines, which are not to be touched. Houses as high as the lower mountain ranges that surrounded their one story family home in Wyoming, are seen on the streets of the Midwestern home of their Grandmother and her new husband. They are rancher's children, not used to all the restraints on their lives. There is a rift between the families, that needs to be healed, but has been allowed to fester for several years. Grandmother is stern and haughty and is not looking forward to taking in three wild children, plus a daughter in law she has never met. She does not know that they have several surprises for her.Grandfather is a gentle giant that hopes to broker a peace between son and mother, but must tread with a light step, or lose his chance of having a happy wife and grandchildren, whom he wants to enjoy and delight in. How they move to make these changes, and adapt to the needs and wants of all concerned, is a bigger challenge than they anticipated.A beautiful, prize winning flower garden, is a point of contention. Flowers are to be looked at only, not touched or picked. Three flights of stairs inside the house are a mountain climbing experience the children make into a wonderful conquest. Trees so tall, you can see the leaves and branches from the highest windows, are a view into a new world. Small furry animals that scurry along the branches of the trees, feeding their babies, can be seen.The rift continues after accidental happenings change the course of the relationships, in a major way. How the families deal with each occurrence is both unsettling and unique. Grandmother finds herself drawn to her granddaughter, in spite of the child's earsplitting, scream that irritates and frustrates her. The child is the delight of her grandfather, and has his heart. This will be a major obstacle to be overcome, for the grandparents.