Mama Loved to Worry — Maryann Weidt

Life on Daisy Dell Farm can be worrying, and Mama is a world-class worrywart, earning the top prize at the Pickapeck County Fair. With summer's volatile weather to watch, Mama's attention is pulled in all directions. And then there's Baby Eli, always getting into some sort of mischief. Like the day he climbed up the silo just as a twisty wind blew through; it scooped him up and set him down safely in the cow pasture. Whew Imagine when the river runs high or the heat pops the corn in the field: Baby Eli will somehow get tangled up in whatever Mother Nature has to offer.

Mama channels her nervous energy into sewing and knitting and cooking, keeping all the family and livestock warm and well fed. Then, after yet another extended worrying session, Mama executes one more grand rescue of Baby Eli, and the predicament they find themselves in brings just what it should: not worry, but laughter. Lots and lots of laughter. Everything turns out fine, as it usually does, and what better way to celebrate than with all those well-dressed kin and critters, not to mention plates and plates of wonderfully tasty food? At some point, even Mama manages to say, "Why worry?"