Chapter 7, Transition Summary and Analysis

The Hoovers' chickens, having outgrown their tub, are placed in their chicken-run. With the weather improving, the summer-home people have returned to the area. Helen does her best to socialize with the locals but somehow repeatedly says the wrong thing. The Hoovers discover that their deliveryman is going out of business. With supplies running low, Ade considers the possibility of buying food wholesale through Sven and Hilda's lodge. Hilda agrees. Through the lodge, the Hoovers make a tremendous order for food.

While they wait for their order to arrive, the Hoovers supplement their remaining foodstuffs with edible plants growing near their cabin. At last the order arrives. Looking at the invoice, Ade suddenly realizes that he will need to put braces under the kitchen floor: The order weighs in at over two-thousand pounds.

Section two begins in August. Thundershowers...