Spring Sprouts

“W
hat is cowhide used for the most?” Roger White asked Molly Duff.

Molly sighed. Roger had gotten
Jake’s Joke Book
for his birthday. All he did was ask the Pee Wee Scouts riddles.

“Shoes,” said Molly. “Cowhide is used for shoes.”

Roger shook his head. “You don’t know, do you?” he shouted. “Guess again!”

“Belts,” said Lisa Ronning. “My uncle has a cowhide belt.”

“Nope,” said Roger.

“Tepees,” said Sonny Betz. “Tepees are made of cowhide.”

“No they aren’t,” said Roger. “They’re made of canvas. Or plastic or something.”

“Not Indian tepees,” said Sonny.

“Well, that’s not the answer,” said Roger.

Roger was jumping up and down. “Do you know, Mrs. Peters?” he asked.

“The main use for cowhide,” said Mrs. Peters slowly, “is to hold a cow together.”

Roger didn’t laugh. He began to pout. He didn’t like it when someone knew the punch line.

“I’m sorry,” said Mrs. Peters, with a smile. “But I heard that joke on the radio this morning.”

The Pee Wee Scouts were in Mrs. Peters’s backyard. It was a hot spring day. The sun poured down on Molly’s head. It made her hair hot.

“We can get sunburned out here,” said her friend Mary Beth Kelly.

“I thought it would be fun to have our meeting outside today,” said Mrs. Peters. She was the Pee Wee Scout troop leader. “Winter was so long and cold. Spring feels good. The sun is good for Nick.”

Nick was Mrs. Peters’s brand-new baby. He was only four months old. He sat in his stroller. The Scouts were giving him rides around the yard.

“I mentioned the sun,” said Mrs. Peters, “because we are going to talk about vitamins today. And the sun has vitamin D in it.”

Some of the Scouts groaned.

“Yuck,” said Tracy Barnes. “I don’t
like vitamins. Vegetables have them. Like spinach.”

“Vitamins are in lots of things,” said Mrs. Peters. “Lots of good things. Even ice cream.”

Molly rubbed her stomach. Ice cream would taste good right now, she thought. Cold and creamy. Yum.

“I’d like to sit in a barrel of ice cream right now,” said Kevin Moe. “Right up to my neck.”

The Pee Wees laughed. It was a funny thing to picture. Kevin in a tub of ice cream.

Mrs. Peters walked over to the picnic table. She was carrying a big basket. She dumped it out on the table.

Ker-plunk.

Lots of little packages fell out.

Pop, pop, pop.

Brightly colored little packages.

The Scouts looked at the packages.

Red and green and blue.

Yellow and pink and lilac.

Everyone sat down on the benches around the table. Mrs. Peters propped Nick up so he could see.

“What are they?” asked Tracy. She shook one of the little packages. It sounded noisy. Like little beads were inside.

Rattle, rattle, rattle.

“I know what they are,” said Rachel Meyers. “Seeds!”

“You’re right,” said Mrs. Peters. “They are seeds to plant in gardens.”

She opened one of the little packages. Little tiny dots were inside.

“From these little seeds,” said their leader, “come big fat radishes!”

“How can they?” asked Tim. He looked like he didn’t believe her.

“That’s nothing,” said Rachel. “A great
big tree grows from just a little seed.”

The Pee Wees looked at the tree overhead. It was huge. Little green leaves were coming out. Light-green leaves.

“That didn’t come from a little seed,” scoffed Tim.

“Did too,” said Rachel. “Didn’t it, Mrs. Peters?”

“It came from an acorn,” said Mrs. Peters. “Inside every acorn is a seed that can become an oak tree.”

Rachel made a face at Tim.

“But these seeds,” said Mrs. Peters, shaking a package, “are for radishes and carrots. I thought it would be fun for all of you to plant your very own garden while we study vitamins. Spring is the time to plant gardens.”

“I love to dig in the dirt,” said Sonny.

“Me too,” said Kenny Baker.

“My dad plants a garden every spring,”
said Rachel. “My mom freezes the vegetables.”

“Then maybe you already know how to do it,” said Mrs. Peters. “Rachel can help us.”

Mrs. Peters passed a little packet of seeds to each Scout.

“First you find a nice sunny spot and dig up the dirt,” Mrs. Peters explained. “Then you rake it smooth.”

She walked over to a little place in the yard that was already dug and raked. “Mr. Peters got this ready last night,” she said.

She bent down and put a ruler on the ground. She made a little ditch alongside it with a knife. “This is so the row will be nice and straight,” she said.

Then she sprinkled the seeds along the ruler, into the little ditch.

“Don’t plant them too deep,” she said. “And not too close together. Every day you must water your garden. Water and sun will make it grow.”

Molly couldn’t wait to get home and plant her seeds. She wanted to have the very first radish. And the biggest one of all.

“This hot sun will bring them up fast,” said Mrs. Peters. She washed her hands off under the outdoor faucet.

Then everyone sat down at the table again.

“Besides the garden,” she said, “we will keep vitamin scrapbooks.”

She held up a big picture of a carrot. “This has lots of vitamin A.”

Then she held up a picture of a lemon. “This has lots of vitamin C. You can cut pictures out of old magazines. After you make your scrapbooks and plant your gardens, we will talk about nutrition. Then you will earn your EAT RIGHT badges.

The Pee Wees cheered, “Yeah!”

It was fun to plant a garden. And make scrapbooks. And it was even more fun to get a new badge!

“We’ve got a seed catalog at home,” said Lisa. “I can find lots of vegetables in that.”

Mrs. Peters talked some more about vitamins and nutrition. About what to eat for breakfast, for instance.

Roger raised his hand. “Can I tell a joke?” he said.

“Yes,” said Mrs. Peters.

“What are two things you can’t eat for breakfast?” he said.

The Scouts thought about the question.

“Steak,” said Molly.

“An ice-cream soda,” said Patty.

Roger shook his head. “Lunch and dinner!” he shouted.

“Boo!” said all the Scouts together.

Roger looked embarrassed.

Then they all joined hands and sang the Pee Wee Scout song. And they said the Pee Wee Scout pledge.

Molly loved the Scout meetings.

But she wanted to hurry home.

To plant her garden.

Molly wanted to be the first one to get her little packet of seeds in the ground.