Bed Rug letterbox Mansfield , Ct. ( Tolland County )

Planted 4/9/01 by Leader of the Pack and the Cowboy for Grandma's
birthday.

Rated : Easy

Note: This is on the Trail to Inherit the Earth

Begin on Rte 195 in Mansfield , south of the the Ucon Campus. Look
for the Mansfield Historical Society ( Old Town Hall ) and pull in to
the parking area. Park to the very back of the lot. Here begins a
walk into the past. " Mary , Mary where you going?" " Into the
lane for a walk, I'm looking for some of the plants I need to dye my
yarn into beautiful colors. If you want to come along you may. "
The two girls walked north a bit they passed the Osage orange tree,
its fruit though not edible were a nobby green orb and interesting to
look at ,the trees are rather rare and it was nice one was so close
by. They scampered over the wall and turned right onto the dirt
road. They walked along scanning the woodland for dye plants whose
leaves and roots would give color to the wool they had spun into
yarn. The stonewall of the lane was on the left and they walked along
chattering about the pattern for a magnificent Bed Rug. A bed
covering popular in these parts in this wonderful era of the mid
1800's. They gathered a few roots and walked more ,happy to be out
on a nice day and away from the hot kitchen fire and the chores at
home. Soon they heard whispers, it was the boys in their tree house
laying some plot of torment saved especially for sisters. They would
fool them. " Mary why did mother bake such fine cakes today?" With
the thought of food the boys climbed down the rustic ladder and ran
for the kitchen at home. Would they ever be suprised to find mother
making soap! The girls giggled at their very fine prank and walked on
past the tree house. Soon they came upon a place where several stone
walls met. The trail would go down hill here but they stopped and
looked the area over. There to the left of the trail were two large
trees very similar in size and right next to each other. Between the
trees hidden by rock were the very roots the girls sought. They were
careful to not have anyone see them there and got what they came for
and left the rest for someone else tucked in to the rocks as they
found it. At home they would dye yarn and sew it into a design so
grand it would make their room look elegant! They returned home the
way they came. Maybe another day they would walk on to Inherit the
Earth a popular view spot where most of the valley of Mansfield would
be layed out before them . For today it was home to get the dye pot
boiling and the project underway again. CONGRATULATIONS to
my Mom for the publication of her book on Bed Rugs a special colonial
art and for the hours she put in making her own! Carolyn - Leader of
the Pack