sixthiterationlogs | what a garden to be made ( OPEN )

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what a garden to be made ( OPEN )

WHO: Beverly Crusher
WHERE: Hospital, outside House #15
WHEN: Second week of May
OPEN TO: Anyone, with one closed for Wanda
WARNINGS: Nothing for now, will update if necessary
STATUS: OPEN

HOUSE #15

It was a strange box she'd found that morning. What was even more strange was what she had found inside the box. A bunch of seeds of all sizes and shapes stared up at her, glinting in the little bit of light filtering through. What startled her more than those were the gardening tools resting above the seeds. It was like someone knew she liked gardening, knew she would want to help out and wanted a garden of her own. Was this something those Observers she had heard so much about liked to do?

Pulling out the tools, she set them aside and began to sort through the seeds. There were so many, she barely even knew where to start. Two of most things, except one willow and four aloe. The willow made sense, though she hoped it was the seed for a smaller willow tree. The aloe plant also made sense. The more aloe they had, the better off everyone would be. Some of these would have to wait for a greenhouse or something of the sort. Otherwise, the climate here would kill them. But some she could go ahead and plant.

So for the rest of the week, she could be found outside when she wasn't on a shift at the hospital. With tools in hand, she's either working on getting some of the seeds into the ground or trying to remember how Annie and Finnick were doing their fence so she can make her own. The last thing she wants is to have her new garden get eaten or run over when it finally starts to grow. She makes a point of looking for anyone who might want to help on either one of these endeavors.

HOSPITAL

Her colleagues at the hospital are all very important here. Beverly doesn't know what each of them knows about herbal remedies, but she sees no reason not to offer what she does know to them. The more of a supply of those remedies they have and the more people who know what they are and how to use them, the better. So at some point during the day, she finds each of them, walking up to ask a few simple questions.

"I've just received a bunch of seeds for herbs and plants we can use for medicine and poultices when they finally grow. How much do you know about medicinal herbs?"

WANDA

Wanda is one of the people Beverly wants most to work on her garden with. Unfortunately, not knowing Wanda's schedule means she isn't familiar with the proper times and places to try to catch her. So Beverly sorts out a handful of the ones she wants to plant now, setting them aside so she can plant them with Wanda at a later date. It isn't until the end of the week that she finally happens to make it into the Inn at the right time to find Wanda. Making her way over, again being careful not to sneak up on her, she offers a small but very warm smile.

"I remember you being interested in gardening," she comments easily. "I've just discovered a whole bunch of seeds that I'd like to plant. If you're interested, maybe you could help me."

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Wanda has had a hard time in the village over the last month or so. Only Clint knew the full extent of her heartache and she preferred to keep it that way. Even so, it wasn't hard to tell that she was on edge. Her shoulders were knotted and tense and her head turned with any sudden sound as if she had to know what was there.

When she spotted Beverly she thought about smiling but the gesture didn't reach her lips.

"Yes." Her brows knitted together. "What kind of Seeds?" She was definitely interesting, in fact, a distraction would be perfect. Wanda was sorting through her troubles but there was so little she could do about them. Focusing on something she could control would be a small relief.

Wanda seems to still be in that same mindset of earlier, which just makes Beverly even more determined to help her somehow. The only way she knows how at the moment is through this project, so that's what she throws her energy into for now.

"Seeds for medicinal herbs, roots, and plants," she explains. "Mostly things I can use at the hospital to help treat patients." But there's also a blackberry bush, which could also double as a food source. "I've set aside a couple handfuls for us to do together whenever you have a moment or two free."

Wanda nodded her head briskly. "I'm free now." She replied, pushing her shoulders back while pointing her head forward. She welcomed the chance to do something productive. Try as she might, there were times during each day that she was left with her thoughts and the anger that swelled inside of her chest.

"Where do you want to plant them?"

She had planned to start her own garden but seeing how large the community one was, she had decided just to help there. It seemed simpler than starting over for only a small group of people.

"I've got a little fenced-in plot by my house now," Beverly answers, stepping back and motioning for Wanda to follow her. "If you don't mind a short walk, we can head over there and take a look. Some of them I've already planted this week, but I set aside the rest for you. I thought you might want to have a chance, too."

It's the least she could do since Wanda expressed interest in learning how to garden a while back. It just took Beverly some time to actually find the young woman again since she opened the box.

"Most of them are labeled, so you'll be able to tell what they are as we go. If you have questions, you're free to ask me. Even if it's not related to gardening at all."

Mostly she's referring to what they'll be doing, but it's also an offer for Wanda to ask her questions any time, not just while they work. Beverly hasn't been here for long, but she's already sort of reaching to take Wanda under her wing, as she does, to help in any way that she can.

"I don't mind." Wanda shook her head as she spoke and then began to follow Beverly forward. She knew where the woman lived however Wanda continued to remain a few steps behind as if following anyway. "Thank you." She had no idea why Beverly thought to show her such kindness but she was happy to receive it.

Wanda warmly accepted any distraction from the empty pit that was writhing inside of her.

"I'll do that." There would be no point in trying to learn if she didn't ask questions along the way. "Is there a way that you want them planted?" She asked, turning to look at Beverly as they walked.

Wanda didn't know what other questions she'd ask Beverly but she would keep the offer in mind.

Beverly always was the kind of person to give of herself to others, especially those who seemed to need it for one reason or another. She had promised to teach Wanda more one day when she had the means to do so. Now she does and she figures a little more of a hands-on approach will help Wanda get the idea better than simply explaining the process would.

“I’ve got them set up in ways that will hopefully give them the best access to the amount of sunlight they need while also making sure they aren’t competing with each other,” she explains. “I’ve also already turned the earth so that it’s loose and ready for planting. Other than that, we make a hole about six inches deep and set the seed down in it. I’ll show you how as we go.”

And she does, of course. Once they make it to the house, she kneels down next to one of the sections she’s prepared for this. “This seed belongs to the valerian plant, typically used as a mild sleep aid. It was native to Europe and Asia, but was introduced to North America, so it should grow here.” Hopefully, anyway.

Beverly passes over her hand trowel and indicates a circular area with one hand, explaining what she wants and how as they go. “Let’s try making a hole right about here with the trowel.”

Wanda nodded. "They need different amounts of space?" She asked knowing that the answer was yes but hoping that Beverly would explain more of the concept in her description. Beverly seemed like a good teacher so Wanda didn't put to much effort into her questions. It could be assumed that whatever she asked were subjected she wanted to expand her knowledge on.

Wanda followed Beverly like a shadow when they approached the obvious section of dirt. She wondered if the loose dirt help the roots spread but the information didn't seem relevant enough for her to ask.

"Dreamless sleep?" She couldn't help but ask. Every night brought another nightmare and it was slowly wearing on Wanda. If there was a way for her to sleep without dreams she'd take it.

Wanda took the trowel and followed the directions that Beverly gave her. Beverly will find that Wanda takes directions very literally and is very good at following orders.

Beverly nods as they walk. "Depending on the size of the plant and the root system," she explains. "If the roots overlap too much, they'll compete for water and nutrients and the plants above ground will fight for sunlight. They each need the right amount of space so they don't have to fight each other."

Her approval of Wanda's movements is easy to see. Wanda is a good student, willing to learn, and she seems happy to do so. If Beverly has to correct her or explain something, she does it gently, making sure that Wanda knows how good a job she's doing.

The next question gets a soft sign from Beverly. "Not exactly. It's mostly to treat insomnia. I might be able to make you a mixture to help, but it won't be a cure."

Wanda nodded her head to show that she understood though she didn't say anything in response. When it came to learning Wanda choose to listen and only insert in questions when there was a long enough pause to do so. She knew so little, she'd take any measure of information offered to her.

"Some things have no cure." Wanda replied back in an even voice as she continued her work. She tried to work with the dirt, moving it so that it'd remain close to it's hole for later.

After a moment's pause Wanda continues. "I don't sleep very often." She's pretty sure it's a common aliment in the small town.

"Good," Beverly approves of the hole Wanda has dug. "All right, now we get to place the seed in and cover it. You don't want to pack it too tightly, but you also don't want it to be so loose that any animal can dig it up." She motions for Wanda to set the seed in and then get started with the rest, gently guiding her as they go.

"We can try skullcap once that's grown," she suggests, thinking through the stash she has. "Do you like the smell of lavender?"

Wanda nodded her head and did as she was told. Loosely packing the dirt gave her pause. She gently brushed the dirt back into the hole, making sure it was filled and then considered her work done when a little mound was the end result.

"Skullcap?" She asked in a curious tone. While the name sounded familiar, Wanda would have to see it to recognize it.

"I don't hate lavender." She replied quickly, her brow furrowing. What did lavender have to do with Skullcap?

"It's a very versatile plant used for inflammation, sedation, insomnia, anxiety, headaches, and general pain," she explains, motioning for Wanda to do another one as she picks up the hoe to use to dig her own makeshift hole. It won't be as pretty as Wanda's, but it will be functional and that's what matters right now. "A lot of people find lavender very soothing. I could make you a mixture of some sort or even try for something you can use in hot water like tea. It wouldn't be a perfect remedy, but it might help ease any tension before you try to sleep."

Once again, Wanda did as she was instructed. She dug a hole, placed the seed inside and buried it like the one before. She took a look at the distance to make sure they were far enough apart and began on another hole.

"Sounds useful." It sounded like something that she needed.

The offer made Wanda blink in surprise. "Oh, sure." She paused. "Thank you."

Beverly only has a handful of seeds to plant right now. She can't plant all of the ones she found because not all of them can grow in this climate, but they can plant the ones that can.

"You're welcome. If you like mint, I can do the same for it, too," she offers. "Once I have something to work with, I'll see if I can't come up with a lot of varieties for use. If any smell or sound particularly good to you, you'll be welcome to try them."

Wanda nodded her head. "Thank you." She liked the idea and honest it was something to look forward too. She continued to plant though she paused after digging the fourth hole. She didn't know how many of these Beverly wanted to plant.

"Should I keep going?"

"Just a couple more," she suggests, moving a couple more seeds towards Wanda. "A lot of these won't grow in this climate, so I'm saving them for if we ever get a greenhouse, but some should be all right. Once we're done planting them, we'll need to make sure they get water. If you'd like to come check on them every so often with me, we can continue your herbology education."

Wanda nodded her head and moved onto the next hole. She sank her shovel into the ground and pushed the dirt aside. "Can any plants grow in a green house?" She didn't actually know how green houses worked.

"Okay." She would like that. She found Beverly easy to talk to.

"Yes, that's actually the purpose of it," she explains as they work a little more. "It regulates temperature and water so that plants can grow outside their natural climate. For instance, if you tried to plant a cactus out here in a garden, it wouldn't like the cold of winter. But theoretically, if you set up the greenhouse to mimic its preferred environment, you could grow one just fine. A couple of my seeds are like that. They'll need a climate that's different from this one if we want to have a chance of growing any."

Wanda sat back on her heels when she finished with the seeds that Beverly had siphoned out to plant. She looked over at the older woman with a curious stare.

"How do you change the climax?" She'd never thought she'd need to know how a green house worked and since it never came up she'd never thought to learn about it.

“It’s―” Old-fashioned, she thinks but doesn’t say. “―They vary and have to be regulated through technological means. At least, where I’m from it’s possible. I’m not sure if the level of technology here would be able to handle it, but a traditional greenhouse can still blunt the impact of the sun or use irrigation practices to create a humid environment, mist some of the plants inside so they don’t dry out. That sort of thing.”

She’s hoping one will be built here someday. Even a small, ancient one would be better than nothing.

Wanda nodded her head to show Beverly that she understood. She still had questions but it felt like she’s learned a lot for a single day and Wanda wanted to take it in steps.

"Thank you." Her accent rolled pleasantly through her words as she continued. "For taking the time to teach me."

"Of course," Beverly replies warmly. "You're always welcome here."

And she means that, too. If Wanda ever needs her for anything in the future, Beverly is here. She won't abandon someone she's coming to care about.

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what a garden to be made ( OPEN )

Wanda in the house! Stll moody but less so

♥! poor bb

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end?

/thumbs up!