Anise fairly sprinted out the door to go ask Michael to climb trees. Michael had just clipped the last of the herbs he needed for supper when Anise shouted his name and ran over to him.
"Marcus said you like tree climbing," Anise said.
"Yeah, I do," he said.
"So do I. I need to climb a tree. I've been doing girly stuff long enough. Climb a tree with me? Please?"
"Alright, but not more than one or two. I have supper to fix," he told her. He took her to some trees that he believed were easy for a beginner to climb, and he was as surprised by how well and how fast she could climb as she was that he was a far better climber than she was.
"How'd you do that so fast?" she asked him.
"Core strength, my girl," he said. "Your arms and legs are important, yes, but they're not meant to do all the work. Your core muscles are meant to protect your back muscles. Learn to use your core muscles so you can redistribute your body weight more effectively."
"I don't know what core muscles are," she said.
"These," he said, showing her. "Primarily your abdominal muscles."
"I'll be stronger?"
"Yes," he nodded. "You'll be faster and more agile and stronger, whether you're climbing a tree or doing rock climbing."
"I've never been rock climbing," she said.
"That's some of my favorite climbing."
"We use climbing to get eggs or to get the high fruit. What do humans use it for?"
"A lot of things. Sometimes for the fruit or nuts, sometimes for fitness, sometimes just for fun, sometimes for defensive or offensive purposes."
"So we're the same, then."
"Pretty much," he said.
"Could I climb rocks?"
"Yes. You could, with the right instruction."
"Teach me?"
"Fine, but not today. We'll have to start earlier in the day for that. How's your music paper coming?"
"Its not entirely done yet. I got stuck on a potions thing and spent way too much time on it. Nigel helped me, though."
"Potions is similar to cooking," he said.
"I don't cook either," she said.
"We'll have to fix that. That's a necessary skill."
"Nah. I can get by with fruits and nuts."
"Not with a werewolf's nutritional needs, you can't. You have to do better than that."
"Now you sound like Angus," she sighed.
"Well, I should think a chef should know a thing or two about nutrition," Michael laughed. "Alright, my girl, I need to go start on fixing supper. Come with me. I climbed you, so now you can cook with me. You need to learn, so come along." She went with him, even if she wasn't really all that happy with the idea of cooking.
Simone was still interested in Ginger's lace making hobby.
"So, how do you store all your supplies?" Simone asked her.
"Well, I don't have anything special," she said. "I had a knit stocking hat that I was trying to make and it went all wrong, so I just ran a drawstring around the edge, and my things are shoved inside it for now, but there's a hole in it that I keep mending because if I don't, my supplies fall out the hole."
"Back in the village where my house is, there is a little tiny shop that sells needle craft supplies--embroidery, needlepoint, cross-stitching, crocheting, knitting and the like, and I know they also have a few tatting supplies too. They sometimes get some lovely wooden boxes for needlecrafting. I think they know a fellow that designs and makes them. Maybe you and Ruby and I and Anise can pop over there when you're a bit stronger, and we can see what they have. And if they don't have what you like, maybe they can get him to make you what you want."
"Oh, gosh, that sounds expensive," Ginger said.
"If it's what you want, we'll buy it," Simone said. "I'm allowed to do those things for my grandkids, whether those grandkids are blood related or not. Is there something that your sister wants?"
"Oh, yeah, but I don't know what it's called. Its a board, and it has wheels. We saw some kids in a park once standing on them and riding on them, so now she thinks she has to have one too. Such silliness."
"Oh! A skateboard! Yes, my kids had one, and my grandkids all have them. If she wants a skateboard, then we might have to surprise her with one. And all these paved running trails would be a great place to ride a skateboard. She could ride for miles on these trails," Simone said.