Green

 Happy Last Friday in May!

How can it be the last Friday in May? Crazy how time flies. I remember being young and thinking that the time went by so slowly and wondering what it would be like to have the time go by fast like the grownups kept saying it did. Well, now I know. And I wish it would slow down.

Speaking of slowing down, I'm trying to do that very thing. It hasn't worked well yet, but I'm still trying. There are times when I can do a lot of things and be productive, but if I keep it up too long, I get overwhelmed and I find I can't do everything and "just live," to quote Pollyanna. So, I'm starting to say no again.

This week has been rainy and cloudy all week long. We did have half a day of sunshine on Wednesday, and 15 minutes of consecutive sunshine yesterday which is when my sis and I got out and walked. But until today it's rained almost every night, in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings. Sometimes the rain is heavy, other times it's just a light misty rain. But today we get sunshine! Even now the sun is up in a clear sky. It's still in the 50s right now, but it's supposed to reach the mid to upper 70s.

Sis and I are helping with a rehearsal dinner this evening, and then with a wedding reception tomorrow evening. It's going to be an outdoor wedding at church. I just hope the ground isn't a too wet, but it will be humid! At least the reception will be inside.

I've been making some great progress on "Don Wood" and it's been fun. Things seem to fit better and it's more interesting, and I'm getting to know some other people better. Right now I think I'm around 11k words written. Since the goal is 30-40k, I still have a ways to go, so if you are eager to read it, don't stop praying. 

 I almost didn't post any story/scene today, but I decided I could just share this short one because it sounded like what things look like here. Wet. It's not very interesting, but perhaps that is because it's so short. Anyway, I had better get going on other things.

 

    Everything was green. Well, almost everything. The railings along the boardwalks were covered with moss, the stones on the sides wore coats of moss, the trees, leaves, everything seemed to be mossy or have green leaves. Even the sunlight seemed to be shining through a filter of green. The only thing that was not green were the boardwalks themselves. The brown wooden planks were shiny and wet from last night’s rain.
    I cast a quick glance behind me but didn’t see anyone. As quickly as I could, I hurried along the boardwalk. I wanted to reach the top of the hill first.
    Have you ever tried to hurry over wet boards? It’s a very dangerous thing to do. One minute you are walking along upright, and the next thing you know you are on your hands and knees, if you are good at falling. Otherwise you end up sitting down hard or falling flat on your back.
    How do I know? Because I ended up in all three positions before I reached the seventh step.
    I decided after that to go more slowly. I didn’t want to hold onto the railings as they were so green and wet they looked slimy.
    When I reached the top of the hill, I found to my dismay that trees blocked my view of the valley. The lovely panorama I had looked forward to was not to be. With a sigh, I finally found a place where a break in the leaves offered an abbreviation of the view I had hoped to see. It was something, but not enough to satisfy.
    Disappointed, I rubbed the sore places on my body and wished I hadn’t hurried quite so much.
 

Have you had more rain or sunshine this week?

Have you ever slipped on wet wood?

Do you have a hard time saying "no" to things if you are busy?

Changed Plans

 Good morning!

It is a very windy morning here. I was woken up after 4 by the wind. It rattled the door until we put something in it. And it just keeps blowing. Going to head out and walk in a little while. We'll see how hard it is to walk against the wind.

This week has been pretty normal. I once again had to mow the yard since we've had so much rain and then sun and then rain and then sun. I also taught my next to last writing class for the semester. I worked on formatting Lessons from Liberty, and made some progress on cleaning out my kindle. I had so many books on there and many were ones I got without really knowing if I'd be interested in them or not. It is so nice now to have many books gone that I either wasn't interested in reading, or wasn't going to like.

You probably want an update on Don Wood, don't you? Well, what if I were to tell you that after writing, editing and adding, rearranging and more editing and rewriting, that I'm scrapping it? Now don't burst into tears. I'm not getting rid of Don Wood. I've just reached the conclusion that the mystery I had wasn't going to work because Don wasn't interested in it at all and it's hard to make the readers interested in something that the main character isn't interested in. So . . . My mom had a new idea, it seems to fit Don a lot better and he's actually interested in it. I will still keep some of my favorite scenes from the other unfinished version, but I'm starting over. This is a first. I've never started a book over again. But I'd rather have a story that works and is as interesting to the readers and MC as the other books in the series. Wouldn't you? You can be praying things go smoothly with my writing.

Today's story is one I've posted before way back in 2013, I think. I looked back and realized that I really don't have a lot of stories to repost because I either have reposted them in the last two years, or I've published them. I do have some more scenes I wrote last July. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this short story. I wrote it when I gave my writing class an assignment and thought I'd do the same assignment.

 

 

Changed Plans

    Why would anyone plan a wedding for such a perfect day, the two boys wondered sadly. Jason Harris and Silas Coffman had made their plans for this Saturday several days before. Since it was such perfect weather for baseball, and the summer games would be starting soon, the two friends had agreed to spend Saturday at the park practicing. Jason had hurried through his chores in record time, grabbed his bat and ball, hollered a quick good-bye to his mom and raced to the park. He was afraid he was late. Actually, he was a little early and did a few warm up laps around the field. Then he waited. Tossing the ball up and then catching it again, Jason kept glancing around in hopes that Silas would appear. At last he spied him, but something was wrong!
    “Hey, Si, what’s with the suit and tie?” Jason called, snatching up his bat and hurrying over to meet his friend.
    “I can’t play,” grumbled Silas, shoving a hand into his pocket.
    “Why not?”
    “Got a wedding to go to.”
    “Ah, man!” exclaimed Jason in disgust, “who would want to get married today when it is the perfect weather to play baseball?”
    Silas was equally glum and answered, “Yeah, I know. It’s some relative. I didn’t even know about it until I was getting ready to come out. Then Mom made me put this thing on,” and he pulled at his tie as though it were choking him. “I tried calling your house, but your mom said you had already gone out.”
    “Couldn’t you just not go?” Jason queried.
    Silas shook his head. “I already tried, but both Mom and Dad said I have to go.” He gave a long sigh and both boys fell silent, each gazing sadly at the other. A car horn sounded and Silas glanced around. “I have to go. Dad let me walk out here to tell you why I couldn’t play, but I guess they’re all ready to go now. Sorry I can’t stay.”
    “Me too. Bye.” Jason watched his friend hurry to the car and climb in. His day was ruined.

    Feeling lonely and sad, Jason slowly pushed the tire swing back and forth. After he had watched the Coffman car disappear down the street, Jason had looked about the park in hopes that someone else he knew would be there to play ball with him. No one had been. Forlornly, he had trudged across the grass to a large tire swing. Many times he had enjoyed swinging on that swing or climbing the rope and disappearing into the tree, but today was different. Today he had been going to play baseball and the plan hadn’t worked. Dropping his bat, he had listlessly climbed onto the swing.
    “Bother,” he muttered, “weddings shouldn’t be planned for such perfect weather. Everyone planning a wedding should know that. I don’t know anyone who is getting married, do I?” He thought hard. “Nope.” He couldn’t think of anyone. If he had he would have been sure to tell them not to plan it on a great day for baseball.
    For several minutes he just sat still and let the breeze shake the tree branch which in turn bounced the tire swing up and down. This was not how he had planned on spending his day.
    “If I go home, Mom will find more chores for me to do,” he said to himself, walking the swing over to the tree and then pushing off with his legs. The swing swung out and turned, coming back to the tree trunk where Jason pushed off again, harder this time.
    “I didn’t ask Silas how long the wedding was going to be. Maybe he’ll be back after lunch and we can practice this afternoon!” Then he remembered the few weddings he had been to. They had lasted for hours and hours. Often they didn’t get home until supper time. “I guess it’s no use waiting for him. Maybe I should just go home.” His feet dragged slowly in the dust.

    With a broad smile on his face, Jason hit the ball and listened to a delighted bark. He had been about to take his bat and go home, when his baseball rolled right to his feet. Blinking in surprise, Jason had glanced around to see a medium size dog, with tail wagging, waiting eagerly.
    “Well, hello fellow,” Jason greeted the dog. “Where did you come from?”
    The dog, evidently excited to be noticed, bounded over and jumped up on Jason, licking his face and whining. Then, as Jason pushed him down and stood up, the dog picked up the baseball and wagged his tail.
    “You want to play?” Jason asked.
    Excitedly dropping the ball once more, the dog barked.
    “Okay, let’s go!” Snatching up his bat and ball, Jason headed over to the wide, empty field at the edge of the park. Although the dog couldn’t pitch to him, Jason figured he could toss the ball and then hit it. Maybe the dog, who had brought him the ball to begin with, would bring it back. It was worth a try. Whack! Across the field the ball flew with the dog following in a mad dash. Jason grinned. This was going to be fun! Back the dog came with the ball in his mouth.
    “I ought to name you Fetch,” Jason noted as he ruffled up the dog’s ears and picked up the ball. Giving a few excited barks, Fetch backed up, tail wagging and eyes on the ball. To him, this was a delightful game as well. Whack!
    When a dinner bell rang out faintly across the air, Jason started in surprise. Could it really be lunch time already? “I didn’t know we’d been playing for so long, Fetch. Come on home with me, Boy,” and Jason shouldered his bat and patted his leg. To his delight, the dog trotted along beside him, carrying the baseball.

How has your week been?

Have you ever started a story over again?

Have your plans ever changed and it ended up being fun?

Through an Author's Eyes - Part 23

 Good morning!

It's a beautiful morning! The sun is coming up and there's a delightful breeze. The birds have been singing and chirping for hours already. There's a chance of rain later today, but we'll see. In about 30 minutes I'm planning to go walk a mile before breakfast with my sis and my best friend. All my nieces and nephews except the oldest are going to be over for the day. Maybe we'll take a walk, or ride bikes later.

This week has been pretty normal. I've written and worked on designing a special  . . . Well, I guess I can tell you. I'm creating a KDWC journal. It will include spaces to write things about camp, pages to jot new story ideas down, Challenge Canyon trackers, coloring pages, and more. If you are planning on joining our next writing camp in July, you might want to consider getting one of these journals. Of course I have to finish it first. :)

Well, this is the last and final part of this story. I don't have any more written and I don't plan to write more any time soon. If ever. So I hope you enjoy it!

 

Through and Author's Eyes

Part 23

 

    “Um, guys,” Savanna remarked as the top of the peak was approaching, “this isn’t the mountain we were on.”
    “I think it’s the back of it,” Elijah said. “Somehow in our wanderings we reached the other side.”
    Savanna wasn’t convinced, but she only said in low tones to Annette, “I don’t think it is. But if we can reach the top, maybe we can find the right mountain.”
    “Listen!” Annette called suddenly.
    Everyone froze in their tracks. Heads tipped back and eyes scanned the blue sky. They all heard the helicopter, but it took several minutes before it was spotted in the distance. It came closer.
    “Wave, everyone!” Judah ordered.
    Hands began waving frantically. Would the pilot see them? What sort of helicopter was it? It was hard to tell at that distance.
    The chopper came lower and the pilot was seen. He seemed to be motioning them to climb up toward the peak of the mountain instead of along the side, and so the human chain turned.
    “I hope he’s telling any searchers where we are,” Elijah commented. “I’m getting a bit tired of going here and there and never reaching any place.”
    Annette had to agree.

    After another hour of almost constant moving upward, the top was reached and the group paused. The helicopter which had remained nearby the entire time, moved away and the roar of another helicopter, a larger one this time, turned every head.
    “Your military helicopter is coming to the rescue, Annette!” Savanna exclaimed.
    The chopper hovered overhead and then someone was seen coming down with a bucket. It seemed to take forever to the waiting hikers. Annette could feel the wind stinging her face and her eyes watered behind her sunglasses. Inside her boots, her toes ached, and she knew Savanna wasn’t the only one who would have a headache. She already had one.
    The basket was lowered and the man, his eyes covered with dark shades, looked at the group. “No one injured?”
    Heads were shaken.
    “You all looked dressed for hypothermia. We’re going to send you up two at a time in the basket. There’s another snow storm blowing in and we need to get you off the mountain. You two are first,” and he pointed to Jaina and Bethany.”
    Annette watched as the girls were situated in the basket, ropes attached to other ropes, and then, at a sign from the officer, the helicopter elevator began to rise. She didn’t have much time to watch it, however, for the officer on the ground began directing the rest of them and pairing them up for their trip. Annette found herself on the third ride up with Gabe as her companion.

*

    Everyone was back home. It felt good to be curled up in a comfortable chair with a blanket tucked snugly around her and her stomach full from a hot and tasty meal. Tiredly Annette stared into the bright flames of the fire in the fireplace. On the couch nearby Savanna sat too, with Ava snuggled next to her.
    It had been a crazy last few hours. After everyone had been taken into the helicopter where they had been given blankets and bottles of water, they had been flown to base and then taken to a hospital to be checked out. Everyone had insisted they were all right, but protests were useless. They had told the story of their experience on the mountains to park rangers, military men, and their parents. A few news stations had also wanted to hear from the lost hikers and wouldn’t wait for another day.
    Annette was glad it was all over.
    One by one the other members of the Vogel family entered the living room and settled down.
    “Well, Annette,” Uncle Cleveland remarked, “you got to climb the mountain. Did you get enough information for your story?”
    Her story. Annette shook her head slowly. “Maybe I’ll just skip that story. No one would believe it anyway. Perhaps I should just, oh, I don’t know, write about something tame like cattle rustlers, or thieves.”
    “Something you don’t have to experience?” Uncle Cleveland asked with a smile.
    After a wide yawn, Annette yawned and nodded. Though she was tired, she couldn’t help wondering what other adventures she would experience out west before her visit was over. Her eyes closed. She’d think about her story tomorrow.
 

Do you enjoy walking in the early morning?

Do you think this was a good ending to the story?

Do you a special journal for writing camp would be fun?

Through an Author's Eyes - Part 22

 Good morning,

Friday is here once again and, once again, it's cloudy. We've had so much rain this week the ground just squishes. And it's been chilly. Not usual for May here. But tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and it's supposed to get sunny today! Yay! I'm so ready for the sunshine! Of course then things will be muggy after all the rain, but right now, I don't care. I'm ready to be warm and wear short sleeves and go walking without needing a jacket or coat.

We had an interesting mouse experience this week. Our kitchen ceiling has never been finished. This means that the rafters with insulation between them are just covered by plastic. They've been that way since we did the room upstairs (maybe 13 years ago) and before that it was the rafters of a loft and walkway. I don't actually remember our kitchen with a real ceiling. Anyway, the plastic is clear and the other night my brother stopped by for something and we were all in the kitchen talking when my sister noticed a mouse running along the plastic above our heads. It disappeared and I went to get something for Mom. I came back and gave it to her and then suddenly, "Plop!" The mouse fell out of the plastic onto the floor almost where I had just been standing. We started laughing. The mouse seemed a little dazed as it ran off behind the freezer. Now we just say "Plop!" and start to laugh because it was so funny to see that mouse running along and suddenly fall out of the ceiling where the plastic wasn't stapled up all the way. :)

I've been working on Don Wood this week. Still trying to get things in the right order. But I'm almost there and it's going to give me more words to write the rest of it instead of trying to fit it in a few thousand words. Sorry it's taken longer than I had hoped, but this will be a much better story. 

But here is the next to last part of this story. I have no idea what I'll do next. I still have a few short scenes and such that I wrote last July. Should I post them? Should I repost something I've already posted? Help! This blog has been going on for 13 years now.

Through and Author's Eyes

Part 22

 

    After several hours of sleep, Annette awoke somewhat stiff and chilly. It took a few minutes to realize why her bed was so hard and she was wearing gloves. Opening her eyes, she saw the dim form of Savanna sleeping next to her, and the refection of the flickering, dancing flames on the walls and roof of their little shelter. This was certainly not the adventure she had wanted, but it was better than what most authors did to their characters. “I wonder what Dad will say when I tell him about this,” she mused, closing her eyes again and drifting back into a doze. Anytime someone adding another piece of wood to the fire, or moved much, she woke, her brain always busy, not with worry, but with plans and ideas for getting off the mountain and back to civilization.

    Sometime during the night the snow had stopped completely and the clouds had parted leaving a pristine mountain for the sun to see when it rose. Annette was awake long before the most of the others and ventured to pull on her boots and step outside in the early dawn of the new day. Even in the shelter of the trees, she was awed by the grander of the snowy mountain. “You washed me whiter than this snow, Father,” she whispered, lifting her eyes heavenward. “Thank You.”
    Looking at her watch she was astonished to find how late it was. Quickly she hurried back to the cabin. With the one window covered by a tarp it wasn’t any wonder that everyone was still asleep. “The sun is shining, and I have a strong desire to throw snowballs at anyone who keeps sleeping,” she called.
    Some grumbles were heard, but eyes opened, and slowly the cabin came to life.
    “What are we going to do now?”
    “Should we just stay here?”
    “We’re not going to get very far without something to eat.”
    These and various comments filled the cabin. Finally Levi finally called for order. Annette, having roused everyone to her satisfaction, found a place along the back wall and opened her pack. She had breakfast for everyone.

    It took nearly an hour before a decision had been made about what to do, the tarps rolled back up and the fire put out. Annette’s energy bars had been handed out and the group was ready to set forth. It had been decided to try going back the way they had come until they were above the tree line, and then build a fire and wait. The trail was a bit harder to find since it was covered with snow, but everyone was watching and it wasn’t as difficult as some of them had imagined.
    When the bare side of the mountain was reached, the glittering mass of sparkling snow made everyone blink and squint their eyes.
    “Goodness,” Savanna exclaimed, “I didn’t think we’d have to dig out our sunglasses.”
    “Well, start digging,” her brother said, slinging his pack off one shoulder and unzipping a small pocket. “We don’t want any cases of snow blinding when we’ve come this far with no injuries.” And Levi settled his own shades on his face. The others did likewise.
    The sun was pleasant as it heated the rain jackets everyone had put on as windbreakers. Everything was hushed and quiet, the sky washed clear of every last cloud. No one spoke, but gazed about them absorbed in the breathtaking sight of the mountain peaks robed in shimmering white.
    At last Annette said, her voice soft and low, “Does anyone know what mountain that is?” She pointed slightly to the right.
    “I think that’s the one we’re supposed to be on,” Judah replied.
    “Then, would it be safe to just head in that direction?”
    The boys looked at one another, shoulders were shrugged, and finally Levi said they might as well try it. It was slow going for with the snow blanketing everything, there was no telling where a trail might be or where loose rocks were hiding. Ropes were stretched along the line and these were held to tightly so that anyone who slipped might be anchored to the others.
    Annette had no idea how long they spent traversing the snowy mountainside, but she knew that she was hungry. The energy bar she had eaten for breakfast had disappeared. “Levi, can’t we stop and get a drink and eat something?” she asked of her cousin who was right before her.
    “Good idea. I think we could all use a few minutes rest.” Quickly Levi called to the others in front and packs were opened and snacks pulled out. Everyone had to be sparing with their water as no one had much left.
    “I’ll probably end up with a headache,” Bethany murmured to Annette. “I always get one when I don’t drink enough in the mountains.”
    “I suppose we could eat the snow,” Annette said, looking at the crystals sparkling all around her. “It sure is a lot cleaner than the stuff we get in the city.” She scooped up a handful and tasted it. It was good.
    “But it won’t quench your thirst,” Victor remarked quietly.
    “You’re probably right,” Annette sighed, brushing off her glove. “Besides, if I play in the snow too much, my gloves will become soaked and I didn’t bring another pair.”
    The call came to start on again, and once again, the tired, hungry, thirsty explorers started on their way.
 

How was your week?

Does eating snow make you thirsty?

What should I post after this story is done?

Through an Author's Eyes - Part 21

 Good morning and happy Friday!

It's cloudy this morning and a southern breeze is stirring the trees with their tiny leaves, rippling the flag on the pole, and setting the wind chimes to chiming. The birds are singing and chirping and it's spring. I have short sleeves on since it's already in the 60s F. If it doesn't start raining I'll go walk a mile before breakfast. It's been nice to get a mile in so early.

It's been a good week. And a busy one.

Sunday was a lovely day of quiet. I didn't have to go to church early for music practice or stay late for practice. I got to visit and then go home and read all afternoon.

 Monday was busy. My mom and I spent most of the morning buying flowers for the yard. Then we ended up babysitting all my nieces and nephews in the afternoon/evening so my brother could take his wife out for her birthday. My two-year-old niece wanted to go for walks to "see puppies. See midnights." (Midnights are cats to her.) My oldest nephew helped me pick up the sticks in the yard so I could mow later in the week.

Tuesday was different. The writing class I teach got cancelled because one of my two students (they are brothers) wasn't feeling well. So I mowed the yard in the morning. And then in the afternoon I planted the flowers we had gotten the day before.

Wednesday was pretty normal. My sis, best friend, and I walked a mile before breakfast. Then I had a long list of things I needed to do. I was having a hard time getting going on Don Wood again, so I wrote some on another story and transferred and printed it. Then we had the Awana closing program at church that evening.

Thursday was slower. We walked before breakfast, then I worked on some things, helped Mom, and then wrote. I was trying to break through the being stuck part. In the afternoon my mom/editor and I discussed Don Wood and things that didn't seem right or that came in too late. Yep, I need to do a bit of rearranging. I wasn't sure I could because of when things happened, but I think, if I start the story on Tuesday or Wednesday instead of Thursday I can get things to work better. We'll see. Then last evening my best friend called to see if I wanted to go walk again since her twin sister, my other best friend who lives in Canada was going walking and we'd all wanted to walk together sometime. So we did. We walked and talked and took our picture together. :D 

And now it's Friday. I have a house to clean and then I hope I can work on some writing stuff. Tomorrow my best friend and I are planning on going out for my birthday. We want to get some miles walked and have plans to try a new path and then go walk a 3 mile loop at a State Park. At least I think it's a State Park.

 I hope you enjoy the next part of this story.

Through an Author's Eyes

Part 21

 

    By the time the guys and Annette were back inside the small hut, their fingers were numb and their feet tingled with cold. A large pile of sticks and branches lay along one wall and from these Judah and Levi set about building a fire. Pine needles were liberally sprinkled over all and a match was lit. It took three times before some of the needles caught the small flame, but with careful coaxing it wasn’t long before a bright blaze was casting light and warmth in the cabin.
    After shedding rain jackets, damp boots were taken off and placed near the fire in hopes of drying them, and dry socks were once again pulled over freezing feet.
    “It’s a good thing we have you along, Annette,” Jaina said, holding her hands toward the flames. “We’d still be sitting here trying to stay warm.”
    Annette gave a slight frown. “If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be up here to begin with.”
    “And miss all this fun?” Elijah shook his head. “No thanks. No one is hurt or sick and when we don’t show up back at the ranch everyone knows where to look for us.”
    “And Uncle Art will notify the sheriff,” Vic added.
    “And the sheriff will set up a search party,” Gabe put in.
    “And in no time at all we’ll be back at home trying to catch up on all the work we’re neglecting,” Levi chuckled.
    “But we won’t be where they think,” Annette said. “All our tracks will be covered by the snow, they’ll have no idea if we went down the way we came up or if we went a different way.”
    “Cut it out,” ordered Levi. “I expect this snow will stop sometime and then we’ll set off again. I’m sure they’ll get a chopper up, and they’ll see the smoke. We’ll be fine.”
    “If a little hungry.” And Reuben pulled out a granola bar from his pack. “How much food do we have? Annette, you didn’t happen to pack any cans of soup in that pack of your did you?”
    “No, but I have dried soup mix.”
    “We can get snow to melt,” Bethany suggested. “But don’t we need a pot?”
    Annette nodded. That was one of the things she hadn’t brought along.
    Silence filled the old wooden shack and only the crackle of the fire and the wind outside were to be heard. They had no pot or even a pan to make soup, and Annette gave up trying to think of a way. They all had some snacks still left, and no one had touched the energy bars she had brought because she had forgotten them. They wouldn’t starve. But how would they get back to the ranch? In spite of Levi’s words, Annette couldn’t help but consider all the possibilities of remaining lost on the mountain. With her active imagination it was easy to picture scene after scene. What if someone got hurt? Would it be best to stay where they were until help arrived? Should they try to go back the way they had come? Should they continue on the trail they had been going on? Finally she shook her head to clear her thoughts. It was no use to puzzle over it now. They were staying in the cabin for now.
    “I say, Annette,” Reuben said, “if one of us had a metal cup, could we heat some soup up that way?”
    “Sure, do you have one? I left all my cookware and things back home.”
    Every eye turned to Reuben. He may be as quiet as Vic, but if he could produce a cup to heat soup in, they would all consider him a hero. After several minutes of digging in his pack, he pulled out a metal spoon, and then a compact camping set complete with bowl, plate with a rim, and a small pan.
    Bethany and Savanna squealed and hugged him, while as many of the guys as could reach him, slapped his back and told him he was brilliant for bringing it along.
    “I didn’t even know it was in there,” Reuben admitted. “This isn’t my usual pack to go hiking. I couldn’t find it. This was one up in the closet, and I didn’t even look to see if it was empty. Talking about cups made me remember that Gabe and I used to play army and carried these little sets with us.” He shrugged. “They might be kind of dirty.”
    “We’ll wash ‘em,” Bethany promised.
    With the distraction of melting snow, washing the dishes, figuring out how to make the soup in small dishes and then starting the process over again so the next people could eat, Annette zipped her NEO back into its case and tucked it in her backpack. She felt almost a feeling of regret that the story had been forgotten. “It probably wasn’t that interesting anyway,” she thought, accepting the tin cup of hot soup Savanna handed her.

    The little cabin was hushed and still. Only a small glow from the fire gave proof that someone was still awake. Huddled close together, the girls, with all their sweatshirts, socks, hats and gloves on, lay on one tarp, while the guys dozed here and there, taking turns keeping the fire going. Outside the snow still fell though the flakes were growing smaller and the harsh wind was a mere whisper.

Would you be willing to eat off old dishes that were found in a backpack?

Have you gotten any walking in this week?

How has your week been?

Happy Birthday!

 Today is my birthday!

And because it's my birthday I am going to be different today. I'm not going to give you a story, instead I'm going to send you over to Read Another Page so you can enter the 39 different giveaways! Does that sound like a good idea? (Click the image below to be whisked over there.)

This week has been rainy and chilly most days. But yesterday it actually got warm! And today is sunny and already about 70º! I've gotten more walking in. In fact yesterday most of my nieces and nephews were over and they wanted to walk twice. And since I'd already walked with my sis, I ended up walking about 3.5 miles. 

I'm still working on Don Wood. Finally got all the edits and the bit of rewriting done up to where I had left off. Now I just need to go write again. Maybe I can do that this evening.

Anyway, like I said, not much going on this week as far as anything interesting goes. Tomorrow we're heading up to visit my grandpa and my aunt. (It's her birthday today too.)

Do you share a birthday with anyone you know?

How has your week been?

Did you enter any of the giveaways?

Through an Author's Eyes - Part 20

 Happy Friday!

I hope you have had a good week. Mine has been pretty good. We've had a lot of days with strong wind and that kicked up my allergies. I'm not usually bothered too much by spring allergies, but I think the wind was blowing everything and it didn't stop so . . . I'm just praying my voice is fine for Sunday as I'm supposed to sing in the ladies ensemble for church. And I'm supposed to play violin.

This week I really haven't done much writing. I did reread and edit the first 33k words of Don Wood and added several hundred words to it and cut out quite a bit too though. Now I'm ready to write again, so hopefully I can work on that today. I would love to reach the end of this story by my birthday, but I don't think that will happen unless things just come together really quickly, but maybe at least by the end of the month.

I'm still walking my miles for the Spring 100 challenge. So far I have walked 27 1/2 miles. Are you walking for the challenge? 

Well, here's this next part of the Author story. I hope you enjoy it.

Through an Author's Eyes

Part 20

 

    Silence filled the cabin for a few minutes except for the quick typing of Annette’s fingers.
    “Ah,” Levi spoke for the first time, “is Marie also a middle name?”
    “Yes.”
    “What’s her first name?”
    “That would give it away.”
    “Were you named for her?” Jaina asked.
    “No.”
    “So it’s not the name that was past down?”
    Annette shook her head. This was as bad a twenty-questions. How was she going to get this scene written if they kept talking to her?
    Levi spoke again. “Was Aunt Marie named for a president too?”
    “Yes.”
    “Were you named for a president as well?”
    “Yes.”
    Instantly names were flung at her until Annette wanted to hide her head. “No! My name is not Fillmore or Van Bureun! I--”
    “Is it Taylor or Madison?” Bethany questioned eagerly.
    But Annette shook her head and gave up all hope of finishing the scene. Savanna started naming the presidents starting with Washington and Annette turned off NEO. It would be a long wait as she shook her head over each name listed. Several times Savanna stumbled over the order and after she named the second Roosevelt she gave up.
    “I can’t name the rest in order. Can anyone else?”
    Jaina gave it a try until she suddenly stopped short. “Is it Reagan?” she demanded.
    “Yes.”
    “Goodness, that took a while,” And Elijah, who hadn’t said a word the entire time, looked at his watch. “Twenty-eight minutes to be exact.”
    “Well, we passed some time, but not much,” and Savanna sighed. “I’ll read it, Annette.” She held out her hand for NEO, but Annette shook her head.
    “Can’t you at least give me a little time to finish writing a scene? I was almost finished with it.”
    “Then hurry up,” Gabe said, drumming his fingers on the floor beside him.
    “And get them off the mountain if they’re still there,” Vic added.
    Ignoring both boys, Annette turned NEO back on and looked down at the screen. It was darker now and she reached back for her head light.

    “Finished?” Savanna asked, sitting up as Annette turned off her light.
    “For now.”
    “Then let me read it aloud.”
    “I don’t know--” Annette bit the side of her lip and glanced around the room. She knew her stories were enjoyed by many, but she had never been in the same room when any were being read. “I haven’t even had a chance to reread the whole thing. I’m sure there are typos and--”
    “Who cares?” Reuben said. “We won’t see them. Only Savanna will, and I doubt she’ll read them aloud. Hand it over to her before I start telling jokes.”
    “You’d better not,” growled Elijah looking at his brother.
    Without another word, Annette handed her precious NEO over to her cousin. “It starts on file one and you’ll have to push the ‘home’ button to get to the top of each one. Need a light?”
    After Savanna settled down with her back to the wall and NEO on her lap, Annette’s light turned on her head, and her ankles crossed she looked around the room. “Is everyone ready?”
    Heads nodded. Annette was thankful for the dimness of the cabin for she knew her cheeks were flushed as her cousin began reading her story. “I wonder if I changed enough things or changed them too much?” she wondered, sliding down so her head was resting on her backpack.
    It was different, she had to admit, hearing her story instead of just reading it silently. Several times she made mental notes to change the wording on something or take out or add a few words. As she lay, she watched the snow falling outside the open door. Silently it came down, covering the drab floor of the forest where the summer’s light hadn’t penetrated enough to bring much green, and piling on the branches, giving the leaves a white blanket. She wondered idly if it was snowing down below and if her uncle and aunt were worried about them.
    Suddenly she sat up. “We should have thought of that sooner,” she exclaimed, interrupting Savanna’s reading.
    “Thought about what?” Levi asked.
    “With the way the wind is blowing, we should have gathered dry wood and stuff for a fire.”
    “The chimney--” Gabe started.
    “Not the fireplace. The doorway. The smoke would get pulled out of the cabin. And the floor is dirt so we wouldn’t run the risk of setting the cabin on fire. We’d at least be able to dry our boots some and keep the place from freezing. I have matches if no one else does.” As she spoke, Annette pulled off her dry socks, stuffed them in her backpack and began pulling on her damp ones.
    “What are you doing?” Bethany asked.
    “Going to go out and get wood. There’s no telling how long we’ll be here, and if we’re here overnight, as is quite possible, I at least, would like to have a little warmth besides my sweatshirts.”
    The guys were following suit and soon, with rain jackets on, and headlights shining, they set forth leaving Savanna, Jaina and Bethany inside.
    “We should have thought of this before the snow started burying things,” Gabe called over from one side of the cabin.
    “I know. I don’t know why we didn’t think of it,” Judah replied. “Here, I found a large branch. Too bad we don’t have an ax or a saw.”
    Annette, pulling an old bandana from her jacket pocket, opened it up. Crouching down under a pine tree she began to brush away the snow.
    “What are you doing?”
    She looked up to find Vic behind her. “Gathering pine needles. They’ll burn even if they are damp. Want to help?” 

 

Does your name carry on a family naming tradition?

Have you had trouble with spring allergies lately?

Do you think you'd enjoy taking shelter in an old cabin?