Maggie’s Vision

Maggie’s Vision

1.

Both Maggie and her younger brother Mike grew up in North Texas, close to Fort Worth where their Father and Mother were stationed at the nearby military base. Their Father Frank was an Officer and their Mother Joyce was an RN and Maggie and Mike were raised on base housing. Where they grew up it seem like trees where everywhere. On the base, on off-base housing and the city parks. And starting in the Spring and through mush of the Summer, there were flowering plants and plenty of Honey Bees and Butterflies and Maggie loved to watch and study them. And both Mike and her made friends with other kids stationed on base housing with their Parents.

This changed when both their parents were transferred to a military base close to the White Sands Testing Grounds. If you’ve ever been in that area, you would likely know there are not a lot of trees in that area. A few in the small park on base housing and a few in the small park in the nearby smaller town. This didn’t seem to bother Mike because he always found something to do, from using his laptop of watching films on cable TV. But it certainly bothered Maggie that there was little vegetation, at least growing plants, around the base housing. Her vision was she was going to change all that, at least what she could, and she decided to wait until her Mother had her next day off.                   

Maggie’s desk, with it’s computer and printer, was placed directly in front of the one window in her bedroom. When she heard someone gently tap on the open door, she quickly turned around to see her Mother.

“Margaret, I assume you want to talk to me in private?” she asked her Daughter.

“Of course, Mom, but call me Maggie so everyone else here will.” she replied, then motioned for her Mother to sat in the chair near the desk.

“Okay, Honey, and you’ve got a few things to talk about?” her Mother asked after sitting down.

“Just one thing for now. When I took out my bedroom window, I don’t see trees or plants anywhere around here and it makes me feel sad.”

“Yes, Dear, I do, too. But this whole White Sands area is somewhat like a dessert.”

“Yes, Mom, I know that, but it doesn’t mean I can’t have plants in front of my window.”

“Maybe we can do something about that, but they would have to be in pots.”

“I would like that, Mom, but the area between my window and the sidewalk has those white looking stones on the ground.”

“I think there are several ways to handle that. If we carefully move to stones back, just enough or the bottom of each pot to fit that might work.”

“Or a bucket of something to put the extra stones in?”

“Good idea, but what would we do with the extra stones, Maggie?”

“Mom, those stones are everywhere. We could make a little pile of then in the corner of our back yard. No one will see them because of the wooden fence,”

“I’m sure that’s fine, Maggie, but the one we get will be the types that don’t need much water to live,”

“Mom, I did some research,” she told her Mother, then turned around to face the computer moniker screen.

“Euphorbia and Cactus? Of course. And I did notice, while driving through town, there was a private owned Nursery that should sell them.”

“That’s cool, Mom. So when can we go there?”

“Right after lunch. And I want some potted plants for your Dad and I to see from our bedroom window.”

“Thank you Mom?”

“You’re welcome, Maggie. And don’t tell Mike this yet, but you Dad bought a gas powered. Remote Controlled model airplane, in case Mike gets bored.”

“I’m sure Mike will love that and Dad, before he went into the military, had maybe six of them. I’ve seen the photos.”

“Yes, he did, but they weren’t remote controlled. And they won’t use it on base, or course, but there must be some Model Airplane Clubs within in area, as long as it’s not like a hundred miles away.”

“Like Tularosa?”

“Perhaps. So move over so we can both do research together on your computer.”

2.

Within three weeks after they bought their potted plants at least eight other families on their 

street had done the same. And she got to meet other kids on the base, including the ones that lived on their street, because they visited her and her brother and asked questions to get to know them.

On a late Saturday morning, two hours after Breakfast, the doorbell rang and Maggie’s Mother was surprised to see Captain Carson standing on their small porch. Ans she lead him into the livingroom. When they were both seated he smiled at her.

“Joyce, I really like what you’ve done here and some of your other neighbors have done or are likely thinking about doing. But, because one of my duties is base housing, it would have been nice it someone asked permission first.”

“Yes, it would have, Captain, but none of the plants were planted in the ground. All were in pots and each plant needs little water to survive on.. And it seems like having growing plants on our street reminds us of other areas, like where we were stationed or grew up in.”

“I agree and our base Commander agrees and he’s the one who gave us permission. With a few basic restrictions, of course. Like no trees, even those in pots, And no plants that require a lot to water to survive. As to Rose Bushes in pots? As much as I love Rose Bushes when they bloom, I suggest we not get them because, at first, they require a lot of water. So, anything else, Joyce?”

“Robert, can I assume you and Carol have already been to that small Nursery  in town?”

“Yes, we have. But some of the plants we wanted they don’t sell at that Nursery, but we ordered tour of them and the Nursery owner told us they will be in stock within a week.”