In Ur Garden; Up Ur Tree

[onlytolerable]

 Sophie learned her lesson during the Arcana incursion. She'd spent far too much time buried in old tomes. On more than one occasion, she'd had to be carried to bed. So now, she paces herself. She gets the same amount done as she searches in vain for mentions of past magical failures--at least they have jumping off points--but she makes time to take the occasional break and clear her head.

That  still doesn't explain why the 8 of Diamonds is seen outside scrambling up trees.

Curiouser and curioser.

Comments

[allthesamemask]

Her forehead wrinkles a little in thought. "Is it okay if I dunno how to use a hammer? I can just fit the planks together and see how it goes. And paint it when it's done, I s'pose."

[onlytolerable]

"I certainly hope so! I can't use one either. Cadogan will want to help. If we get desperate we can hit up Ben." She thinks about that. "And if he's busy maybe someone over at the Clubs.

"I actually found some designs in architectural journals. Apparently tree houses are big business now. Not fair. Bad enough grown-ups stole Halloween."

[allthesamemask]

"They forgot to grow up, y'mean," she corrects, scampering to the other side. "How big were the ones you found? Were they really elaborate? Or just regular houses except in trees?" Pause. "I mean, the Town houses. There are places where the whole town lives in trees, aren't there?"

[onlytolerable]

"I find the worst offenders are the ones who stand on decorum the 364 other days of the year. That live oak over there's also a possible candidate. Nice, spreading branches--low, too."

She legs up another branch for a better view. "Some of them were incredible. One was made to look like a Japanese lantern. That one was pretty. Another was this huge white monstrosity sitting on top of a bunch of trees. I had to specify children's tree houses."

[allthesamemask]

"Just because it's bigger'n usual doesn't mean it can't be a kid's tree house," Leigh points out, as she moves out along a branch, testing the strength. "Sitara'd take anything as long as she's got the space to play out princess pirate dreams. Hey, maybe we can make a ship-shaped tree house."

[onlytolerable]

"Oh! A pirate ship! That's a terrific idea! Do you suppose we could rig the 'plank' as some sort of slide?" She stares dreamily off into space. Wouldn't it have been marvelous to have had such a thing when she was little?



[<href="http://freshome.com/2008/01/08/top-8-most-amazing-tree-houses/">the ones Sophie's talking about]

[allthesamemask]

She bounces a little, half to express her delight and half to test the branch. "That'd be awesome! Maybe we can have a rope ladder, then, to keep with the theme. And a figurehead." She looks up at the top of the beech. "And a crow's nest, too."

[onlytolerable]

Not a real crow's nest. She smiles to herself, not unless they could train the birds to squawk, Anchors away! Look out below! "I bet everyone would have fun with that.

"I just realized. Sitara will need to share since the tree house will be on castle grounds. What sort of figurehead do you think both boys and girls would like?"

[allthesamemask]

"Can't be a mermaid, the girls'll say it's for the boys 'cause she'd be pretty and the boys'll say it's for the girls since it's a mermaid. But a sea monster's definitely a boy thing. Maybe a giant sea shell?"

[onlytolerable]

"I'd have liked a sea monster. A shell might work or maybe a dolphin. We should let the kids decide."

[allthesamemask]

"Leave it for last and put it to a vote, then?" She swings back to Sophie and the trunk. "You said somethin' about an oak, where?"

[onlytolerable]

"Exactly! We should leave most of the finishing touches to them--even get them to lend a hand. That way we aren't dictating to them."

She peers around the trunk, finally locating the tree in question and points at a tall oak with low, spreading branches. "It's more off the beaten path."

[allthesamemask]

It takes some doing (and a briefly distressing moment of her hair getting caught as she climbs down), but finally she's standing next to Sophie looking up at the oak. "Bit of a way to carry planks and such. We could build lots of levels, though."

[onlytolerable]

"That's what hand trucks and wheel barrows are for." Maybe even forklifts. "I'll leave the logistics up to the construction team. I think Cadogan will help, and I'll ask Ben, maybe some other people. Do you know of anyone who's good with his or her hands?"

[allthesamemask]

Her forehead wrinkles in thought as she chews her lip. "There's a couple of people in the kitchens. And, uh, Grady helped his dad fix up their house last summer, I think."