Meanwhile, in the garden, the Emmas were busy with their spring chores. Kerry was looking through the seeds to find the ones they wanted to plant, with the help of Carlisle, who was keeping an eye on the radish seeds, just in case.

Penny was drawing a diagram of the garden as the girls decided where they wanted to put everything, with the help of Corky, who was also raking up some of last year’s leaves and sticks. Carin was digging out a particularly stubborn dandelion, while Sally and Clinton were taking care of the weeds that could be pulled by hand, or, in Clinton’s case, by mouth. "My fellow Americans," observed Clinton, "Why do weeds have to taste so awful?"

Taryn and Cavendish were mulching the strawberries which the girls had planted a week before. Cavendish had been away at a reunion of his old army unit (the 7th Underwater Crocodlie Artillery) when the bed was planted so he hadn’t been involved until now. "These are Cavendish strawberries," Taryn told him.
"What do you mean, Miss Taryn?" asked Cavendish.
"That is the name of the type of strawberries they are. The ones on the other side are Earliglows."

"Hmmph," said Cavendish, "They're spindly little blighters, aren't they?" But secretly he was pleased to know there was a kind of strawberry named after his family.
"Cavendish, they're just babies. They'll get bigger. You were probably pretty spindly yourself when you were a baby."
"Yes, my mother used to carry me around in her mouth," said Cavendish. "What about those big fellows over there? Are they Cavendish strawberries, too?"
"No, they're a different kind," said Taryn.
"I hope they're not Clintons," said Cavendish in a whisper.
Taryn laughed. "No, they are called Honoyoe, though I'm not quite sure how to say it. But they are older than the Cavendishes."
"Cavendish, we'll let you eat the first one of the Cavendish strawberries when they are ripe," called Kerry.
"Thank you, Miss Kerry" replied Cavendish, as Taryn went to get more mulch from the bag. "Come on, chaps," said Cavendish to his strawberries, "Let's make a jolly good show for the Queen and country!"
Not too far off Caryn was half heartedly poking around in the soil, she kept on thinking about Sally wanting to leave and how to find a suitable replacement for her. The rattling of wheels jerked her out of her thoughts as she saw Randy arriving with his wagon

Randy waved at Caryn and helped Yrlene out of the wagon. All the Emmas crowded around her. Randy dropped off the bag of mulch and then headed back across the yard again to get his chain saw, as he had seen some dead branches on the cherry tree that needed pruning.
"Hello," said Yrlene. "I am Yrlene of Yrbittia and I have come to join the Noble Order of Emmas!"
"She looks like the Emma of Yesterday," whispered Corky to Penny.

The girls all introduced themselves and also introduced Yrlene to Carlisle.
"What nice names you have," said Yrlene. "I am hoping to get an up-to-date name, too. Everyone on Yrbittia has a name which begins with a Y and it’s so boring. I was hoping for something like Mildred or Naomi or Mamie or Phoebe or Effie or something like that." She took a list out of her valise. "Here they are, the top baby names of 1907."
"But it is not 1907, it is 2007," Carin pointed out.
"Oh no," said Yrlene. "Isn’t Teddy Roosevelt president any more?"
"No, sorry, he died a long time ago," said Corky. "I think your planet must be slow in getting the information from ours. I guess that is why you are dressed the way you are."
"Yes, we are very far away and probably behind the times. I dressed this way because I thought that was what everybody wore. Our transmogrifyers are always breaking down, too. Darn. Now what shall I do for an up to date name?"
"We have books, don’t worry, Yrlene," said Taryn. "We will introduce you to Harmony. She has them in her office. But right now why don’t we get you some up to date clothes so you can help us in the garden?"
"Sure," said Yrlene, and she and Taryn headed off to the house.
"Theodore Roosevelt," said Clinton with a sneer. "He was a Republican."
"Now, Clinton, we can’t all be Democrats like you," said Sally. "C’mon, I think I see some Republican weeds over there. Let’s go pull them up!"