Monday's Mystery - Part 2

 Good morning and Happy Friday!

This month is flying! It's rather strange. I was working hard to get things done so I could relax and enjoy fall, but other things keep popping up that need done. But I am getting a lot done. I actually have blog posts (for Read Another Page) except for a few links done for the rest of the year! I'm ready for writing camp, the books I wanted to publish this year are published, and I almost have my lines memorized for the Christmas play.

Last weekend was really busy with kids here and stuff, but it was also fun. I didn't get any writing done last weekend, but I've been able to get some writing in this week. So many stories want to be written! I am trying to finish up "Finding Home" (not sure if it will get a different title or not), and "Kate & Kylie" want me to keep working on their story. But I have to get a Christmas story written to put in our Christmas cards this year. I am working on one, but it might end up too long, so . . . If it is too long, I'll have to write another one. And then I got an idea for another Homewood Christmas story for next year. Ha! Crazy. "A Homewood Christmas" releases on Monday (though I'll tell you a little secret: it's already published!) and some of us are talking about another collection. Hopefully this first book will sell well.

Okay, the weather. We had temperatures drop down into the 20s one night, and into the 30s two other nights. But today it's supposed to be 81º.  Maybe that cold snap will make the rest of the trees change colors. Some already have, but others are still holding on to their summer dress of green.

Registration for KDWC is open now and we have over 80 campers signed up. The gates open on Tuesday. Busy times are starting. But it's a good busy. Lots of writing. I'm hoping that I can get a lot written during camp. And now I'll quit talking and let you read the next part of this story. One of these days maybe I'll get back to it and finish it. If you have any suggestions for why Bets needs her brother, let me know, because right now, I don't know.

 

Monday's Mystery

Part 2

 

    “Hang on, Bets, I’m coming,” he murmured.
    Arriving home, Lucas went inside and looked around. How long was he going to be gone? What sort of things should he pack? Should he let anyone know he was leaving? There were no parents to worry about his absence, and he only really knew one of his neighbors, but there would be some people at church who would worry when he didn’t appear for choir practice.
    “Lists,” he muttered. “I need lists. But I should know where Wimberley is and how to get there first.” Logan Lucas Kent was nothing if not practical. He sat down at his desk and opened his laptop. Soon he had the route to the small town figured out. He printed the directions, just in case he couldn’t remember them later, and tucked them into the pocket of his laptop case.
    “Now for the lists.”
    Quickly he grabbed a legal pad and sat down at the table. Soon several pages written in his neat hand were spread before him. There was a list of who he needed to contact about his absence, a list of things he needed to take with him, a list of things that needed done at the house before he left, like making sure the fridge was empty of anything that would spoil in more than five days and taking out the trash, and he had a list of food items for the trip. He was thankful his work could be done anywhere and that he was his own boss.
    After looking over his lists and feeling fairly satisfied that he hadn’t forgotten anything, Lucas began to get ready in an orderly, steady way. There was no jumping between tasks or leaving one half done because he’d suddenly remembered another thing. Clothes were packed quickly but neatly in his large suitcase. He had debated for a moment about how much he should take, but decided to be on the safe side in case he had to stay a little while. His sleeping bag and pillow were added to the growing stack by the door. A few books, his Bible, a few of his favorite CDs, and a newly filled water bottle all resided in a plastic tub. Everything he needed for work, his laptop, planner, notebook, and power cords were loaded into his laptop case and set near the other items.
    Next he headed to the kitchen. The small cooler was packed to overflowing with items from his fridge. “At least I haven’t been to the grocery store this week,” he muttered, shaking his head when the lid wouldn’t shut. Finding it difficult to try and repack the cooler as he crouched on the floor, he took everything to the dining room table and spread it out. The small amounts of leftovers he dumped since he wasn’t sure he’d have a way to heat them up. Sandwich things like meat and cheese, lettuce and avocados, along with the half gallon of milk, jelly, hard-boiled eggs, and mustard now fit nicely in the cooler. “But I’m going to need salt and pepper and plates and– My camping stuff!” Lucas rushed into the garage and grabbed a sturdy box. He knew there were more things in the box than he needed, but he didn’t want to take the time to sort it out. Before he returned to the kitchen, his eyes landed on his inflatable mattress. “I don’t know if Bets will have enough beds. Better be on the safe side and take it with me.”
    He packed another box in the kitchen with things like fruit, bread, some snacks, and the last bag of chips. “This ought to last me.”
    The visit to his neighbor didn’t take long. The older man promised to keep an eye on Lucas’s place while he was gone. He didn’t ask any questions about why he as heading to Texas and told Lucas to have a good trip. As he walked back to his house, Lucas called up the choir director at church.
    “Hey, Seth, this is Lucas Kent. I’m well, but I wanted to let you know that there’s been an emergency, and I will be leaving town for an unknown number of days . . . Yes, I am too. No, I’m not sure. Hopefully not too long . . . Thanks . . . Sure, I’ll let you know . . . You too. Bye.”
    “I can text Nate later.” Shoving his phone into his pocket, Lucas began the task of loading his car. This only took a short time, and a quick walk through his house assured him that he hadn’t forgotten anything important. He’d taken the trash out, the fridge was empty, the AC was turned down, lights were off, and he had everything packed and loaded. Upon seeing his lists and leagal pad still on the table, Lucas grabbed them and carried them out to the car. “Never know when you might need some paper.”
    Just before he pulled out of his driveway, Lucas paused. Was this a crazy idea? His practical side said it was. How was he going to find his sister even in a small town? Was he going to have to go to every house, knock on the door, and find out if Bethany Jordon lived there? It all sounded wild and ridiculous, not something someone as organized and methodical as Logan Lucas Kent would do. And yet he couldn’t get the words out of his mind.
    “Key, I need you.”
    He’d do almost anything to help his baby sister.
     “Even leaving my orderly life for the unknown.” Bowing his head on the steering wheel, Lucas prayed, asking for help and safety, and for wisdom on how to help his sister. “And, Lord, please keep Bets safe right now. Be her strength and shield.” 

 

Have you been busy?

Are you planning on coming to camp?

Do you have any ideas for this story?

Monday's Mystery - Part 1

 Good morning,

It's a chilly morning here. Not freezing, but in the 40s last night. Today is supposed to be sunny and in the mid to upper 70s. Yesterday was really windy, and we're supposed to have some wind today, but maybe it won't be as much.

This week has been good but busy. I'm still working on finishing up (I keep thinking "finishing" and something else comes along) the prep for the release of "A Homewood Christmas" which has been fun. Be on the lookout for a video promotion about the book because each of the authors are reading a little blurb about their story, so yes, you can hear what each of us sound like! 

I've been writing more of "Kate & Kylie" and more of "Finding Home" (which is my story-I-shouldn't-be-writing story). "Kate & Kylie" is now over 30k words, and "Finding Home" is over 15k.

I've also been working on blog posts. I am almost done with all the posts for this year! And I'm hoping I can get some for next year done as well. 

This afternoon all 8 of my nieces and nephews are coming over. They'll eat supper here, then the two oldest boys have volleyball games. Some kids will go watch that, others will stay here. Then most of the kids will spend the night, and we'll have at least the youngest one probably all day tomorrow. It will be fun but busy. 

Today's story is the first thousand words of my Monday's Mystery. I have not written much on this story, so don't expect to get very far. It has been very nice and quiet waiting its turn while I work on my other stories. And since it was being so nice, I thought I'd let you read the first part of it.

 

 

Monday's Mystery

Part 1

    “Key, I need you. Bets.”
    Logan Lucas Kent stood on his front stoop and looked at the postcard in his hand. He hadn’t heard from his baby sister in years. Flipping the card over he looked at the picture on the other side. It was a log cabin set in the woods, and it said “Daniel Boone National Forest” across the bottom.
    “Hmm.” Lucas turned the card over again. It looked old. “Like one of the ones we might have gotten as kids when we visited so many national parks. But why would Bets be writing to me now?” He reread the message.
    “Key, I need you. Bets.”
    A frown settled over Lucas’s face. He knew two things. One, his sister hadn’t called him Key since they were kids. And two, she wouldn’t have asked for help unless she was desperate. Absently he tapped the postcard on his hand and stared across the quiet neighborhood.
    Turning abruptly, he stepped back inside and shut the door to keep out the heat. “Okay, Bets, you must really need me. But why? And why didn’t you just call me?”
    With one stride, he crossed the room and picked up his phone. Quickly, he scrolled through his contacts until he found his sister’s number.
    “We’re sorry,” an automated voice answered at the first ring, “the number you are trying to reach has been disconnected.”
    “No phone. Is that why you resorted to the U.S. Postal Service?” Picking up the postcard again, Lucas scanned it. No return address. The postmark was faint, but it looked like some city or town in Texas. Or was that Tennessee?
    “If you wanted help, why didn’t you give me an address, Bets?” Lucas groaned. “I’m not a detective, and the last birthday card I tried sending you came back saying you’d moved and had left no forwarding address. How am I supposed to help you?” He squinted again at the postmark.
    “Nate! He works at the post office. Maybe he can tell me where this was postmarked.” Then he groaned. “But he’s working. I’ll have to wait until this evening. Can I wait that long?”
    After tapping the postcard with its request for help on his hand for half a minute, he suddenly reached for his phone again and sent a text to Nate.
    “Hey, I need help knowing where something was mailed from. Can’t quite read the postmark. Can you help?”
    Lucas had started a list of things he needed to pack when a message came back.
    “Take it to Sharon at the PO. She knows her postal marks.”
    “Thanks.”
    Snatching his keys and the postcard, Lucas almost ran out the door, pausing only long enough to lock it, then hurrying to his car. “Please, Lord,” he prayed as he drove the ten and a half blocks to the post office, “let someone help me. Bets must need me.”
    The post office was empty when he arrived, and he hurried to the counter. A moment later someone came out of the back room.
    “Can I help you?”
    “I need to see Sharon.”
    The woman gave a nod. “I’ll go see if she’s available.”
    Apparently asking for Sharon wasn’t uncommon, and Lucas found himself half smiling.
    He was studying the poster of stamps on the wall when an older woman with short, curly gray hair came from the back room. Her smile was bright and friendly.
    “I’m Sharon. What can I help you with?”
    Lucas placed the postcard on the high counter. “I need to know where this was postmarked. Nate Higgins said you could help.”
    Without a word, the woman picked up the glasses which hung around her neck and put them on. She bent over the postcard and studied it. “Well, it’s Texas, but the town is a bit hard to read. Postal workers really should keep an eye on the ink of their cancellation stamps. It would save a lot of trouble.” She turned away from the counter and opened a drawer. After rummaging through it, she pulled out a book and returned to the counter. “Let’s see, Texas–” And she flipped to near the back. “It doesn’t have all the tiny towns–wish it did–but maybe . . .” Her voice died away as she pulled the postcard closer and began comparing the faint stamp with names listed in the book.
    Lucas could only wait and pray. “Please help her find it, Lord. Help me know where to look!”
    “Well, I’d say it was mailed in Wimberley, but the mark is so faint that it could just as easily be Woodcreek. They are close to each other . . .” Her voice died away as she tipped the postcard to get a different light. “I think it’s Wimberley. And it was mailed–” She peered at the cancellation stamp again. “Looks like four days ago.” Sharon looked up. “Wimberley doesn’t have an airport. You’d have to fly to somewhere like Austin or Dallas and then rent a car.”
    “I was planning on driving.”
    Sharon nodded, her glasses slipping down on her nose. “I’d say it would be about a seven hour drive depending of course, on how many stops you make.” She slid the postcard across the high counter to him.
    Lucas picked it up. “I haven’t seen my sister in four years.” He shook his head. “Thank you for your help.”
    “You’re welcome. I hope you find her and can help her.”
    “Me too.”
    “Oh,” Sharon said, “if you are going away, would you like your mail held for you?”
    “I hadn’t thought of that. Yes, please. Though I don’t know how long I will be gone. Can I change it if I get home early?”
    Sharon nodded, and the form was quickly filled out.
    Then Lucas, after another word of thanks, turned and walked away.
    Wimberley, Texas. He had no idea where that was nor why Bethany was in Texas to begin with. The last he had known, she and her husband and son were living in New Mexico. 

 

Did you enjoy this first part?

What would you do if you were Lucas?

Have you ever wondered what I sound like?

Kate & Kylie - Part 4

 Good morning and happy Friday!

Yes, Friday. Again. The 26th of August to be exact. How it can possibly be almost the end of August is still a puzzlement to me. I mean I am looking forward to fall and stuff, but everything is moving way too quickly. I've hardly written a thing all month! I blame part of that on Little League. :) But that's okay. It wasn't all the fault of Little League. There were some other things going on this month that made my brain feel like it couldn't create, but now it's getting back into the creative mood.

I got Lawrence & Lenexa corrected and will start formatting it soon. I still have to get a synopsis and design a cover for it. Not sure when either of those will happen, but hopefully I can publish this book within a few months if not sooner.

Things are going to be busy today and tomorrow.

Today Dad and I are going to repaint one wall in the living room because when we redid the room next to it last year, we widened the doorway, which meant we had to take all the trim off. We also had some other things that scratched up or messed up the wall. We had painted over those but it was with a satin paint instead of a flat, so we have shiny spots on the wall. But once we get it repainted, Dad can finally get the trim up. Then I'm hoping to maybe get the rest of the spackling done in the hall and on the trim pieces that get put up in the living room. I don't know if I'll get to paint over all the nail holes I filled in or not since I have to wait until Dad caulks some places that are too wide for spackling.

Tomorrow there are a lot of volleyball games that my oldest niece and four oldest nephews are playing in. I don't know how many my mom and sister will be at, and if any of the younger nieces and nephews will come over here to hang out and play or take naps. (We live a few blocks away from where the games are played.) So Saturday is going to be a we'll-see-what-happens sort of day. 

Well, I hope you enjoy this next part of this story. I need to figure out what else I should post on here since I can't give you all of Kate & Kylie. Anyway, enjoy!

 

 Kate & Kylie

Part 4

The moment Mitch disappeared, several of the girls from Kylie’s group rushed over.
    “Are you okay, Miss Kylie?”
    “I can’t believe Jeff had that potato gun in the restaurant!”
    “Does it hurt really bad?”
    “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
    “Do you have to go to the hospital?”
    Somehow Kylie managed to smile and reassure them that besides having a headache, she was fine and hungry. “Go back and eat lunch. Your parents will be around to pick you all up in a little while.”

*

    “Kylie? Earth to Kylie.”
    With a blush, Kylie brought her mind back to the present. “Sorry. Just remembering another time.”
    “Like our first lunch together? I’m not sure we could call it a date since there was a room full of kids.”
    “Yeah, kids with potato guns that we somehow didn’t know about.” Kylie rubbed her head as though she still felt the throbbing headache. “I still can’t believe someone was crazy or dumb enough to mess around with one of those in a restaurant of all places.”
    “Somehow,” Mitch said, “I don’t think they ever tried that again. Giving you a concussion scared everyone. Even me.”
    Kylie glanced around the room and then back to Mitch. “I was thankful you were there. I did not want to be hauled off to a hospital instead of going home.”
    “Crazy how accidents keep bringing us together. First the potato gun, then the little girl at the fireworks.”
    “Actually, you were already sitting at my table before that potato hit me,” Kylie retorted.
    “True.”
    Their lunch was brought out, and after Mitch had asked a quiet blessing over their meal, they began to eat.
    “So,” Mitch said into the momentary lull of talk brought on by both beginning to eat, “what have you been doing for two years?”
    That was the question Kylie had secretly been dreading. She had hoped to ask him first and get him talking. She shrugged. “Not much. What about you?”
    Placing one elbow on the table as though settling in for a debate, Mitch narrowed his twinkling eyes at her. “Oh, no, you don’t. That answer is not an answer.”
    “It is so,” Kylie retorted.
    “Details, Kys.”
    In an effort to buy more time, Kylie took a bite of her meal. Mitch did the same, his eyes never leaving her face. Kylie dropped her gaze and began playing with her fork. The last two years were empty as far as anything interesting went.
    “Come on, Kys, I know you must have done something in the two years since we’ve been in contact.”
    She shook her head. “Not really. I kept living with my aunt and took care of her until she passed away last year. Then I house sat for some friends who were going to be gone for six months. After that I came to live with Kate and Joe since he was often gone for training and she was pregnant.” She gave a shrug and prepared to take another bite. “Your turn.”
    “If all we’re giving are the bare minimum, my two years are even more boring than yours,” Mitch teased. “I took that internship in Geneva, Switzerland, and then finished my internship here in the States. I got my license, and now I’m working here at the hospital as a doctor.”
    “What was it like in Switzerland?”
    “I’ll answer if you promise to answer my questions.”
    Wondering if she’d regret it later, Kylie agreed. She hoped she could just keep Mitch busy or that Kate would call, for she wasn’t sure she wanted to talk about her two boring years.
    For several minutes Mitch shared stories about his time in Geneva working in a hospital, and Kylie listened with interest. She used to dream of traveling, but life wasn’t going the way she had thought it would.
    “Your turn.”
    “Um, okay.” Kylie took a bite.
    “Why don’t you want to talk about what you’ve been doing?”
    Startled by Mitch’s question, Kylie choked on her chicken and started coughing.
    “You okay?”
    Taking a drink, she nodded. “Fine.” She coughed a few more times and then wiped away the tears that had come. “Sorry.”
    “So? Why don’t you want to talk about what you’ve been doing?”
    She drew a quick breath. Might as well tell him. “I haven’t done anything, Mitch. My life was dull, boring and–well, all those things we used to talk about didn’t happen. I didn’t change anyone’s life or make the world a better place because of something I did. I just lived with my aunt, took care of a house, and then came to live with my sister and her husband. It was pretty pathetic as far as making a difference goes.”
    “Did your aunt need your help?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Then her life was better because of the help and care you gave her. Did you attend church, meet anyone new, interact with anyone when you house-sat.–It’s rather strange to think of house-sitting, like it needed you to feed it or something–” He paused and chuckled. “Anyway, did you become involved at all with anything?”
    “Yeah, I kept going to the same church we attended, and I met the neighbors. But they didn’t need me. I didn’t change anything by staying at that house.”
    Mitch had finished eating and now pushed his plate away. Folding his arms on the table, he leaned forward. “So you kept teaching and helping with the youth events at church?”
    Kylie nodded.
    “Then you have no idea what will happen to the seeds you planted in the minds of those kids.”
    “Anyone could have done that, or taken care of Aunt Luan, or mowed Mr. Gressup’s yard, or done any of those things, Mitch. I wanted to do something different–special. I–” She looked down at her phone and checked the time. “I should probably go.”
    “Kys,” Mitch’s voice was quiet. “Are you running away, or does Kate need you?” 

 

What is your favorite season?

Have you ever traveled to another country?

Do you have a busy or quiet weekend planned?

Lawrence & Lenexa - Part 3

 Good morning!

How can it be Friday again? We just had Friday. And it certainly should NOT be the 19th of August! This is crazy. Where is the "slow down" button? This week has been . . . busy.

Saturday my sis and I watched kids for a ladies fellowship at church for a few hours.

Sunday was quiet which was nice.

Monday I worked on trying to get some different things done like making corrections in the Christmas play.

Tuesday my mom, sis, and I went up to KC to help my aunt for the day.

Wednesday it rained. So lovely! And I was tired and trying to catch up on things, and the Little League World Series started so I watched some games.

Thursday we had almost all my nieces and nephews from 11-4. Then more Little League games.

Today I need to clean the house and  . . . well, I'm not sure what all. My brain feels a little overloaded with things and I'm not sure what I should do first.

On the writing front, I haven't written anything this week. Between being gone and watching Little League, I just haven't been inclined to write. And I'm not sure which to work on. Besides, I still need to make the corrections in Lawrence & Lenexa. Still no idea for a cover. I've tried about 5 different versions and nothing is working. 

It's nice out this morning so I think we'll go walk. Enjoy this next part of L & L.

 

 Lawrence & Lenexa

Part 3

    “Lawrence Johnson!” Their mother’s voice in the doorway interrupted their talk. “How many times have I told you not to sit on the floor with your school clothes on? You’ll ruin them. And Lenexa, honey, lounging like that is a good way to give you back troubles later on in life.”
    Lawrence rose and picked up his backpack. “Sorry, Mom. I forgot I hadn’t changed.”
    Lenexa sat up. “Mom, can we do something together this weekend?”
    Mrs. Johnson glanced down at her watch. “Like what, Lenexa?”
    “Oh, I don’t know, have a picnic or go to the park. You know, something fun.”
    “I don’t see how we can fit one more thing into this weekend, Lenexa. Dad has a very important meeting with a client tomorrow at one. And you know that Sunday is my bridge club. But maybe you can play golf with your father then. But change quickly now. We are eating supper early tonight.” She stepped from doorway into the hall. “Lawrence.”
    “Yeah?” Lawrence called from behind the closed door of his room.
    Mrs. Johnson sighed. “I do wish you wouldn’t shout, son. We are eating supper early so don’t take a long time changing. And make sure you put on proper dinner clothing, not shorts and a T-shirt this evening.”
    “I won’t, Mom.”
    Lenexa opened the door of her room and stood still.
    “Lenexa Marie Elizabeth Johnson!” her mother exclaimed. “Surely you were not planning on wearing that to the dinner table!”
    Glancing down, Lenexa didn’t see anything amiss. “Why not? What’s wrong with it?”
    “Your slip is showing at least half an inch. Now either find a different slip, or put on a different dress. One that is long enough to look decent.”
    “Can I just wear it without the slip? It’s just for supper–”
    “Absolutely not. No child of mine is going to come to the table half undressed. Now hurry. Your father won’t want to be kept waiting.”
    Shutting the door, Lenexa hurried back to her closet. The trouble was she had been growing. Her dresses were looking shorter, and most of her slips were too small. Except the one she was wearing. After trying on three dresses and finding that the slip still showed. Lenexa was desperate. Her mother had called her twice, and the tone of her voice said her patience was nearly gone. Grabbing a couple of safety pins, Lenexa pulled up the waistband of the slip and folded it over, pinning it in place. It was difficult to pin the back evenly, and she finally gave up trying. “As long as it doesn’t show it should work.”
    In the hall, Mrs. Johnson eyed her daughter’s outfit carefully. “You do have a slip on, right?”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    “Then let us go down to dinner. Mr. Edger and his wife are joining us for dessert, but you and Lawrence won’t be required to eat with us.”
    Lenexa merely nodded. Mr. Edger, a lawyer from the same firm where her father worked, was friendly when alone, but neither Lenexa nor her brother cared for his wife.

*

    Mounting the stairs to their rooms, the twins looked at each other and sighed. It had been a long evening. Supper had been all right though it was a bit rushed, for the Edgers were known to be early. They were early. A whole twenty minutes early. Mrs. Johnson had the table cleared away quickly even though Lawrence was still eating. After the twins had greeted their guests politely, they were excused to eat their dessert outside. There they had remained until it began to grow dark.
    “I’m glad Mrs. Cook let me eat something else after dessert,” Lawrence murmured to his sister. “I might have starved before breakfast tomorrow.”
    “You wouldn’t have starved, Larry,” Lenexa retorted with a grin. “But you might have been awfully hungry.” Stopping in the hall, she asked, “What are we going to do tomorrow?”
    “Sleep in. Then I don’t know what. I wish we had those papers to fill out for camp.”
    Lenexa sighed. “Yeah, me too. Well, I’m going to bed. Night, Larry.”
    “Good night, Lexi.”

*

    Saturday, Sunday, and then Monday finally dragged their slow, reluctant days away, and then it was Tuesday.
    Lenexa was late for breakfast and had to rush through her meal in order to leave for school on time. There was no time to talk with her brother until they were in the car, and even then she couldn’t very well bring up the subject that was foremost in her mind.
    All during school that morning Lenexa fought to stay focused. Catching her brother’s arm in the hall, she dragged him to the side and whispered, “Do you think she’s put it there yet?”
    Lawrence shrugged. “Maybe. Let’s go eat.” He started down the hall toward the stairs.
    Keeping step with him, Lenexa wasn’t ready to let the subject drop. “What if she gives the papers to Mom? Or forgets to bring them?”
    “If she forgets than we’ll have to wait until Saturday. If she gives them to Mom, well–” He waited for a few students to hurry ahead of them down the stairs. “If Mom gets them then I’m guessing we’ll either have to do some pretty fancy persuading and hope we can get Dad on our side, or we’ll just have to forget the whole thing, listen to our lecture, and go to our usual camp.”
    “Oh!” Lenexa moaned. She felt like sitting down on the stairs but knew she’d get a lecture if a teacher saw her.
    “Come on, Lex, buck up. We only have a few more hours before we know.” Lawrence didn’t feel as confident as he tried to sound. Though he wouldn’t admit it then, he was worried too.
    
    Somehow the twins managed to finish the school day without any reprimands for absentmindedness, and they met each other at the door. Lenexa’s face was eager and excited.
    “You look too eager, Lex,” Lawrence murmured, as they were swept along by the crowd. “Mom might notice.”

How was your week? Busy? Slow? Normal?

Have you ever watched any Little League games?

Do you ever wonder which thing you should work on first?

Lawrence & Lenexa - Part 2

 Good morning!

It's in the 60ºs this morning. Or at least that's what my computer is saying. My sister and I walked yesterday and it was so nice. Don't know if we'll try to walk this morning or not. It might depend on what we need to get done before breakfast.

This week hasn't been much of a writing week. I finished writing the Christmas Play, or at least I hope I did. It hasn't been through my editor yet, so we'll see what she thinks of it. But that was on Monday and I haven't written anything since. There have just been a lot of other things going on. Little League ball games to watch here and there, books to move and rearrange, filling in nail holes on the trim in the hall, and yesterday I even put a small cube bookshelf together. I have been working more on blog posts and trying to catch up on this, that, and the other.

I did design a cover for this year's short Christmas story which was last year's Christmas card story. And no, I didn't post it last December. I posted the other version of the story that I had written.

I've been also playing around with a cover for Lawrence & Lenexa. Should I keep that title or find something else?

Hopefully I can get back into writing again soon. And reading as I realized that aside from a few of my own short stories I haven't read anything since I finished a story on Monday. I hope you enjoy today's part of Lawrence & Lenexa.

 

 Lawrence & Lenexa

Part 2

    “What if . . .” Lawrence looked out the window, then down at the table, before glancing up at his sister. “What if we went somewhere else.”
    Lenexa’s eyes widened. “Larry,” she whispered as though afraid someone else would hear, “what do you mean?”
    “Well, when I went on that bike ride last Saturday with Saundra’s brothers, you know they came over when she came to clean–”
    Lenexa nodded quickly but said nothing.
    “We stopped down at the creek to take a break and got to talking. They mentioned that they go to some camp called Mountain View something-or-other. I don’t remember it all, but they were saying how much fun they had and how great it was. They even invited me to go with them.”
    Lenexa’s face fell. “Is it just a boy’s camp?”
    “No. They said you could come too. It’s some kind of Bible camp or something.”
    Lenexa turned back to her paper. “Well, it’s no use thinking about that. You know Mom would never let us go to a Bible camp.”
    “Dad might.”
    Folding her arms on the table, Lenexa leaned forward. “But we don’t even know where it is, what it is, when it is, or how to get there.”
    “I have a paper they gave me about it. I haven’t read it yet. I finished my homework and can go get it. You?”
    “Let me finish these last few questions, then I’ll be finished.” Quickly Lenexa bent over her paper and scribbled answers to the remaining three questions while Lawrence hurried from the room.
    He returned a moment later. Pausing, he quickly locked the door behind him before rushing back to the table. There were certain people in the house that he didn’t want surprising them, or any plans of attending a different camp would be dashed.
    For several minute the two heads bent over the paper. Every line was read. Lawrence got out the large atlas and looked up the town closest to the camp. That’s where they would be picking up campers who came in on a bus.
    “Wouldn’t this be a great place to spend two weeks?” he asked.
    Lenexa nodded. “But how can we get the forms to fill out? If we had those we could fill them out and get Daddy to sign them. He wouldn’t care or even notice probably, if we went to a different camp this year.”
    “Why don’t we ask Saundra when she’s here on Saturday.”
    “She’s not coming Saturday,” Lenexa said. “I overheard her telling Mrs. Hamstead that she had to clean tomorrow because of something else that was going on. Mrs. Hamstead wasn’t very happy.” She twisted a strand of hair around her finger and frowned. “And we’ll be in school.”
    “Maybe one of us could pretend to be sick.”
    Lenexa just looked at him.
    “Then again, Mom would probably call up Dr. Hathaway and it would all be over. Could we leave her a note?”
    Lenexa’s face brightened. “Of course! She cleans our rooms, and I know the perfect place to put a note where she’ll be sure to find it and no one else will notice. Come on, let’s get it written right now.”
    It took some time to agree on just what the note should say, but at last it was written. The twins gathered their books, stuffed them into their backpacks for the next day, and then Lenexa hurried to her room to put the note in its hiding place.

    The rest of the day passed as it usually did. The twins ate a dull supper sitting alone in the large dining room. “We should just eat in the kitchen,” grumbled Lawrence.
    Lenexa nodded with her mouth full. Often they had tried to get Mrs. Hamstead to agree to letting them eat in the kitchen with the cook, the gardener, and one of the maids who lived in the house, but she never would agree to it.
    “Your mother would never approve,” she always said. And by the tone of her voice, it was obvious that she didn’t approve either.
    “I wish Mrs. Hamstead would take a vacation again,” Lawrence grumbled. “Mrs. Cook didn’t mind us eating in there with them.”
    The Johnson’s cook really bore the last name of Cook, which greatly amused and delighted the twins. She and Saundra were their favorite members of the staff and the closest things the children had for friends in the large mansion.

*

    When they came home from school the next. day, Lawrence didn’t suggest a race to change clothes. Instead he followed his sister into her room. “Is it gone?” he whispered even though no one else was around.
    Lenexa looked around. “No–yes! She left a note!” Snatching it quickly, she opened it and read, “I should be able to get those papers for you when I come on Tuesday. My brothers will be excited if you both can attend camp with them this year. Saundra.”
    “Now we just have to wait until Tuesday.”
    “It feels like ages to wait,” Lenexa agreed, sinking down onto her bed. “Maybe Mom and Dad will be free to do something with us this weekend.”
    Dropping his backpack onto the floor, Lawrence sat down cross-legged beside it. “Like what?”
    “I don’t know. Go to the park or have a picnic. You know, something other kids do with their parents.” She shrugged.
    “It’d be fun, but I wouldn’t count on it. Maybe we can get someone to take us to the library tomorrow, and we can get some new books to read.”
    With a sigh, Lenexa fell backwards on her bed. “I suppose. But I get tired of reading all weekend, every weekend. I’d like–”
    “Lawrence Johnson!” Their mother’s voice in the doorway interrupted their talk. “How many times have I told you not to sit on the floor with your school clothes on? You’ll ruin them. And Lenexa, honey, lounging like that is a good way to give you back troubles later on in life.” 

 

Have you done much reading this week?

Do you like rearranging your books?

Did you get any walking in this week?

Lawrence & Lenexa - Part 1

 Good morning,

We've had some rain this week. Not a lot, but we did get some over the weekend and then some more yesterday morning. It is still getting into the triple digits some, but not everyday. The grass is looking a little greener.

This has been a very busy week!

Saturday– We moved books and bookshelves in the living room. I'm guessing we moved around 1,400 or more books. And I wrote some and got a few other things done.

Sunday– We had a fellowship meal after church which was fun. I spent the afternoon reading. That was nice.

Monday– My brother's 3 youngest kids spent almost all day here, so we read stories, and played, and naps were taken, and more playing. I did manage to get a little written that evening as well as get ready for the next day.

Tuesday– I was up at 4:30, at my polling place by 5:15. We were actually quite steady almost all day with voters. Ended up with 305 people voting. We had a new guy working with us. He'd never worked the polls before, but he did great. Thankfully the day didn't drag.

Wednesday– I woke up with a sore throat. I spend almost all morning with camp stuff. We closed the gates and kicked everyone off. Then we had to get it cleaned up and as ready for the next camp as we can. Took a nap after lunch. I needed one. Still fighting some sort of cold. Sinuses started bothering me. I did write some and practiced the violin that evening.

Thursday– All 8 nieces and nephews were over from 8:30-5:00. Since I was still fighting some sort of sinus cold and sore throat, it made it hard to read many stories or do a lot of talking. Several of the kids were getting over stuff too. I don't know if I caught it from them when we were over there last week, and then some were over on Monday, and then maybe mixed it with something from Election Day, but I'd rather just get over it. :) 

Anyway, I got my proof copy for Don Wood in the mail yesterday. Now it needs read and corrections made so I can publish it. Yes, I am hoping to work on Lawrence & Lenexa now. Went over some things and last night I sat and knitted and thought through it all. Hopefully I can add what is needed soon.

 

 Lawrence & Lenexa

Part 1

    “Mrs. Hamstead will be picking you up today after school, remember?” Mrs. Johnson said, stopping her silver Cadillac in front of Biltmore Preparatory School where her two children attended. “And Dad and I have a dinner tonight.”
    Climbing from the car, Lawrence nodded. “Got it.”
    Lenexa gave a wave. “Bye, Mom.”
    As the silver Cadillac pulled out into traffic, the siblings glanced at each other with a shrug. “I don’t know why she bothered telling us they have a dinner,” Lawrence muttered, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. “They seem to always have a dinner, or a meeting, or something.”
    Beside him, Lenexa nodded and brushed back her light brownish-red hair. “Maybe we can do something then. After orchestra.” She shifted her violin case to the other hand.
    Together they walked up to the front doors of their school. They were almost the same height, although Lenexa was just over a quarter of an inch taller than her twin brother.Her bangs pulled back in a dark ribbon. Both wore their school uniforms with white shirts. Lawrence had on dark slacks while Lenexa wore her dark plaid, pleated skirt. They looked just like the dozens of other students arriving and were soon swallowed up in the crowd and swept into the stuffy, snobbish halls of Biltmore Prep leaving no time for further conversation.

*

    The sun was bright and the afternoon was warm, indicating the approach of summer and the longed for end of the school term. Mrs. Hamstead was waiting in the car when the twins finally emerged at the end of the school day. She was the Johnson’s housekeeper and rarely spoke to the children of the house unless necessity required it, for she didn’t like children. It was only in extreme circumstances that she would condescend to pick up the twins from their school.
    Today had been one of those days. With a grim face, she waited in silence until they had climbed into the back of the car and fastened their seatbelts, and then, still without a word, she pulled away from the curb.
    Sensing tension, Lawrence ventured to roll his eyes, at his sister and Lenexa bit back a giggle. Both knew it would never do to get Mrs. Hamstead in a worse mood than she already was, so they kept silent and watched the landscape flash by the windows.
    The country atmosphere that surrounded the prep school gave way to high office buildings, bustling lanes of traffic, and occasionally the lights and sirens that signaled an accident. Mrs. Hamstead, though she wasn’t an enjoyable companion, was an excellent driver, and before long the majority of the traffic was left behind and the car turned onto a winding residential street. The houses were modest, single story affairs and Lenexa and Lawrence had often privately wondered what it would be like to live in a house that small. As they continued on, the houses grew larger, the lawns more spacious, and finally Mrs. Hamstead turned onto a long driveway and parked before the Johnson’s house.
    Large, grand, three-stories tall, this mansion was the home of Mr. Lawrence Lancaster Johnson III, attorney at law, his wife, Camilia Lenexa Johnson, and their son and daughter. It was also the working place of several “hired help” who cleaned, cooked, tended the yard, washed the cars, and maintained the appearance of the Johnson home in general.
    “See to it that you do your homework before you do anything else,” Mrs. Hamstead ordered, speaking suddenly as she parked the car.
    “Yes, ma’am,” chorused the twins before scrambling out of the car. They wanted to run into the house but knew that would only bring a scolding from the housekeeper, so they contented themselves with a brisk though dignified walk.
    Once inside, however, they dashed up the stairs to the second floor, down the hall and stopped before their rooms gasping for breath.
    “Race you in changing,” Lawrence challenged.
    “You have to let me put my violin down first,” Lenexa said, “or the new string might come loose again. Not that I would care very much, but my teacher would probably scold.”
    “Okay, but then you have to come back into the hall so we can start at the same time.”
    Lenexa grinned and hurring into her room, carefully set her violin case right side up on the plush, cream couch. Then she ran back to the hall. “Ready, go!”
    The race was over in minutes with both children jerking open their bedroom doors within half a second of each other. This brought a laugh.
    “Now homework. Ugh,” Lawrence groaned. “I can’t wait until school is out!”
    “Me too.” Lenexa grabbed her backpack. “Let’s go to the play room and do our work there.”
    Her brother nodded, and they crossed the hall and entered the large room. Windows on two sides let in plenty of light while bookshelves lined most of one wall and the floor was thickly carpeted. This had been the room where the twins had spent much of their time when they were young. Even now the large closet held their favorite childhood toys, remnants of their monotonous life.
    Not thinking about the past, the twins were soon seated at a table near one of the windows with their homework spread out. Almost complete silence filled the large room for some time with only the turning of a page and the scratching of a pencil to disturb the stillness.
    “Lexie,” Lawrence said at last, fiddling with his pencil.
    “What?”
    “Summer’s coming.”
    “Yeah.” Lenexa looked up at her brother expectantly.
    “Where do you think we’ll go to camp?”
    “Same place as always.” Lenexa couldn’t keep back a sigh. “It’ll be boring as usual, and the snobs in the cabin will be just as annoying, and when we come home Mom and Dad will say, ‘Did you have fun?’ but won’t have time to listen to us say more than yes or no.”
    “What if . . .” Lawrence looked out the window, then down at the table, before glancing up at his sister. “What if we went somewhere else.” 

 

How was your week?

Are you excited for Don Wood?

Have you ever gone to summer camp?

Kate & Kylie - Part 3

 Good morning.

I'm going to keep this part short because I'm still trying to catch up on emails and camp stuff. You see, one of my nephews ended up with appendicitis, and my sis and I took the other 7 kids home from church on Wednesday, spent the night and all day yesterday over there. Thankfully Buddy was able to come home last evening, and Sis & I came home too.

On the writing front my tent at camp was "accidentally" challenged to write 50k words OVER our tent goal. Well, as of yesterday we were 61k over it. And camp isn't even over yet. ;) We'll see if we reach 100k. And we have reached our Active Camp Goal! There's been a lot of writing going on.

We got some rain yesterday. Not much, but some. And it was much cooler. I think it probably reached 90º but it didn't feel nearly as hot as it usually does. I guess that means we were getting used to the triple digit temperatures?

Here's the next part of Kate & Kylie. Enjoy!

 

*

    The little pizza restaurant was loud, and crowded with hungry, excited to be back to civilization, teens. Tables had been pushed together in several places as the laughing, chattering youth found seats with friends. The talk was about the trip, the coming school term, and jobs.
    Kylie paused and glanced around. She could join any of the noisy tables, but after a week of playing chaperone, she was ready for some quiet. And peace.
    Spying an empty booth across the room, she wove her way around tables and kids and sat down with a sigh. It was good to sit in a soft seat with the prospect of eating food that wasn’t cooked over a fire.
    “Can I get you a drink?” one of the waitresses asked, stopping by the booth.
    “Please. Just water with lemon. And thank you.”
    As the waitress left, someone else approached the table. “Is this seat taken?”
    Kylie looked up. Mitch Standish stood beside the booth looking hopeful. With a motion of her hand, Kylie said, “Help yourself, unless you want to sit with that rowdy bunch.” Mitch had been one of the chaperones on the trip, but Kylie hadn’t spent much time talking with him.
    “Thanks, but I’d rather have some sane conversation right now.” He sat down across from her and leaned back in his seat. “You wouldn’t believe some of the conversations those kids have!”
    Kylie grinned. “Actually, I probably would. I had some crazy ones too.” The waitress returned with her drink, and after thanking her, Kylie squeezed one of the lemons into her water and then picked up a second slice and proceeded to eat it.
    “How–” Mitch stared at her. “Those things are sour!” He leaned forward, arms crossed on the table. “I can’t believe you can just eat it like that! You’re not even puckering!”
    The waitress returned with Mitch’s drink and took their pizza order before Kylie bothered to reply.
    “My dad gave my sister and me lemons when we were toddlers. I loved ‘em. My twin hated ‘em.” She shrugged. “So much for twins liking the same things.”
    “Well, you are the first person I’ve met who actually eats lemon slices. Do you peel them and eat them too? Like oranges?”
    At that, Kylie began to laugh. “No. But I do keep a lemon in the kitchen for when I get the urge to eat a slice. Sure you don’t want the last one?” She offered the plate.
    Mitch held up his hands. “Positive. I’m not a lemon sort of guy.”
    “Not even lemon cake or lemonade?”
    “Well, I’ll make an exception for those; they have sugar to sweeten them up. But straight lemons? Huh-uh.”
    With a grin, Kylie picked up the last lemon slice, but before it reached her mouth, there was a loud pop, a thump, a scream, and something hard smacked her in the side of the head.
    Dropping the lemon, her hands went instinctively to her head where a throbbing headache had begun to beat. What had just happened? She closed her eyes and fought the pain.
    A stunned silence fell over the entire restaurant.
    “Kylie!”
    Biting her lip, Kylie heard Mitch’s voice, but she wasn’t sure she could answer without crying.
    “Kylie, let me see how bad it is.” His hands gently moved hers, and his fingers probed her head. “I need ice.”
    “Don’t have any,” she mumbled.
    Mitch’s voice held a smile in it. “I wasn’t talking to you. You’ve got a serious knot on your head. Did you black out at all? Lose consciousness?”
    Kylie started to shake her head, but the slightest movement sent more pain radiating through her skull. “I don’t think so. What hit me?”
    “Here’s the ice. Let us know if you need more.” The voice was worried. Something cold was pressed to her head, and though the pressure wasn’t pleasant, the cold brought a slight ease to the pain. “Do we need to call 9-1-1?”
    Before Kylie could say no, she heard Mitch answer.
    “Thanks, I don’t think so, but I haven’t checked for a concussion yet. I’m almost a doctor and will keep an eye on her and can call if we need an ambulance.”
    “Don’t need one,” Kylie mumbled, still keeping her eyes closed and gripping her hands as they rested in her lap. “What hit me?”
    “A potato. Thank God it hit something else first and then ricocheted into you, otherwise–” He let his sentence die and adjusted the ice. “Can you hold this? I want to make sure you don’t have a concussion.”
    “How did a potato–” she whispered, reaching up and letting him guide her hand to the cold bag of ice.
    “Not sure yet. Can you open your eyes and look at me?”
    After a little blinking, Kylie stared across at Mitch as he moved a small pen light back and forth in front of her eyes. For the first time she noticed his hair was about the color of her great aunt’s dresser in the front room–a dark walnut brown. But his eyes were lighter. They were more like caramel, no perhaps honey.
    “Well, I think you do have a concussion,” Mitch said, turning off his light and putting it back in his pocket, “but it’s slight, and I imagine you have a whale of a headache. Do you still feel like eating? I’ll get you some Tylenol for the headache.”
    For a moment Kylie wavered. The pain in her head was bad, but she knew she needed to eat or she’d have a headache from not eating. Besides, she didn’t want to worry the kids. “I’ll eat. But Tylenol would be nice.”
    Mitch rose and said in low tones, “Don’t get up. I’ll get it from the first-aid box. And I’m going to find out where that potato came from.” His last words were low and slightly stern.
    The moment Mitch disappeared, several of the girls from Kylie’s group rushed over. 

Have you had rain?

How was your week?

Did you enjoy this part of the story?

Kate & Kylie - Part 2

 Good morning!

Welcome to another triple digit Friday. Yep, we're heading to the triple digits once again in temperatures. We've reached 107º twice this week and that wasn't counting any heat index. But yesterday the humidity dropped. I think it's because we've had so much heat that it's finally sucked the last of the moisture from the air which can make things even more dangerous when you are outside because you don't realize how hot you are as you do when there is humidity. We did have some clouds, fluffy clouds not rain clouds, last evening and this morning which is nice. But the grasses are pretty much brown. The trees are dropping leaves like it's fall, and we are longing for rain!

But enough about our lovely weather. (I don't want to make you jealous.) ;) 

This week I have gotten in some writing. Not as much as I had hoped, but I did write 2k on Saturday and 2k on Monday, so that was fun. And I wrote 1k yesterday. I've been jumping around from story to story not sure what I should settle on. I think part of that is because I don't know if Lawrence & Lenexa will need more work or not, and part is because I have tried and tried to write this Christmas play for church and nothing has worked. Finally last night I had an idea and I think it will work. Now I just need to write it.

Camp is going well. There's a lot of writing going on and chatting. Hard to believe that it's already the 22nd of July! The days are flying!

Well, I hope you enjoy this next part of Kate & Kylie. I know I've given it to you once before, but you can read it again before you get a new part.

 

Part 2

    “Kate, I’ll reschedule. I can’t just leave you here alone if you’re having contractions.” Kylie stood near the front door, her purse over one shoulder but a frown on her face. “I mean, what if this time it’s real, and the baby decides to come, and I’m not here?”
    “Kylie, I’m fine! These contractions are not even close together. How many other women have been left alone three weeks before their baby is due? I’m not made of glass.”
    “But I told Joe–”
    “Kylie Smith, you are going to go have lunch with Mitch. If you don’t, I’ll text him and tell him you’re sick. That will bring him here.” And Kate rested her hands on her hips.
    “But I’m not sick.”
    “You’ve almost talked yourself into being sick with nervousness. Come on, you’re an extrovert.”
    Kylie sighed. “Kate, just because I’m an extrovert doesn’t mean I never get anxious or nervous. I mean, I haven’t talked to Mitch for two years. We’ve changed.” Her voice dropped. “At least I’ve changed.” She shook her head quickly as though to shake off her thoughts and said somewhat ruefully, “And now we’re having lunch together. I don’t know why I agreed to do this.” She chewed on her lower lip and looked out the front door.
    Her twin placed a hand on her arm. “You’ll be fine, Kylie,” Kate said softly. “If I weren’t so noticeably pregnant, I’d be tempted to trade places with you again.” Her remark brought a smile to Kylie’s face.
    “Somehow I don’t think Joe would like it if you went out to lunch with a strange guy.”
    “Oh, I’d just tell him I was interviewing the man as a possible candidate for brother-in-law.” Kate smiled innocently.
    “Kate!” Kylie clutched her purse strap and glared at her sister. “Don’t ever suggest such things if Mitch is around! I may not even like him anymore.”
    “Well,” Kate said practically, “you won’t know unless you actually meet him. Now, if you aren’t out in that car and backing out of the driveway in two minutes, I’m texting Mitch and telling him you might be coming down with something.”
    “You’re impossible!”
    “I know.”
    Kylie couldn’t help but grin at her sister. Sometimes Kate got under her skin, but she couldn’t do without her. “If you start having contractions closer together or stronger, let me know at once! I’ll come right home.”
    “I’m fine, and I’ll let you know. Now get going!”
    Kylie got. Moments later she was driving toward the local cafe, a place much loved by nearly everyone. “Lord,” she prayed, “I don’t know what I’m doing. Please help me. It would be nice if I still liked Mitch, but it has been so long. And I’m nervous. Why did I run into him on the 4th? Please be with Kate while I’m gone. I don’t know which I’m more nervous about–Kate having her baby or having lunch with Mitch.” She heaved a sigh and pulled into the parking lot of the cafe, glad to find it not too busy. The lunch rush must not have arrived yet. “Well, here we are. Please help me, Father!”
    She could see Mitch standing casually near the front of the quaint building. One hand was shoved into his pants pocket just as he used to stand waiting for her. Pausing before she got out, Kylie studied him, for it had been dark when she had seen him on the 4th. His hair was cut short, and he was watching a mother with three children walk by as a smile spread across his face.
    Letting out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding, Kylie grabbed her purse and reached for the door handle. “He still looks like the Mitch I knew.”
    The air was humid and hot. Mitch saw her and smiled as she approached. “Hi,” he said. “Hungry?”
    Kylie nodded. “It doesn’t look too busy. I think we beat the lunch rush. Thanks.” She stepped through the door Mitch opened for her. “Do you eat here often?”
    “I’ve actually never eaten here before,” admitted Mitch, casting a quick glance around. “Reminds me of Ma’s Kitchen back in Iowa.”
    “Table for two?”
    Kylie nodded and then followed the waitress to a booth near the back of the cafe.
    As Mitch slid into the seat across from her, Kylie wondered for the seventh, or was it the seventieth, time why she had agreed to this plan of having lunch together. Picking up her menu, she scanned it even though she already knew what she wanted.
    “So, what’s the best thing to get?”
    Kylie looked up. “That depends on if you want chicken or beef.”
    “Tell me the best of both and I’ll pick.”
    A smile found its way to Kylie’s lips. That was exactly what Mitch from two years ago would have said. “The grilled chicken sandwich is the best chicken meal. But if you want beef, go with the smothered cow.”
    “Wow, they both sound good.” And Mitch studied both selections with care. “Although a smothered cow sounds a bit–interesting. But I’ll try it. What are you getting? Chicken?”
    Kylie nodded. “Sometimes I get the pasta, but Kate can’t stand the smell of chicken right now, and I’ve been longing for some.”
    “When’s she due?”
    “Three weeks. She’s had some contractions today, so if I get a call or text, I’m leaving.”
    Mitch grinned. “I don’t blame you. Is this the first niece, nephew–?”
    “Yes. Kate and Joe decided not to find out, and I can’t wait!”
    Just then their waitress returned with waters for them and took their order. When she left, Kylie squeezed two lemon slices into her water and then ate another one.
    “I still don’t know how you can stand to eat those things.” And Mitch made face.
    Kylie laughed, remembering his shock the first time she had eaten a lemon slice. 

 

Do you like lemon slices?

Are your temperatures in the triple digits?

 Should I repost the first parts of Lawrence & Lenexa?

Kate & Kylie - Part 1

 Good morning,

Welcome to summer. Oh, wait. I guess it has been summer for a while now, hasn't it? I suppose I could say welcome to the 100º+ temperatures. Last Saturday we had a lovely day! It was so nice out in the morning and it never got beyond the low 90ºs. And my sis and I have gotten to walk 4 mornings this week before it got really hot. Yesterday was 102º. The next five days or so are supposed to be really hot with one day being 106º and that doesn't count the heat index. And things are dry. We got a very little bit of rain Tuesday morning. Very light so that if there were trees it didn't reach the ground. The grass is turning brown. Plants need watering daily, our lilac bush had to be watered because the leaves were starting to curl. We went from a very, very wet spring with so much rain we longed for sunshine, to a very, very hot summer with not much rain at all.

But this week has been good on other fronts. I got some words written on Monday's Mystery, and I was able to format Don Wood so that when I get a synopsis, I can upload it all and order my proof copy. I also reread and edited and fixed and wrote a new part that hopefully ends Lawrence & Lenexa! That was exciting! Many thanks to the girls in my tent who joined me for Motivation Pushes that helped me finish it. I also brain stormed with another friend for ideas for the Christmas Play for church. Now I need to write it.

Today my grandpa and aunt are coming down to visit.

 I decided to give you the first part of Kate & Kylie again. I know you probably read it last year, but since it's been a while and I have more of it written, I decided I'd started over and let you read it all together. Enjoy!

 

Kate & Kylie

Part 1

    Kylie settled herself in a lawn chair beside her sister. “Are you sure you should be out here in this crowd watching fireworks this late in your pregnancy? We could have watched the neighborhood ones and stayed home. Or–”
Mitch    “Oh, Kylie, stop being a spoilsport,” Kate scolded. “I’m not due for three weeks, and the neighborhood fireworks will be lousy compared to this display. You’ve never seen our fireworks.” Kate spoke of “our fireworks” as though she had had a personal hand in the selection and arrangement of them.
    “Well, I did promise Joe I’d take care of you while he was away,” Kylie began. “And this just seems like a crazy idea.”
    Kate laughed. “I’m fine. Even if my water breaks and I go into labor here, we’re closer to the hospital than we would be at home.”
    “Fine. You win. We’ll stay here.” Kylie pushed a few pieces of hair off her face and looked back in the direction their car was parked. The grassy field was filling up quickly, and she couldn’t help wonder how hard it would be to get to the hospital, after they got through the crowd.
    “Ky,” Kate scolded, “stop worrying and enjoy the evening.”
    “I’ll try.” And Kylie smiled at her twin. “We still have half an hour to wait before the fireworks start. We should have brought something to do.”
    “We can talk. Tell me about Mitch.” Leaning back against the back of her chair Kate looked expectantly toward her sister.
    “Mitch? What made you bring him up? I haven’t heard from him in two years.”
    “Has it really been that long?” Kate looked confused. “I thought you sent me a picture of him not long ago.”
    Kylie shook her head. “Couldn’t have. I haven’t seen him or talked with him.”
    With a thoughtful look, Kate began tapping her upper lip, a habit she had when trying to remember something. “I know I saw his picture and not long ago. Where was it? Joe didn’t send it. Are you sure–”
    “Miss Kylie!” A shrill voice made every head in the area turn as a young child raced across the grass and flung herself against Kylie.
    “Hi, Lilly.” Kylie hugged the small girl and looked up for the rest of her family.
    “I love you!” Lilly exclaimed, her arms still around her friend.
    Kylie laughed. “I love you too.”
    “Kylie, I’m so sorry,” Mrs. Matthews said, hurrying over.
    Kylie quickly assured Mrs. Matthews that she loved getting hugs from her exuberant daughter.
    “Are you looking for a place to settle down and watch the fireworks?” Kate asked. “There’s some space right here if you want to join us.”
    “We don’t want to be a bother,” Mrs. Matthews began, but her words were quickly brushed aside by both sisters. And so, in a few minutes, the Matthews family settled themselves beside Kate and Kylie.
    The fireworks began with a glittering display of lights. The crowd exclaimed over the colors and loud explosions.
    Kylie’s attention was often distracted by Lilly’s antics, for the young girl couldn’t sit still. She danced and jumped, tried to turn somersaults, and often tripped over legs.
    During the lull before the grand finale, Kate leaned over and asked softly, “Are you sure you didn’t send me an old picture of Mitch?”
    Kylie nodded. “Positive.”
    “That’s so strange. I know I saw his picture not that long ago.”
    “Maybe it was just someone who looked like Mitch,” Kylie suggested.
    But Kate shook her head. “No, it was Mitch Standish. Either the picture said his name or someone told me who it was. Now it’s going to bug me.”
    Kylie laughed merrily. “Are you sure you didn’t just dream it?”
    There was no time for Kate to reply before the sky was again filled with lights and colors. Red fountains, gold stars, silver, green, blue, and purple exploding one on top of another.
    The crowd was cheering when a sudden, shrill scream of pain pulled everyone’s attention from the fireworks to Lilly. She lay on the ground, crying and holding her arm.
    Instantly forgetting the display above them, Kylie joined Mr. and Mrs. Matthews beside the little girl. “Her arm is hurt.”
    “We need a doctor,” Mrs. Matthews exclaimed.
    “We’ll have to take her to the hospital, but–”
    “Is there something I can do to help?” a new voice asked.
    Kylie looked up. A man stood beside her, his visage hard to distinguish in the kaleidoscope of colors, but the voice. Had she just imagined it?
    Mr. Matthews answered, “I think her arm might be broken.”
    “I’m a doctor, can I check?”
    This time Kylie was sure, but she couldn’t speak. Not then. She doubted he would even know her now.
    “Does anyone have something we can use for a sling?” the man asked after a quick examination. “I don’t think it’s broken, just sprained.
    Kylie pulled off her bandana headband and held it out.
    “Thanks, Kys.” The man smiled at her as he took the offered cloth.
    Only one person had ever called her that.
    After the Matthews family disappeared into the crowd, Kylie looked up to see Mitch watching her.
    “I thought I heard your laugh earlier, Kys,” he said quietly, “but I thought I was mistaken. I’m glad I wasn’t.”
    “Me too.”
    “Do you live here in town?”
    “With my sister for now.” She nodded back to Kate. “Until her husband returns from deployment. You?”
    “Yep. I just got a job at the hospital.”
    Kate’s voice broke in. “That’s where I saw his picture! It was in the paper from the hospital!”
    Kylie had to laugh, and Mitch joined in.
    “Can we have lunch together sometime soon?” Mitch asked, acting ready to give Kate a hand if she needed it as she stiffly rose to her feet, but glancing at Kylie.
    “I’d like that.”
    “Tomorrow?”
    Kylie nodded. This was a fireworks display she wouldn’t soon forget.

 

Have you ever run into someone from your past?

Which story that I mentioned today are you most eager for?

Have you gotten to walk this week?

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?

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?