THE ADVENTURES OF PERIWINKLE & STINKY: PART CCXXXIV

Stinky waits by the teleportation tunnel for Periwinkle’s arrival. He continues pushing Kizmet back, as she keeps trying to get inside. She always wants to get involved in everything he does. Thankfully, when the teleportation tunnel starts vibrating, Kizmet steps aside, and Stinky
is able to catch Periwinkle as she comes flying out with the familiar whoosh. She’s giggling but stops to give him a paw hug and whisker kiss. The tabbies spend a few minutes catching up on the events of the past week. Then, Stinky takes Periwinkle’s paw and leads her back into the tunnel. Moments later they arrive at their destination.

Happy Hollow Gardens – Roanoke, VA

“Stinky, what a beautiful place, Is this near your house? It certainly didn’t take long to get here.”

“This is Happy Hollow Gardens, and it is just across town,” replies Stinky. He continues, “It is going to be in the upper 80s today, but it will be nice and shady here and a bit cooler. I know you are used to the heat, Periwinkle, and we get plenty of hot weather here too, but it is not my favorite thing.”

“What can you tell me about the gardens?” asks Periwinkle.

“Happy Hollow Garden sits at an elevation of 1841 feet. There’s an array of more than 800 azaleas on 34 acres of manicured gardens and woodlands. There are hiking trails, but we’re going to stick to the wooden pathways if that’s okay with you. Then we’ll have a picnic.”

Periwinkle claps her paws together. “Oh, goody, I love when we have picnics,” she replies.

 

 

The tabbies take a selfie with the Happy Hollow Garden Sign and then start out on the pathway to view all the colorful azaleas. Stinky tells Periwinkle that on the weekends, the gardens are packed with people, so they are lucky they can visit on a weekday. He says that it is a kid friendly area with a cascading creek for playing and rocks to climb. Periwinkle gives Stinky the stink eye, suspecting that he’ll be wanting to do some rock climbing.

Stinky sees the expression on Periwinkle’s face and assures her he will not be doing any rock climbing. But that does not stop him from immediately jumping up on the railing along the walkway.

 

 

Periwinkle shakes her head in exasperation but doesn’t say anything.

“Periwinkle, look at the size of this bee,” Stinky calls out.

 

 

“There’s a huge one over here too, Stinky. Come see,” replies Periwinkle.

 

 

Periwinkle hopes this will get Stinky off the railing, but it doesn’t.

 

 

After a good distance more with Stinky still walking along the railing and Periwinkle along the path, she finally speaks up. “Stinky, get down and walk with me. We could be holding paws and enjoying this together. This isn’t fun, and you really are starting to make me mad!”

Stinky finally jumps down and joins Periwinkle. He sheepishly apologizes, and they walk on silently, paw-in-paw for a while.

 

 

As they walk, Stinky informs Periwinkle that they need to keep their eyes open for the northern dusky salamander and the eastern box turtle. Lots of other critters are around, but most of those show up in Stanley’s yard as well. 

They come to a sign attached to a rock, which gives them a bit more information about the garden.

Mary Ellen Burgess

 

 

“Stinky, I know you are always good about research. Do you know anything else about Mary Jane Burgess?” asks Periwinkle.

“Not much,” replies Stinky. He does proceed to tell Periwinkle what he knows.

“Mary Jane Burgess was born in 1914 in Virginia. She was living in Chesterfield, Virginia, in 1920. In 1974, Mary Jane retired to Happy Hollow and invested much time and energy into maintaining and improving Happy Hollow. She encouraged visitors and organized efforts to work on the grounds. In 1985 Mary Jane and her sister, Cherie, donated the property to Roanoke County with the promise it would be maintained as a County Park. The park was named Happy Hollow Gardens. Mary Ellen passed away in 1998 in Roanoke. She was 84.”

“Stinky, that was certainly a generous donation,” says Periwinkle.

Picnic Time

“Are you ready for our picnic, Periwinkle?”

“You bet, Stinky.”

Though there are picnic tables, Stinky picks a quiet spot on the ground.

 

 

“It is so pretty here, Stinky. Thanks for bringing me,” says Periwinkle and gives him a hug.

The tabbies have a leisurely picnic and a quick nap. Then it is time to head back to Stinky’s house. They enter the teleportation tunnel and are back at Stinky’s house in minutes.

More Azaleas

When they arrive at Stinky’s, Periwinkle notices the azaleas in the gardens and asks Stinky’s mom if they can visit those as well. She, of course, agrees, and the kitties go outside.

 

 

Periwinkle gushes, “These are as pretty as anything we saw at Happy Hollow. And the hostas are amazing as well.” Suddenly, Periwinkle scampers across the yard to the flower bed where Angels Mau and Giulietta have their resting places.

 

 

“These coral azaleas are the prettiest ones yet. I see that Mau is buried under one of the two bushes. What a lovely resting place,” exclaims Periwinkle. “I know this is Mauricio and Allie’s garden. But it is the first time I have seen it like this. Happy Hollow was great, but this is the best surprise.”

The tabbies return to the house where Periwinkle has a short visit with Stinky’s fursibs before returning to the teleportation tunnel. Stinky and Periwinkle spend several minutes whisker kissing and paw hugging, and Stinky apologizes again for climbing up on the railing and leaving Periwinkle to walk alone. That makes Periwinkle very happy, and she thanks Stinky for the apology. Finally with a wave and a blown kiss, Periwinkle enters the teleportation tunnel and is gone in a whoosh.

Stinky heads to his parent’s bedroom for a nap and dreams of the fun time he and Periwinkle shared.

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