#4

Correction, Mark thought; Wayne, Jenny and Ben had come to visit. Curbing his impulse to make a frustrated face, Mark greeted Clora's brothers cordially, welcoming them to the valley.

Both men got out of the pickup and took a deep breath of clean, fresh air. "This air smells sweeter than any other I've ever smelled," Ben observed. "It smells so much like Evergreen, that's what makes it feel like home. I still don't like the hemmed in feeling I get here, but it's a good place for you and Clora. Now take us to those babies," he ordered with a smile, and Wayne seconded the notion.

Jenny got out quietly and didn't say anything beyond a muted "hello" but she followed them up the ramp and into the trailer complex.

"Oh, this is much different inside, than it appears from the outside," she said in surprise. "It's so roomy and open, and you have the wood stove also, how nice." then she lapsed into silence once again.

Gail came out of the baby's room with Lizzy, intending to get the bottle she had set to warm.

Ben perked up instantly, "Hello," he announced, "I've seen you in the store, I didn't realize this was the work you did. I'm Ben Hanson by the way, Clora is our sister."

Gail greeted them all professionally, allowing the newcomers to have a quick peek at the tiny girl that was about ready to announce she wanted her food, NOW.

"Excuse me for rushing you through the inspection," Gail re-wrapped the squirming child, "but if she starts crying, they all will cry, and trust me that's a song you can do without."

Everyone chuckled, and let her sit and start feeding the puckered up Liz before the baby could let loose with her vocal demands.

Clora had finished feeding the other two, and she came to the bedroom door and asked for Mark's help in bringing out which ever child she wasn't carrying. Because the two boys were so much alike, John had his name written on the top of his foot with indelible marker.

However, Clora and Mark had to unwrap one of them to know which one they were holding.

"Wow Sis, those boys are so identical they must be mirror twins," Wayne stared hard at the two bundles of joy that were sleeping with tightly closed eyes. "Their kinda little and scrawny," he observed, "they sure don't look like Tess did when she was born."

"Tess weighed almost 8 pounds as a single, I'm not built for 24 pounds of baby plus every thing else," Clora tartly shot back, and then she smiled, "would you like to hold John?" she asked Wayne.

"Of course, but how do you know this one is John?"

"I looked before I came out here," Clora said with laughter in her voice. "That's the only way I can be sure."

It was a wonderful afternoon with the clan gathered in praise of the new baby's and happy with the way Mark was beginning the new homestead.

The men went down to the Edwards corral and tried to lead the old non descript milk cow back up to her new home. Skinny, with hip bones that stuck up and out like the Washington monument, the cow was in dire need of TLC and grain.

Helga cooked a huge pot of oatmeal for the cow, after Karl came in and whispered something in her ear. "The cow," Helga issued when he had gone back outside, "iss nots in goods shapes, she needs her teeth vorked on, and Karls, he tinks she needs some medicines. No good for milks for muches veeks."

With Mark's blessing, Karl headed for town in his small pickup with money and a map of where to find a vet clinic.

Helga used a good many of their shriveled vegetables to start a soup for lunch; knowing that as long as she had a bushel basket of biscuits, the men would eat anything.

Mid morning coffee break had run the kitchen out of cookies, so she mixed up a couple pans of brownies and had them cooling for lunch dessert. The brownies came out of the oven and the biscuits went in, Helga hollering for more wood or there wouldn't be any food to eat.

All the men promptly brought in an armful each, and every child big enough to clutch a piece of kindling did their part. Meg, Adoree, Mandy, Claire, Tess and Jenny got the table ready, all the while Clora was beaming with happiness from her chair. This was a magnificent way to introduce the triplets to the family, and it had been so long since they all had been together.

Clora asked to say the blessing, and her praise for the people she loved, the God she loved and the many blessings that had been heaped on the family was very moving to the assembled group.

Ben produced a camera at the end of the meal and picture after picture was snapped, recording for posterity the magnificent clan of Hanson-Lindermans.

The fine Spring day was waining into the late afternoon when Milo came tearing into the house, "Hey everybody, the fish are running, help me!"