ISBN XXX-X-XXXXX-XXX-X (paperback) ISBN XXX-X-XXXXX-XXX-X (hardcover) ISBN XXX-X-XXXXX-XXX-X (digital) Copyright © 2023 by Dr. Dawn Menge All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the email address below. Land of Quails House queenvernitasvisitors@yahoo.com www.queenvernita.net Printed in the United States of America
January It was a cold beginning of a new year and a new adventure for Queen Vernita. In this new adventure, Queen Vernita was visiting her friends in the part of the Land of Quails called New England. The Queen and her young friends Tristan and Gracey had taken a small boat to a lighthouse that sat on a rocky island. It was a beautiful view of the vast ocean in which the boats would come into the harbor. Tristan and Gracey lived in the lighthouse. They slept in bedrooms near the top of the tower, and they could look out and see over the ocean for miles and miles. It was beautiful. On Monday the queen learned that this lighthouse was called Cape Neddick Light. It stands on Nubble Island and is also known as Nubble Lighthouse. On Tuesday they learned how to light the huge beacon of light set on top of the lighthouse. On Wednesday they watched the vast horizon of the oceans through the telescope for any boats. On Thursday, they learned that lighthouses first began in Egypt in 280 BC. 1
On Friday, they learned that the first lighthouse in America was built in 1716 and is called the Boston Light because it stands at the entrance to Boston Harbor in Massachusetts. On Saturday, they learned lighthouses were used to guide ships into ports and to warn them away from possible dangers from rocks and coastlines. On Sunday, they met a real lighthouse keeper. He manned the lighthouse and made sure it was running correctly. Lighthouse keepers used to have the nickname “Wicker” because they trimmed the wick of the candles used to light the sky. There were many snowstorms during the month of January and the Queen and her friends Tristan and Gracey Spent many days playing in the new fluffy snow. They made snowmen with rock eyes and carrot noses. They laid together and stretched their arms and legs out moving them back and forth to make snow angels on the ground. On January 31, Queen Vernita was sipping her hot chocolate filled to the brim with baby marshmallows and cried a small tear. She hugged her young friends tightly and promised to come back soon to see them. “You have such a responsibility living here in the lighthouse and protecting the boats and their passengers who are sailing the seven seas. I am so proud of you girls; you are doing an amazing job.”
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“Thank you, Queen Vernita. We will help you row the dingy to shore so that you can begin February’s adventure with April on the Maple tree farm,” the girls said in unison as they rowed the Queen to shore.
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February A young girl named April was waiting on the shore to take the Queen to her maple farm. February is the peak time to get the maple sap out of the maple trees and the Queen was looking forward to learning the process and enjoying the very different ways that maple syrup is used. “I hope you are ready to learn to “tap” the maple trees to get all the yummy maple sap that is dripping from the trees,” April said to the Queen as they approached the farm. “I am surely ready to help you on the farm during the 28 days of February. I love warm maple syrup on my fluffy pancakes in the morning.” After a good night’s sleep, the Queen put on her warmest clothes, filled her tummy with fluffy pancakes covered in warm maple syrup and followed April out into the woods filled with maple trees that had tubes coming out of them.
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On Monday, the Queen helped drill holes in the maple trees. It was hard work, but she was happy as it snowed lightly on them. On Tuesday, the farm hands helped them put the spouts that had tubes attached into the newly drilled holes. On Wednesday, she learned that the Sugar woods have been maturing for 40-60 years. The farmers must be very careful not to harm the trees when drilling the holes to tap them. On Thursday, the Queen learned that Maple trees can live to be 400 years old. On Friday, April gave the queen a tour of the processing section where the maple sap is boiled down to evaporate the water and only leave the syrup. On Saturday, April explained that the trees store starch which is then converted into sugar which is the sap that flows from the sprout. On Sunday, the Queen learned the differences between the sugar maple, black maple and red maple trees. As the month of February came to an end April gave the queen boxes with jars of maple sugar to take to her friends that she would be visiting on another farm in December. “Thank you so much Queen Vernita for visiting with us and helping on our farm,” said April. “Take care and safe travels!” 6
April waved goodbye to the queen when she was picked up by Sam to visit the Trolls in the Garden that the trolls guard for the month of March.
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March “Good morning my queen! I am so excited to be spending the 31 days of March with you hiking in the gardens that the garden trolls guard. We will learn so much about the importance of protecting our natural world,” Sam explained as he hugged the queen hello. “I think learning about the Gardens of the Seeds is going to be exciting. I see Kennedy is all dressed up as a fairy so that when we visit the fairy gardens, she will be right at home,” said the queen. On Monday, they saw a huge garden troll named Rodkva. She gets bigger and climbs towards the sky every year. She has a fantastic memory. On Tuesday they met Birk who is the wisest and most mysterious of the trolls. He listens to the whispers in the air and knows all the forest’s secrets. On Wednesday, they discovered that Zen means understanding one’s own purpose. Gro the Garden Troll teaches this as she comes and goes into the forest.
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On Thursday, the three took a walk into the forest to find the fairy land. It was hard to see because the houses were tiny and nestled inside of the trees. On Friday, they had a tea party with yummy cookies inside of fairy land. The queen had so much fun with her friends! On Saturday, they helped the naturalists clean up the forest by raking the paths and placing stones along the edge to mark the trails. On Sunday, they packed a scrumptious picnic lunch filled with all their favorite foods and sat by the lake in the middle of the forest. “It is so beautiful here and I’m very excited to be spending the month of April with you and Kennedy on the other side of the forest! There are more Garden Trolls to see and learn about. Thank you for sharing your beautiful home with me, Sam. I will remember this forever.”
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April “Hello, my queen and welcome to our neck of the woods! We are so happy you are here to spend the 30 days of April and the beginning of spring with us. We have so much planned for you!” replied Joey. “I see Logan’s twin sister is dressed up in her fairy costume and ready for us to play fairies in fairyland together. I brought my costume so I could join in on the fun.” On Monday, the queen learned that Soren is a very curious garden troll who dreams of drifting in the sky with the clouds and he always celebrates with a dance. On Tuesday, Lilja taught the queen how to close her eyes and take in the smells of the trees and flowers. They all happily sat and watched the bees and butterflies float among the wildflowers. On Wednesday, Gro returned as the great wanderer. She feeds all her friends by catching the sunbeams and filling her hands with rainbows.
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On Thursday, the queen, Logan, and Joey completed their oath to the forest. “As the trolls say, “A future with no trees is no future at all.” On Friday, the queen and Logan put on their favorite pink fairy outfits and fluttered around the forest waving their wands and casting magical spells on all the flowers. On Saturday, they were so tired they had to lay on the soft moss and take a small nap. On Sunday, they made maps of the forest trails so visitors could come and learn about the garden trolls and not worry about getting lost. “What a magical time we had in the forest with the Garden Trolls being fairies and helping our forest friends. We must always remember to never leave our trash and respect the animals that live in our forests. Thank you so much for visiting Queen Vernita.” Replied Joey. “What a grand time we had but now it is time for me to meet Trisha so we can spend our nights in a tugboat in the harbor. Ta-ta for now,” the queen said as she saw the tugboat pulling up into the harbor next to the forest.
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May “Happy 31 days of May my queen!” said Tricia. “I hope you are ready to learn to harvest lobster in the cool waters. You will get to meet a real lobster fisherman, put traps in the water and have a lobster fest with the lobsters you catch,” Trisha explained as she held out her hand to help the queen board the tugboat. “Oh my gosh, I’ve never done any of this and I’ve never tried lobster. I’ll bet it is yummy!” “I can assure you that it is mouthwatering. You are in lobster land now and you must catch your own lobster for dinner!” laughed Trisha as they pulled away from the dock and headed out to sea. On Monday, the queen learned that there are 30 species of clawed lobsters. They were going to try to catch the American lobster. On Tuesday, she counted the ten legs of the crustacean that had no backbone. They were of course looking at a lobster, but Tricia told the queen that crabs have 10 legs too.
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On Wednesday, Trisha and the lobster fisherman helped the queen pick up the heavy cage and throw it over the side of the boat into the ocean. On Thursday, she learned that the largest lobster weighed 44 pounds and came from a peninsula up North called Nova Scotia. On Friday, the lobsterman told the queen that the oldest lobster in the Atlantic Ocean off New England often lived to be 100 years old or more. Interestingly, he also said that the oldest lobsters found in the Caribbean Sea only lived to be about 20 years old. He said it was because of the colder waters off the coast of New England. On Saturday, the queen lifted the heavy lobster trap out of the water with a lot of help from the strong fisherman and Trisha. Her trap was filled with five lobsters, and she was thrilled. On Sunday, they prepared the lobsters, melted the butter, and set the table for their lobster fest. The last day of May soon arrived, and Trisha had spent many hours teaching the queen how to cook the foods that go with the lobster. They made macaroni and cheese with lobster, steamed lobster, lobster with pasta, spicy lobster, and lobster noodle soup. “I’m so glad I wore this bib!” the queen said. “These lobsters are so juicy and delicious. I would have made a mess of my clothes without it. I loved being on the tugboat and learning to fish for lobster. May I take some with me for when I visit the farm in December?” 18
“Of course, you can, my queen! You became such a skilled lobster fisherwoman that there is plenty for our fest and to take with you.” The lobster fisherman helped to pack up the lobster and held the queen’s hand as she stepped from the tugboat to the land. “I hope you packed your bathing suit for our fun in the forest for the month of June, Brenda said as she grabbed the queen’s bags and boarded their horse drawn carriage.
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June June was very warm in the land of many colors for it was the beginning of summer. But Brenda had the best solution for this. The Queen and Brenda were going to spend the 30 days of June playing in the waters of the forests of White Mountain. The natural rock formations made wonderful waterslides for the two to ride on all summer. “It is so wonderful for you to visit my part of the land of many colors. My forest is lush with trees, moss covered grounds, waterways, and waterfalls galore. We are going to have the most amazing time together. I hope you brought your hiking boots and swimsuits with you.” exclaimed Brenda as she showed the queen a map of the forest. “Yes, I packed all 30 of my swimsuits and two pairs of hiking boots just for this month. I’m all ready to go and explore the Pemigewasset River. It was formed during the Ice age 25,000 years ago. We will swim in granite bowl which a famous writer by the name of Henry David Thoreau wrote, “This pothole is 21
perhaps the most remarkable curiosity of its kind in New England.” On Monday, Brenda pointed into the brush to show the queen a small mink who was fishing in the stream. On Tuesday, while they were laying in the sun drying from their swimming a white-tailed deer slowly approached them to see what they were doing. On Wednesday, they laughingly watched a woodchuck burrow into the ground to make his home bigger. All they could see was his back feet and dirt flying everywhere. A woodchuck is a groundhog. On Thursday, a family of weasels with their long bodies were able to travel up the embankment in between the rocks as they worked their way up the river. On Friday, the queen saw her first porcupine. Brenda warned her to stay far away because the porcupine uses its sharp quills to protect themselves. On Saturday, they saw a vixen, a female red fox and a male red fox which is called a dog, scamper across the field jumping for joy as they found their way into the forest to play. On Sunday, Brenda saw the stubby tail of a bobcat as she was drinking out of the stream. She told the queen that they were part of the Lynx family. “What an amazing month I’ve had with you Brenda. I spent so much time in the water my fingers and toes crinkled up like a prune! The rocks were so smooth from 22
the weight of the glaciers moving over them so many centuries ago, they made perfect water slides. It was fascinating to learn about the animals and to see so many of them.” “Well, my queen, Samuel Eastman in his 1858 guide to the white mountains wrote, ‘One of the beautiful haunts of Nature, a luxurious and delicious bath fit for the ablutions of a goddess.’ I had to bring you here to enjoy the natural waterslides. Now I’m off to learn to sail!” said Brenda.
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July Kim was waiting at the dock to help the queen board her special kind of sailboat called a Gundalow. This special sailboat has a folding main sail so that it can go under bridges. “Good morning my queen. We are going to spend all 31 days of July learning how to sail and exploring the rivers here in the land of many colors. But first we are going to have my favorite breakfast which is pumpkin pancakes all covered in the warm maple syrup you made when you were visiting April.” “This sounds like an event filled month on the water!” said the queen. “I’ve never even heard of a Gundalow. Pumpkin pancakes sound especially delicious with warm maple syrup. I could eat them every single day I’m visiting with you.” “Hop aboard, we’re ready to set sail,” the ship’s captain yelled at the passengers waiting on the dock. “Don’t forget your jackets! It gets chilly on the water sometimes.”
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On Monday, Kim explained that the Gundalow first appeared in the Land of many colors’ rivers way back in the 1600’s. On Tuesday, she saw them unloading and loading cargo onto the flat boat. It resembled a barge which is used to move cargo up and down rivers. On Wednesday, the queen helped Kim unpack the cargo for the passengers on the boat. On Thursday, they all gathered and hoisted the lateen sail up by pulling on a long rope together. It took a lot of people to work together to get the sail up fully. On Friday, the captain explained that Gundalows were used in the American revolutionary war. On Saturday, they sailed by forts that were built during the civil war along the river’s edge. On Sunday, they saw wooden towers sticking out of the water which had nets attached to stop submarines from entering the river waters during World War II. At the end of the month of sailing up and down the river moving cargo such as bricks, cattle, sheep, and household goods the queen and Kim were mighty hungry! The captain gave them all a very special dinner made of lobster ravioli and sang old sailor songs for them as the sun was setting on the horizon. “Captain, this is the best lobster ravioli I’ve ever tasted. It is also the first ravioli I have ever had! “The queen said as she chuckled with pieces of cheese hanging from her lips. “Oh my, I think I should have 26
brought my lobster bib with me. I’m so full! Well, now I’m off to see Jeremy, Virginia and baby Olivia and learn all about the lighthouse they live in.”
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August “Hello, my queen and welcome to our humble home the Rockland Breakwater lighthouse. We are so happy you are here during the 31 days of August. We have a special treat to share with you, the newest member of our family Olivia. She is just learning to walk which is hard on the mile long huge stones that were placed on the way to the lighthouse.” Jeremy said. “She is so adorable, and I can’t wait to play with her after dinner when we are resting in the lighthouse. I know we have a long walk to the lighthouse on those huge bricks. I heard it is a mile long, so I brought my walking shoes with me. Let’s go!” said the queen. On Monday, Jeremy told the queen that the lighthouse was built in 1902. It is over 100 years old. On Tuesday, Virginia showed her how they lit the beacon for the steamboats that brought passengers into Rockland Harbor. On Wednesday, the breakwater lighthouse was built with a fog bell to warn ships due to the dense fog in the summer, and to warn them during the snowstorms in the winter. 29
On Thursday, they sat on the large stones and watched the lobster fisherman pull up their nets. Baby Olivia giggled as a seal swam in and out of the waves, eventually sunning itself on a large stone. On Friday, they packed a large picnic and walked the almost mile long huge stones to have a picnic on the sands. The queen and baby Olivia spent the day covered in sand making sandcastles that the waves washed away. On Saturday, Jeremy took the queen fishing in his rowboat, and they caught 5 largemouth bass. Jeremy showed the queen how to clean them and they cooked them for dinner. On Sunday, the queen and Virginia used their binoculars to watch the birds in the bay. They saw 15 Ospreys, 4 bald eagles and 9 puffins. At the end of the month of August, Jeremy, Virginia and baby Olivia walked the queen down the large stones helping her to carry her bags. Waiting on shore was Perry and Peydon to take the queen to Strawberry Town to learn about the water systems and stay in a home that was built hundreds of years ago. “Bye-bye baby Olivia. When I see you next you will be running down these large stones and your dad will be chasing you everywhere. I had a marvelous time making sandcastles with you and fishing with your dad Jeremy. I am glad you are here to keep the boats safe as they come into the harbor.” 30
“Adios, queen! Thank you for visiting and we will see you soon.!” said Jeremy, as Virgina and baby Olivia waved goodbye.
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September “Welcome, queen! We are so happy you have come to stay with us for these 30 days of September and the beginning of fall here at Strawberry Land and learn all about our water system. We have a home all set up for you and even our seamstress in town made a special quilt for you to keep. It has squares that are dedicated to each of the months that you visited in the land of many colors!” Payden said as she excitedly helped the queen put her bags in the back of the truck. “It’s going to be a bumpy ride, so hang on tight queen. We’ll be there shortly.” Perry slammed the truck door and stepped on the gas, and they jostled down the bumpy dirt road to Strawberry Land. On Monday, the seamstress gave the queen a gorgeously handmade quilt to keep her warm in the brisk fall night. On Tuesday, Perry explained that the town was built in the 1600’s. That was over 400 years ago when the land of Quails was first explored by the queen’s ancestors. 33
On Wednesday, the queen and the young children spent the day picking wild strawberries which grow around the fences of the town. Payden told her that is why the town was named Strawberry Land. On Thursday, the queen helped the woman make strawberry jam and strawberry pie out of the fresh berries. It was so yummy and sweet on her toast. On Friday, the queen watched Perry and Payden cut down trees. They were planning on making pipes from the logs that would run water from one house to another. This was part of keeping things like water lines and irrigation systems just as they were 400 years ago when the town was first built. On Saturday, Payden and Perry spent all day hollowing out the logs so that the water could flow through. The queen had never seen hollowed trees used in such a manner. On Sunday, the whole town celebrated the queen’s visit by having a community bar-b-que, with dancing and fireworks that exploded over the ocean as the sun was setting. “September has gone by so quickly Perry and Payden. You both work so hard to keep the town in fresh water. It was very interesting to learn that you have kept the irrigation systems in the town the same as it was 400 years ago.” “The town enjoyed your visit very much queen. Don’t forget to take your quilt and a box of strawberry 34
jam to share with your friends in December when you stay at the farm.” Payden reminded her as he helped her back up her bags. “Thank you, Payden. I think Nancy is here to take me to the land of leaves. She is going to teach me how the leaves change colors in the fall.”
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October Just then Nancy came around the corner of a house with a horse for the queen to ride on to her home. “Happy fall, my queen! Welcome to my mountain of leaves in the land of many colors. It is so fascinating how all the leaves’ colors change dependent on the weather, the trees and the time of year. We have so much to do these 31 days of October. Fall is my favorite time of year.” “I can see all the radiant colors that are on the mountain, purple, red, orange, yellow and green. It looks beautiful, Nancy. I haven’t ridden a horse in so long. This is going to be fun!” On Monday, Nancy explained that the trees that change colors are deciduous trees. “Deciduous” is Latin for “falling off”. On Tuesday, Nancy showed her a grove of maple trees that were turning red, yellow, and bright orange. These are the kind of trees that she tapped to get the maple syrup from.
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On Wednesday, they took a long walk through the oak trees filled with red, brown, and russet-colored leaves. The queen gathered one of each color to decorate the dinner table with. On Thursday, she took a brisk morning walk with Nancy, smelling the red pines and viewing their deep copper color pine needles. On Friday, the queen and Nancy spent all day raking up the leaves around her house. It took them all day, but they enjoyed making the piles of colorful leaves and sipping hot chocolate on their breaks. On Saturday, Nancy put on her jacket and mittens and ran outside screaming in joy as she jumped in the air and landed in the pile of leaves. The queen just had to join her in the fun. After a few jumps they began to throw the leaves high into the air so that they all fell around them. On Sunday, they raked the leaves back into piles and bagged them up. Not wanting the fall leaf fun to end but knowing it was time to get ready for the queen to visit her next set of friends. “Oh, what a vibrant, color-filled brisk fall month with you, Nancy! I learned that fall begins with the autumnal equinox and ends with the winter solstice. I was so warm and comfy in the quilt the seamstress made for me in the town of Strawberry. I am a very lucky queen to have so many wonderful friends to visit during my year.” 38
“I am so glad you found my land of leaves as fascinating as I do. Just remember that the leaves change color because as the sunlight decreases and cold increases, trees growth slows down, and they slow in producing chlorophyll the brilliant yellow, orange and red colors that have always been there begun to show,” said Nancy. “I never knew that the bright colors were always in the leaves, just hidden under the green. I have my big bag filled with leaves ready to share with Virginia and Dawn next month when we pick the ripe pumpkins that they’ve been growing all year!”
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November “Howdy queen and welcome to our farm!” said Dawn. It is getting chilly this month of November, but we will have fun picking and collecting the pumpkins and gourds that we have spent the year growing. The 30 days of November will go quickly, and we will do a lot of baking with our goodies.” “I love pumpkin recipes with all the wonderful smells of spices that are used to make the food. I brought a bag of colored leaves for you to use on your wagon when you are selling the pumpkins and gourds,” said the queen. On Monday, all three of the ladies spent the day picking orange and white pumpkins of all sizes. The gourds were multicolored. Some were for decorating the table and some were for cooking. On Tuesday, Virginia made pumpkin bisque with spicy shrimp. It was so good that the queen had to have seconds. On Wednesday, they had mini-spiced pumpkins for dessert. Dawn showed the queen how to frost them and make them look just like pumpkins. 41
On Thursday, they poured warm melted pumpkin butter on their pumpkin pancakes. “This is almost as good as the warm maple syrup I made with April at her maple farm. On Friday, the queen surprised Virginia and Dawn with the smell of pumpkin muffins covered in crumb toppings for breakfast. “What a lovely surprise, queen!” said Virginia. “The smell of those muffins came up the stairs and woke me up this morning. Yummy!” On Saturday, they had pumpkin banana bread French toast. The queen ran upstairs and got a bottle of Maple syrup from her bags to warm up for their French toast. On Sunday, they were cold and tired from being outside and cleaning up the pumpkin garden. They sat by the warm fireplace and ate warm pumpkin soup. “How scrumptious for my tummy. It warms up my whole body.” The queen glowed from the warmth of the fire and soup. “Queen, we have a very special surprise to tell you this evening. Next month all your friends are going to come and stay at the farm and spend all 31 days of December with us,” whispered Dawn in the queen’s ear. “What an amazing surprise! I am going to go to bed early so that I am chipper and fresh in the morning. It’s going to be a fun-filled last month of the year I’m 42
spending in the land of many colors.” The queen had happy tears running down her cheeks as she walked up the stairs to bed.
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December The next morning the queen, Virginia and Dawn were awakened by laughter and knocking on the front door. All their friends were already here to enjoy the month of December. A light snow had begun to softly fall outside, and it looked just beautiful. “Wakey, wakey my queen!” called Dawn through the bedroom door. “Our friends are here and can’t wait to see you so you can tell us all about your year in the land of many colors.” Virginia and Dawn made breakfast of bacon, pumpkin French toast, orange juice, and eggs that were gathered from the chicken coop outside. Soon all the friends had unpacked and were sitting at the table all talking at once. They were so excited to be at the farm. On Monday, they made a decoration for the table with the gourds and Fall leaves that the queen had collected. On Tuesday, Brynn and Tristan took a basket to the chicken coop and collected the fresh eggs for baking 45
that day. Gracey and Tristan fed the chickens their feed and they were so hungry that they ate it all up. On Wednesday, Perry and Brenda dressed warmly and went outside in the snow to chop and gather more firewood to keep the house warm and cozy. On Thursday, they all took a long walk after supper on the main road just as the sun was setting against the vibrant colored mountain. “I’ll never forget this view,” said the queen. On Friday, they decorated the barn with lights, pumpkins, gourds, and streamers. They were going to have an old-fashioned dance in the barn. On Saturday, all the towns’ folks came to dance, listen to music, and eat all the yummy pumpkin desserts they had made. The dance lasted into the wee hours of Sunday because they were having so much fun. On Sunday, it was the 31st of December, and the friends were sitting in the parlor of the farm. Perry and Payden were playing cars. The girls Tristan, Brynn, and Gracey were playing Uno with the Queen. April, Kim, and Nancy were planning their trip home. Brenda, Virginia, and Dawn had just finished cleaning the kitchen and were relaxing by the fireplace sipping on pumpkin spiced tea. “My queen, it has been such an honor to have you here in our land of many colors this wonderful year. We hope you have enjoyed it and will cherish the memories
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we all created together and that you will be back soon,” Perry said as they got up to go to bed. “It has been the best year yet and I will be back very soon I promise my friends in the land of many colors.” The queen promised yawning loudly as she snuggled into bed and fell fast asleep.
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