A Fun Time Planting a Garden

Chapter Three

It was a beautiful sunny bright day. Chips and Charley were outside hpping over everything in sight. They were so happy to have each other as a friend and to be free do what they enjoyed that they could not help but shout for joy.

Grumpy Gopher, a neighbor, heard their shouting, and he could not figure why anyone could be so happy. He was preparing his garden for planting, and it was no fun to remove stones and weeds on such a hot morning. No one should be happy when he had so much work to do.

"Quiet down you two!" he shouted. "Can't you let a fellow work in peace?"

Chips and Charley hopped over to Grumpy's garden.

"How can you ask us to be quiet?" asked Chips. "It's such a wonderful morning. I love hopping and I found a friend, Charley, who can hop with me. We are having so much fun!"

Grumpy snarled, "Fun? You are having fun when I have to move these heavy rocks and pull these stubborn weeds. Someday you will grow up and find that there is no time for fun...just work, work, work."

Charley hopped into Grumpy's garden and started pulling on a weed.

"You can have fun while you are working you know," Charley commented.

"Nonsense. What do bugs know? If you are having fun while you thing you are working, then you are probably getting nothing accomplished. You young ones have a lot to learn," Grumpy snarled.

Chips hopped into the garden and started pulling on a weed too. He pulled so hard that when the week came out, he tumbled over backwards. Charley then did the same things. They both started laughing.

"You're going to break your backs if you pull them out that way, " Grumpy grumbled.

Chips and Charley ignored him, and they continued to make a game out of pulling the weeds. They became very dirty, but Grumpy's garden was getting cleared out quickly.

After weeding Chips and Charley started picking up the stones. Grumpy was bending over to pull out a big stone and Chips could not resist. He hopped right over Grumpy.

"Hey, where did you come from? I thought you were over there," Grumpy demanded.

Charley waiting until Grumpy bent over again, and then he hopped over him too. Grumpy was surprised to see how Charley moved to the other end of the garden so quickly.

"There must be two of you bugs," he cried.

Chips and Charley contined to hop over Grumpy every time he bent over. Each time they leaped, they picked up a stone and threw it out of the garden. Grumpy was very confused by all the movement. He could not figure out how they could get around so quickly.

When Grumpy bent over to pick up the last big stone, Chips hopped over him. This time he did not hop high enough. He knocked Grumpy's hat off his head.

"Ha," Grumpy yelled. "I see what you two are up to! You are fooling around and getting me all confused. Some help you are!"

"What do you mean?" cried Chips. "Look at the garden. All the stones and weeds are gone!"

"Yean, well, I still have to put the seeds in teh ground," Grumpy complained.

"Oh boy!" cried Charley. "That will be the best part!"

Grumpy went into his house and brought out a bag of seeds.

"May I plan the carrots?" asked Chips.

"Plant what you like. But no more hopping over my head!"

Chips and Charley raced to see who could finish a row of seeds the fastest. Chips always won each race, but Charley did not mind. He was enjoying himself. He liked the taste of the seeds as he carried them in his mouth, and he loved the smell of the rich brown dirt.

When they were finished planting, Charley asked if they could make the garden larger and plant more seeds.

"No, silly, " said Grumpy. "There is enough garden here for me. I don't need more work taking care of a bigger garden."

All three of them went to wash themselves in Silver Stream. The cool water sure felt good. After that, Grumpy gave Chips and Charley each a bag of honey candy.

He said, "Thank you for helping me."

Chips smiled and said, "Thanks for letting us help. It was fun!"

"I am sure it did you good to work instead of play all day," Grumpy stated.

Even though he didn't say so, Grumpy was thinking to himself that, with Chips and Charley's help, even he had some fun today.