Grandma believed that since Grandpa couldnt be there to help her that summer, he had sent the bees to take his place and make Grandmas little garden grow and grow…
Grandpas Bees
A long time before I was born, my Grandma and Grandpa moved into the house on Beechwood Avenue. They had a young family—of 4 little girls. The little girls Slept in the attic in a big feather bed. It was cold there on winter night. Grandma put hot bricks under the covers at the foot of the bed to keep the little girls warm.
外婆相信是由于外公那年夏天没能亲自来帮她,才派了蜜蜂到这里让小花园欣欣向荣。
外公的蜜蜂
在我出生的很早以前,外婆和外公就搬到了碧奇乌大街居住。他们膝下有四个小女儿。女孩们挤睡在阁楼的一张大羽毛床上。那里的冬夜十分寒冷,外婆必须在床脚下垫上热砖给小女儿们取暖。
During the Great Depression,work was hard to find, so Grandpa did whatever jobs he could. He dug ditchesditch n.沟, 沟渠, 壕沟 during the week and on weekend he and Grandma dug a garden to grow some of their own food.
The house on Beechwood Avenue had a big front yard with shade trees and fruit trees. In the middle of the yard was a water pump where the four little girls pumped water for cooking, cleaning and watering the garden.
On one side of the yard, Grandma and Grandpa planted tomatoes, beans, squash, cucumbers, peppers and strawberries to feedfeed vt.喂养, 饲养vi.吃东西 their growing family. They planted roses, geraniums, lilacs and irises on the other side of the yard, around the statue of the Blessed Mother.
Everybody worked to keep the garden growing. All summer long, the family ate food from the garden and enjoyed the beautiful flowers.
经济大萧条时期,工作十分难找,外公什么苦活都去做。在工作日里他挖沟渠,周末和外婆在花园里劳作,种一点自己的粮食。
碧奇乌大街的房子都有个大前院,院子里种着浓阴遮蔽的大树和果树。院子中央有个水泵,女孩们就在这里泵水来做饭、打扫卫生、浇灌花园。
外婆和外公在院子的一边种上西红柿、豆子、南瓜、黄瓜、辣椒和草莓,供给这个大家庭的吃用。在另一边,他们围着圣母的雕像种下了玫瑰、天竺葵、丁香和蝴蝶花。
每个人都勤劳地在花园里耕作,使它日渐丰实。整个夏天,一家人吃着花园里产出的食物,欣赏着花园里的美丽花卉。
Grandma put up strawberry jam, tomatoes, beans, peppers, pears and peaches in canning jam. They were good to eat through the long winter.
The family grew up, and before too many years had passed, the grandchildren came to visit.
Grandma and Grandpa still planted their garden every spring. Everyone still enjoyed the good food from the garden and always took some home.
Grandchilden grow up, and grandparents grow older. It became harder for Grandma and Grandpa to keep up the garden. So they made it a little smaller. There was still plenty to eat from the garden and lovely flowers to enjoy.
Then one sunmmer when Grandpa was eightynine years old, all he could do was watch from his lawn chair as the vegetables grew and the roses bloomed. Summer slowly faded, and Grandpa died before it was time to bring in the harvest.
外婆还把制好的草莓酱、西红柿、豆子、辣椒、梨子和桃子装在罐子里,使它们的美味能保持一个漫长冬天。
多年过去了,孩子们已经长大了,外孙外孙女们也来到了人世。
外婆和外公依然每年春天都在花园耕作。每个人都能分享到花园里长出的好东西,也总能带上一些回到家里。
外孙外孙女们长大了,外公、外婆也已老迈年高。维护花园用去他们太多的精力,所以他们减小了花园的面积。但里面种出来的食物还是足够食用,花朵也还是招人喜欢。
外公八十九岁时的那个夏季,他只能坐在草地的椅子上,看着蔬菜慢慢长大,玫瑰开花。夏季渐渐过去,外公在丰收之前就去世了。
It was a lonely winter for Grandma. She sat near the window, looking out at the yard and wondering if she could plant the garden in the spring. It would be hard to care for it by herself.
When spring came,she planted only a little garden.
One sunny day in the early summer, Grandma heard a commotioncommotion n.骚动, 暴乱 in the front yard and looked out the window to see a frightening sight agigantic swarmswarm n.蜂群, 一大群v.涌往, 挤满, 密集 of bees filled the air between two tall trees. There was thousands of bees in the air,so many that the swarm reached the treetops! The buzzing sound was tremendoustremendous adj.极大的, 巨大的 . Grandma watched as the bees made their way into a ho1e up in one of the trees. Before long, everyone of those bees had disappeard into its new home.
这对于外婆来说,这是一个寂寥的冬天。她坐在窗前,望着外边的院子,考虑着来年春天还要不要在花园里耕种。只靠她自己一个人来打理实在有些太难了。
当春天到来时,她只是稍微播种了一点。
初夏的一天,阳光明媚,外婆听到前院传来了一阵骚动声,她向窗外望去,看见了可怕的一幕。两棵大树上缀满了大团大团的蜜蜂。空中还有成千上万只在飞舞着,数不胜数的蜂群一直排到树梢上!嗡嗡声不绝于耳。外婆看见这些蜜蜂都先后钻进了一棵树上高高的树洞里。很快,所有的蜜蜂都搬进了新的家,消失了。
Grandma wondered what in the world she could do. Should she hire someone to get rid ofget rid of v.摆脱, 除去 bees? That would cost more than she could afford.She decided to wait and think it over.
During the next few days, the bees were busy making their own business. Grandma could always see a few bees buzzing in and out around the opening high in the tree. Before long, she decided the bees wont bothering anyone,so she went about her business and didnt give them any other thought.
That summer,Grandmas little garden grew and grew.The neighbors would stop to admire the huge crop of vegetables and puzzle over their own gardens werent doing well. No matter, because Grandma had enough give some away. Of course, everyone who came to visit was treated to a meal of good things from the garden.
外婆不禁发起愁来。她是否该找人帮忙清走这些蜜蜂呢?可她根本支付不起这笔费用。于是她打算等上一等,再想想其他办法。
随后的几天,蜜蜂们忙个不停。外婆总能看到有一些从高高的树洞里嗡嗡地飞进飞出。不久她觉得蜜蜂并无大碍,于是自顾自地干活,不再顾及它们。
当年夏天,外婆的小花园里硕果累累。邻居们都驻足观望,羡慕里面生长旺盛的蔬菜,寻思怎么自己的花园里长势没有这么喜人。没有关系,因为外婆有许多可以送给别人。登门拜访的人肯定都用花园里的美味来招待。
One day, Grandmas brother Frank visited from Arizona. As Grandma made Frank a delicious lunch of squash pan cakes and homemade apple sauce, she told him the story about the swam of bees.
Frank said,“In Arizona, the famers often hired beekeepers to set up beehivesbeehive n.蜂窝, 蜂箱 near their fields. The bees pollinatedpollinate vt.对……授粉 the crops and helped them to grow.”
That was when Grandma realized that her bees had helped with her garden all summer…
“So thats why my little garden had such a big crop!”she exclaimed.
From that time on,Grandma always believed that since Grandpa couldnt be there to help her that summer, he had sent the bees to take his place and make Grandmas little garden grow and grow…
有一天,外婆的弟弟弗兰克从亚利桑那州前来探望。外婆给他做了一顿香气扑鼻的午饭,有南瓜饼,有自制的苹果酱,她还把蜜蜂的事情告诉了弗兰克。
弗兰克说:“在亚利桑那,农夫们经常雇用养蜂人在农田附近搭蜂箱。蜜蜂授粉有助于庄稼成长。”
外婆这才认识到,原来是这些蜜蜂在夏季的帮助成就了花园的丰收。
“因为它们我的小花园才有了这个大丰收!”她大声地说道。
从那时开始,外婆便相信是由于外公那年夏天没能亲自来帮她,才派了蜜蜂到这里让小花园欣欣向荣。
外公去世了,却派来了蜜蜂帮助外婆收获夏季的菜园。道尽了夫妻间那种微妙的默契,彼此种下的爱情种子,结出了丰硕的果实。在简简单单的情感呵护面前,这对夫妻,是一个很好的榜样。这个美丽的、温馨的、感人的故事,或许就发生在我们身边,留心观察一下,或许你就会发现。