Category: everyday musings

Get in the spirit of Christmas: Five Christmas Music Specials, Five Christmas Songs, and Three Christmas-themed programs to help you do just that.

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings7 Comments

Some years we are either too busy, too nerved up, or too down to really feel the Christmas spirit. If you need a little help this year, for whatever, reason, here are some ideas to give you a brief time of peace or joy as we remember the true gift of Christmas, our savior Jesus Christ.  

Five Christmas Music Specials

1. Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith

2. A Story of the First Christmas with The Chosen (includes the short film, The Shepherd)

https://youtu.be/T5ftnTK9-3w

3. Michael W. Smith and Friends

4. Christmas on Broadway with CeCe Winans

5. Gaither Christmas Sing-A-Long



Five Christmas Songs

  1. Mary Did You Know (Jordan Smith version)
  • O Come O Come Emmanuel with For King and Country and Needtobreathe
  • It’s Beginning to Look A Like Christmas by Michael Buble
  • Amy Grant, Breath of Heaven



Three-Christmas Themed Programs (or old specials)

1. A Walton’s Christmas

2. A Garfield Christmas

3. The Berenstain Bears Christmas

Bonus: one movie

The Bishop’s Wife. This is a heartwarming tale of a Anglican Bishop who has become so obsessed building a Cathedral that he has lost sight of what is really important in life, including his wife and daughter. Enter Cary Grant, playing an angel, who wants to get the bishop back on track again before he loses everything.

‘Tis the Season Cinema: Emmett Otter’s Jug Band Christmas and Charlie Brown’s Christmas

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings5 Comments

To close out our ‘Tis The Season Cinema feature, Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs and I watched Emmett Otter’s Jug Band Christmas and Charlie Brown Christmas this week. Blogger Katja from Breath of Hallelujah joined in as well.

Both films are aimed at children but carry inspirational messages for all ages.

I don’t know how I had never heard of the Emmett Otter movie until Erin mentioned it, but I hadn’t.  It is shocking considering – gulp – how old I am and it was released in 197…er..something. The year I was born. Anyhoooo…

The movie is a Jim Henson creation and is about Emmett Otter and his mom who are living alone after the passing of Emmett’s father. They both decide to enter a music contest where they could win $50, hoping they can win and buy each other store-bought gifts. Neither of them knows that the other one has decided to enter.

The story is a twist on the story The Gift of the Magi and in the end, sacrifices have to be made to be sure they can get their loved one the gift they want.

The movie began as a stage adaption by Henson and was later transformed into the film to be shown on CBS.

The puppetry is cute, like all of Henson’s movies, and the songs are sweet and full of warmth. I’d listen to them on a soundtrack even without the movie.

The love between Emmett and his mom is so tender and wholesome. Plus the puppets are so cute I want to reach through the screen and cuddle them.

Henson’s version is based on a story written and illustrated by Russell and Lillian Hoban, creators of Bread and Jam for Frances and other treasured children’s books, in 1971.

The film featured Muppets characters but also Hoban’s characters. The main Muppets character showcased in the film is Kermit.

If you want to watch the movie you can find it for free on YouTube or streaming on Amazon and Peacock.

I’m glad Erin told me about it and I’m sure it will be one we will watch again in other years.

Charlie Brown’s Christmas is one we try to watch each Christmas.

The songs sung during the show transport me back to a simpler time in a similar way to I’m sure how the songs on Emmett Otter transport Erin back to a simpler time for her.

In the beginning, Charlie laments with his friend Linus that he doesn’t feel like he thinks he should feel for Christmas. In fact, he feels depressed. If you ask me, Charlie has put on himself the same pressure we put on ourselves to be happy at Christmas by participating in all the activities, sending the cards, and buying the gifts, but not really realizing that Christmas is much more than all of those things.

As Charlies discovers, Christmas is about being together with family and recognizing the ultimate gift of the season — hope found in the birth of Christ.

The main plot of the movie is that Charlie feels detached from Christmas emotionally and to make him feel more involved, Lucy tells him he can direct their (school, church, community? I don’t know which) school play. Charlie decides to take the job seriously and gets very into it. Lucy gets into it as well, yelling at the cast to respect their director, as well as threatening them with bodily harm.  

I always forget certain lines in the movie, including the one that Lucy says about not eating December snowflakes because the ones in January taste better. I may totally test that theory out.

The scene that people who have seen the special remember the most is when Linus gives a speech about what Christmas is really about by reciting from Luke 2:8-14. This comes after Charlie declares that getting more involved in Christmas activities has still left him depressed and he calls out, “Does anyone really know what Christmas is about?”

I love that this was part of the film and that when it first aired on television in 1965 it was something television stations didn’t even blink at showing. The Christian message of Christmas was still very much a part of society at that time.

Producers, however, tried to talk Peanut’s creator and illustrator Charles M. Schulz out of keeping in the part with Linus reciting from Luke. Schulze, according to Amazon’s trivia section on the film, refused by saying “If we don’t, who will?” The recitation was praised as one of the most impactful moments in that special and any animated episode. In the original comic strip that featured the story, Linus was actually stressed out about having to learn and give the recitation.

As a little bit of additional trivia, the producers of the show were convinced the show would be a flop and were surprised when it was well received by viewers.

The special remains the second-longest-running Christmas special on US Network Television behind Rudolph the Reindeer.

Incidentally, every time I watch a Peanuts movie I try to figure out who I relate to most and I think I relate to more than one character. I relate to Linus because I had a blanket as a kid too (my mom eventually sewed it into a pillow when there was barely anything of it left). I also relate to Charlie, though, because he’s always melancholy and searching for happiness. I may have a bit of Lucy in me as well because I’m also a bit bossy and trying to fix everything or make sure it goes my way. Luckily not as aggressive as she does it, though.

As usual, I feel bad for poor Charlie Brown, who everyone always makes fun of, or rejects, but, of course, in the end, the real message for Charlie is finding out what Christmas is really about. His friends and classmates also rally around him in the end by decorating the little tree he found and making it a real Christmas tree while singing Hark the Herald Angels Sing with him.

These two Christmas specials were a nice, wholesome, and heartfelt ending to our Christmas movie feature. I hope all of our readers found a movie you weren’t as familiar with and either found time to watch one with your family or will find time in the next few days and into next week.

To read Erin’s impressions of these Christmas specials you can read her post on her blog. To read Katja’s you can visit her blog.

A Christmas in Spencer: Beyond the Season Chapter 11

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings, fiction2 Comments

We are almost to the final day of this story! Isn’t that crazy?! That means we are almost to Christmas too! So exciting. What do you think will happen in the last chapter? Let me know in the comments!

Welcome to the eleventh chapter of a twelve-chapter story I am sharing on the blog. This is being shared with minimal editing, just for fun, but it will be fully edited once it is complete.

You can catch up on chapters HERE.

If you would like to read more about the characters in this story, you can find full-length novels on Amazon for purchase or on Kindle Unlimited HERE,

The first three chapters of the first book, The Farmer’s Daughter, can be found HERE.

Once all the chapters have been shared here, I’ll be providing a free Book Funnel link to blog readers and placing the story on Amazon for 99 cents.



Chapter 11

Chaos reigned in the Tanner household the day before Christmas and Robert couldn’t wait to escape it. Six women were laughing, mixing, baking, bumping into each other and when he’d come into the house for lunch, they’d asked him to taste test three different kinds of cookies, which wouldn’t have been so bad if he hadn’t needed to get back to the shed to finish the swing.

“Which one, Dad? The gingerbread or the molasses?”

“Um.” He spoke with a mouthful of cookie. “They’re both really good. I think we should have both.”

Liz laughed. “We’re going to cook both. Molly and I just want to know which one you liked better.”

He raised an eyebrow and looked between the two young women. “Is this some kind of competition? Because I don’t want to be the judge of some kind of competition between you two.”

Liz looked at him with wide, innocent eyes. “Robert, of course, this isn’t some kind of compe—”

“It’s totally a competition,” Molly said quickly. “And I’m your daughter so you’d better pick my cookie.”

The other women, which included his mother, his wife, Annie’s mother, Ellie, and his sister all laughed and gathered behind Molly and Liz, pausing in their work.

Robert’s gaze slid to the women, then back to Molly who had leveled a steady gaze on him, a small smile pulling at her mouth. He swallowed the bite of cookie. “I like them both. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”

He quickly excused himself to the sound of laughter before any of the women could stop him, snatched his coat off the hanger by the back door, and headed out the door.

Alex was on his way to the house from the barn. Robert grabbed his arm gently. “You don’t want to go in there. It’s a madhouse.”

Alex’s brow dipped in concern as he looked from Robert to the backdoor. “What do  you mean?”

“There are a lot of women in there and they’ll try to make you taste test their food and then make you choose sides by saying which recipe is better.”

Alex grinned and gently removed Robert’s hand from his arm. “That sounds like heaven. See you in an hour.”

Robert shook his head and turned back to the barn. That young man would change his mind when two women watched him intently and waited for an answer. No man wanted to tell a woman that their recipe wasn’t as good as someone else’s.  Not if they knew what was good for them.

Brad had pulled through much to his and Alex’s relief, despite a two-day snowstorm that had delayed his trip until two days before Christmas.

Robert had put the bolts on the swing early that morning and Bert was finishing up the engine. Alex had finished the paint job and planned to pick up the truck the next morning.

 After Robert hooked on the chains, he and Jason would load the swing onto the back of the truck and drive it down to the house covered with a tarp so he could install the swing early Christmas morning. He’d enlisted Molly to keep Annie busy in the kitchen while he installed it.

After chores were completed in the barn and dinner was eaten in a kitchen now emptied of the fairer sex, Robert and Annie showered and dressed and drove to town for the Christmas Eve service. Alex, Molly, Jason, Ellie, Liz, Isabella, and Matt met them there, along with Matt’s mother, brother and sister, and Liz’s parents. Liz’s sister and family also attended, which marked the first time since they’d moved back to Spencer that they’d been able to attend a service as a family.

Robert slid his hand over Annie’s as the music began. The church was lit with candles lining the aisles and spread across the stage and altar up front. Wreathes of pine decorated the wall along the stage and behind the choir and the pastor.

Rush had been the word of the day for the last few weeks and now the entire family seemed to be taking a collective breath and letting the peace of the season seep into their souls, soothe aching muscles physically and worried hearts spiritually.

When the music started to signal that the cantata would begin soon, Robert’s shoulders relaxed, he sat back in the pew, and he closed his eyes. He let the music wash over him and push away any thoughts about what needed to be done tomorrow — for Christmas day’s celebration and on the farm. Farmers never had holidays which meant the cows would still need to be milked and fed and stalls cleaned. Most of the day would be set aside for family time, though. Any repair projects could wait.

Muffled laughter caused him to open his eyes and look around for the source of amusement. Soon the laughing spread and he turned slightly in his pew just in time to see a black and white cat stroll nonchalantly down the center aisle toward the stage. He watched it, eyes narrowing.

Without looking away from the cat he reached over and tapped Annie’s arm.

“Hey, is that —“

“Yes, it is. Whose truck did she climb in the back of this time?”

Scout, one of their barn cats, had climbed in the back of a pickup at least twice before at the farm, once hitching a ride to Walt’s farm and another time to the farm store. This was the first time she’d made it to town, though.

The cat walked up the steps, stretched her long body out, and lay down on the top step as the congregation watched with smiles.

“I’d better go get her,” Robert whispered as the pastor stepped out on the stage.

Annie pulled her lower lip between her teeth briefly, then released it. “Yeah. Maybe you’d better.”

z“Well, I see even the domesticated pets are here tonight to worship the birth of our savior,” Pastor Joe said with a smile. “In Psalm 148 it says, ‘Wild animals and all cattle, small creatures, and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and maidens, old men and children. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.”

Scout had curled up into a ball now, ready for a nap. “I think we’ll just let this visitor stay for now. There must be something comforting to him or her about our church and that, to me, is a very high compliment indeed.”

Robert sat back in the pew again, shaking his head and laughing. For the next hour and a half, the cat napped, waking up only when Robert scooped her up after the cantata was over. He placed her in the cab of the truck with him and Annie, both of them unable to stop laughing over her sudden appearance.

They’d been taught that God had a sense of humor, Robert thought as he drove home, the cat in Annie’s lap. Hopefully, he’d found the humor in Scout’s attendance at a service to honor him

***

The sun had just started to rise over the horizon when Alex left the barn after the morning chores to head for town.

“Hey! Where are you off to?” Molly called after him. “We’re going to have a full family breakfast soon.”

He glanced over his shoulder. “I’ll be back soon, don’t worry. I have something I need to grab in town.”

He left her standing outside the barn with confusion etched on her face. It couldn’t be helped, though. He’d agreed to meet Bert at the shop and pick up the truck and then they’d both drive back for breakfast and lunch at the Tanner’s for the day.

When he reached the shop Bert had already pulled the truck outside. The men stood and admired the new paint job on the truck, the shine on the bumpers, and even the new tires.

“It looks good, Alex it really does.” Bert smiled, eyes glistening. “My father-in-law would have been really proud to see it in such good shape.”

Alex stepped around to the front of the truck, hands at his waist as he admired the final product. “You had a lot to do with it, more than me even.”

“You did the paint job, shined it up. Reminds me of when I first saw Ned with it. Hannah was in the passenger seat next to him. She was the most beautiful creature I’d ever laid eyes on. I never thought she’d give me the time of day that day let alone let me marry her a decade later when we were both old enough to get married.” He winked. “We were only 15 when we first met.” He laughed, touching the back of a finger across the bottom of his eye, and turned away. He pulled a handkerchief from his coverall pocket. “Sorry, I got so emotional there. Didn’t expect that.”

Alex patted his shoulder. “Hey, no problem. Memories are powerful, especially when they are good ones.”

Bert blew his nose and wadded the handkerchief up, shoving it back in his pocket. “My marriage has been a good one, kid. I guess that’s why I keep pushing you to propose to Molly. I want you two to experience the happiness we have. Being married, making that commitment to be there for each other no matter what, in front of all your friends and family – I don’t know. There’s something fulfilling about it.”

Alex pulled his cowboy hat down low on his head and nodded. “I know, Bert, I appreciate it.”

Bert sniffed and tossed a set of keys to him. “Anyhow, here are the keys. I’ll follow you in your truck and meet you at the house.”

Alex slid behind the steering wheel of the 1976 Chevy, cranked the window down, and closed the door. “I have to take a detour, so I’ll meet you there.”

Bert grinned. “Another gift to pick up?”

Alex touched a finger to his hat. “I’m keeping that under my hat, but I’ll see you at Robert and Annie’s for breakfast. Don’t eat all the bacon on me.”

Alex started the truck and listened to it rumble for a few minutes, then slid his hand across the surface of the new red upholstery on the truck seat. He hadn’t thought they’d be able to replace that too, but in the end, Jason had helped and they’d pulled it off.

He took a deep breath and shifted the truck into gear, nodding to Bert again as he pulled the truck out of the parking lot. Turning the radio on, a favorite song came on and he hummed along, turning the truck toward the road that would lead him to Molly, but first her grandmother.

A Christmas in Spencer: Beyond the Season Chapter 10

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings, fictionLeave a comment

Welcome to the ninth chapter of a twelve-chapter story I am sharing on the blog. This is being shared with minimal editing, just for fun, but it will be fully edited once it is complete.

You can catch up on chapters HERE.

If you would like to read more about the characters in this story, you can find full-length novels on Amazon for purchase or on Kindle Unlimited HERE,

The first three chapters of the first book, The Farmer’s Daughter, can be found HERE.

Once all the chapters have been shared here, I’ll be providing a free Book Funnel link to blog readers and placing the story on Amazon for 99 cents.



Chapter 10

Molly unhooked the ponytail she’d had her hair pulled up in and let her curls fall down across her back and shoulders. “Alex, I’m perfectly capable of making the drive to Burdett and back on my own.” She folded her arms across her chest and tipped her head slightly, narrowing her eyes. “Wait a minute. It’s not me you’re worried about, is it? It’s your truck.”

Alex laughed. “No! I am not worried about my truck. You’re a perfectly capable driver. There are snow squalls expected though and I –”

“You thought what? Think you can stop the snow squalls from happening?” She let out a small laugh. “Alex, I’ve been driving these roads in the winter a lot longer than you have. I’ll be fine. Promise. You really need to rest your back.” She pulled her lower lip between her teeth briefly and let it go again. “But if you really want to go then I wouldn’t mind the company. I’ll drive though so you can push the seat back and relax.”

Now that the freezers at the store were fixed, more inventory could be added to them and there was a delivery of fresh goat milk and cheese a half an hour away. Molly had volunteered to go, but Alex had overheard and didn’t like the idea of her out on her own in possibly bad weather.

Worrying about her was foolish, and he knew it. Like he’d told many people over the years, including Molly herself, she could handle any situation that rural life threw her. She didn’t need him to protect her. Truthfully, though, he did want to try to protect her. He also wanted her company after a busy few weeks of barely seeing her due to work on the farm, recovering from his injury, and painting the truck.

Once inside his truck, she flicked on the radio, pushing buttons until she found a station playing Christmas music. She pulled her hair back up into the ponytail again and he found his gaze focusing on the skin exposed at the back of her neck. He resisted the urge to trail his fingertips along it.

She made a face as she clicked the seatbelt in, then wiggled back and forth a little in the seat.

He quirked an eyebrow. “What’s the matter with you? You have an itch on your rear or something?”

She laughed, a small dimple dotting the skin next to her mouth. “No. It’s just your truck feels so — I don’t know – clunky.”

He scowled. “Clunky?”

“Yeah, like too big or something.”

“It’s a four-wheel drive. Heated memory seats. Maximum horsepower. Back-up camera. GPS integrated into the dashboard. State of the art paint job. What’s not to love?”

She sighed, shifting the truck into gear. “It’s lovely. It’s just not my truck.”

Oh. Right. That.

He reached over and laid his hand over hers. “Hey, I know. It will be back soon. Have you got ahold of Bert?” Hopefully not. “What did he say?”

“I did actually.”

Uh-oh.

“He said the engine was in pretty bad shape so he’s working on it. He had some other jobs to finish up first.” Not a lie. Good job, Bert. She lifted her shoulders briefly then dropped them again. “I don’t mind, really. I’m just glad to hear it might be able to be saved.”

If Brad was able to pick up that part tomorrow then the verdict should be that it would definitely be able to be repaired, not maybe.

Houses decorated with Christmas lights, a few with Christmas-themed inflatables in the front yard, slid by as they drove toward Spencer. They drove around the town via the by-pass when they reached town limits and headed on to Burkett, another 25-minute drive beyond.

Alex closed his eyes and enjoyed Molly’s singing as she crooned out carol after carol, mixed in with a few country hits and a couple of worship songs.

“Did I ever tell you about the time Grandpa picked me up in this truck from elementary school?”

Her question came out of the blue, halting her singing.

He’d started to doze and jerked awake to listen to her. “No, actually. I don’t believe you have.”

“He pulled up in front of the school and honked the horn. We were letting out early because of weather and he’d volunteered to get me so I’d get home faster than I would have on the bus. About a mile from home, we hit that bridge over Shaver’s Creek and the snow started falling faster. Right after the bridge there was a left turn and Grandpa hit the accelerator and did a donut right at the end of the road. The truck turned all the way around, 360, and ended up facing back the way we were supposed to be going.”

Alex chuckled. “That totally sounds like something Ned would do. Or did he do it on purpose?”

She looked at him, meeting his smile with hers. “Of course he did it on purpose. He thought it was the funniest thing ever to see my eyes almost bug out of my head, he said. Later he said it might not have been the smartest move because we could have flown over the embankment into the creek by the road, but in the moment it sure was fun. For him anyhow. For me, I almost wet myself. I thought we were going to die.”

The story reminded Alex of his own grandfather. “My grandfather did something similar when he took me flying one time. He had a private pilots license. He took the plane into a nosedive and just when I thought we were going to crash into a mountainside he ripped it back up again. I was ten and I’m not going to lie, I did pee myself just a little bit.”

They laughed together as Molly turned into Brookings Family Goat Farm’s driveway. Josiah Brookings met them outside the barn and within fifteen minutes they had the inventory loaded in Alex’s truck.

“You two be safe out there,” Josiah said as he shook Alex’s hand. “The weather says we’re supposed to get snow squalls.”

“We should be fine. Molly’s driving and she’s a lot safer than I am. Take care and see you next month.”

Josiah waved as he walked back up the long drive to the house, leaving Alex and Molly standing in an orange ring of light under the light pole.

Alex paused, reaching down and scooping up a handful of snow, smirking as he packed it. Molly was already starting to climb into the truck when he tossed the ball, striking her in the shoulder.

She turned quickly, mouth dropping open. “Alexander Stone, what do you think you’re doing?”

He grinned, reaching down for more snow. “Just some minor physical therapy for my back. It’s good to do some light stretches for it.”

She pointed at him. “You drop that snowball.” She took a step back, now waggling the finger at him. “Don’t you dare start something that I’m going to finish.”

He tossed the snowball at her, snow shattering down the front of her winter coat as the ball hit her chest. “Molly Tanner, you know I’m the snowball fight champion five years running. Don’t let your mouth write a check your bottom can’t cash.”

Molly snickered as she stooped to gather snow in her hands. He grunted a few seconds later when a snowball hit him in the thigh. After that the snowballs flew fast and furious. He kept his distance and then decided the one way to win was to get close and get as much snow down the back of her winter coat as possible. She anticipated his move though and put her hands up to block him, which resulted in a brief wrestling match, during which she slipped and started to fall. He caught her under her arms and helped her regain her balance, laughing hard. She stepped back away from him in a fit of laughter and leaned her against the truck, breathing hard. Placing one hand on either side of her he leaned close, catching his breath.

“Looks like I win.”

She smiled, a sparkle in her eyes. “You didn’t win, you cheated. You clearly pushed me onto that patch of ice.”

“I clearly did not push you. You were just overcome by my snowball throwing power.” He moved his head closer to hers. “Besides, anytime I get to be this close to you, I win.”

Her voice was a whisper, her mouth a mere inch from his. “I remember another time we were pushed up against your truck like this.”

“I remember it too. Fondly.”  His lips grazed her cheek, then her mouth.  “Very fondly.”

She smiled as he lowered his head toward hers. They stood there for several moments, her arms around his waist as they kissed, snowflakes falling around them, before she pulled her mouth away slowly.

“We’d probably better get on the road in case it starts getting slick out.”

He reluctantly agreed and they climbed back into the truck cab, him wincing as a light pain shot through his back.

While Christmas songs weren’t what he’d normally listen to alone in the truck, he pushed the seek button until he found one, simply so he could hear Molly sing. He seemed to be catching her love for the season.

Ten minutes into their drive the road in front of them disappeared in a blur of white. He noticed Molly’s knuckles turning white. “You okay?”

She nodded quickly. “Yes. I’m fine.”

“Nervous?”

“A little bit.”

“You want to pull over?”

“Yep.”

He laughed as she maneuvered the truck gently off the road. “I thought you could handle driving in this weather.”

“I can and one way of handling it is knowing when to pull over and when not to.”

She shifted the truck into park. “The squall should pass soon. This will give us time to chat because I realized today that I have never asked you if you have any favorite Christmas movies.” She held up her hand as he started to answer. “Die Hard is not a Christmas movie. I’m not debating that again.”

He smiled as he propped his hands behind his head. “It is a Christmas movie, but I’ll let you believe what you want. As for other Christmas movies, I haven’t really watched a ton, but I guess It’s A Wonderful Life is good. Miracle on 34th Street. White Christmas.”

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and laughed. “Jason made you watch those with him, didn’t he?”

“Of course, but I liked them. What’s the one we watched together last year?”

“Christmas in Connecticut.”

“Yeah, that one wasn’t too bad.” He grinned and lowered his arms, leaning toward her. “Of course, anything is good as long as I’m with you.”

She placed a finger on his lips and tipped her head toward the windshield. “Looks like the snow squall has let up. We’d better keep going if we want to get back to Spencer.”

He smiled against her finger. “If you say, so, but there’s nothing wrong with stealing some kisses while we’re here.”

She kissed him briefly. “I’d like that, but I need to get back to pick Liz up from the library. The heat is broken in her car. Mom and Dad said I can borrow their car tonight.” She turned back to the steering wheel and placed her hand on the shift lever but didn’t move it. Her gaze drifted out in front of them, at the road now visible. “You know, this is the first Christmas since we lost grandpa that I really feel happy about Christmas again. This time of year used to give me such a warm feeling but so much about it seemed dull and lifeless since losing Grandpa. This year feels different. I don’t know why.” She sighed, eyes glistening. “There is something wildly beautiful about the spirit of Christmas, the way it reminds us all to take time to pause and tell those we love how much they mean to us.” She pulled her hand briefly from his and wiped at her damp cheek. “Sorry. I don’t know why I’m so sappy tonight.”

He leaned across the seat and kissed her cheek. “I don’t mind sappy if it’s coming from you.”

She squeezed his hand then looked out the windshield. “Looks like that snow squall has cleared up. Let’s see how much closer we can get to home.” He gazed out the window at the now clear sky that moments before had been swirling with white. Stars sparkled against a dark blue sky. She was right. There was something wildly beautiful about Christmas, especially when he saw it through her eyes.  

Saturday Afternoon Tea: Snow, Christmassy stuff, and a disappointing read

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings, Saturday Afternoon Tea9 Comments


I’m debuting a semi-new feature here where I take a day just to chat about what’s going on in my world over a cup of tea for me and a cup of whatever you want for you (please drink responsibly). I’m calling it Saturday afternoon tea because I’d like to post it on Saturday afternoons. Today, though, I kept getting interrupted (for good things) while writing it so I wasn’t able to post it until early evening my time.

I don’t know if I will share this feature every week or every other week. We will just play it all by ear right now, which is a saying The Husband likes to use a lot.

This feature will most likely replace the What’s Occurring section of my Sunday Bookends post because a lot of it will probably be the same info.

I mentioned in the Sunday Bookends post last week that Little Miss and I went to the town Christmas light parade with our neighbor and her grandchildren. It was so terribly cold that night but I did manage to grab a couple shots of Santa and Mrs. Clause.

Thursday and yesterday my photos were of snow since we finally got our first real snowstorm of the season.

We only ended up without maybe five inches of snow when they originally called for up to ten. I am glad we received the lower amount. `

There are rumors we may receive another snowstorm at the end of next week, which could leave us with a white Christmas. We will have to see how that goes.

Our dog, Zooma the Wonder Dog, loves the snow. As soon as she saw it Thursday morning she rolled over on her back and rolled in it. On Friday when Little Miss ventured out into it, she chased Little Miss and then loved having snowballs thrown up in the air for her so she could catch them.

Our kitten also loves the snow and chases little snowballs that she makes by running in the snow.

I’ve still got the Christmas spirit, for the most part (despite some hiccups here and there), and have been trying to read Christmas-themed books and watch Christmas-themed movies. I’ve been trying to cram so many Christmassy things into my days, though, that I’ve overwhelmed myself a little bit.

There is no way I will be able to watch every movie I wanted to watch or read every book I wanted to read or attend every event I wanted to attend. It simply isn’t possible between working on my short story/novella for the blog, reading a book for a fellow author, letting cats and dogs in and out all day, trying to find ways to make money from home, cooking dinner, and homeschooling the children.

For now, I am watching as many movies as I can and zeroing in on one main book to finish before Christmas – Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon. I’m also trying to remember for this next week that quality is better than quantity when celebrating the Christmas season.

I’ve been listening to Christmas music during the week, including this collaboration on YouTube. Maybe you’d like to put it on while you bake or wrap or have family time this week.

I will mention it more on Sunday Bookends, but I was disappointed this week by a book I took out at the library that I thought was a clean, cozy mystery book that would work as a Christmas-themed book. I was almost done with the book when out of the blue the author dropped the f-bomb. It was so strange. I told a friend it was like reading a Miss Marple book and then suddenly she asks, “What the bleep is going on around here?” It was just so out of character and odd for the rest of the book. Like getting a nasty surprise in a piece of chocolate or some other special kind of food.

Needless to say, I won’t be reading any more books by Leslie Maier.

If you read my Sunday Bookends posts, you can just skip the paragraph where I vent about this again.

Pretty much off the topic here, but I was thinking this week about how when I write my Educationally Thinking posts it sometimes sounds like we just skip happily through our school days.

That definitely couldn’t be further from the truth, which was proven on Tuesday of this week when Little Miss and I had a huge miscommunication issue and ended up not talking to each other for two hours while we both pouted. That ended up in me having to lay down some new rules about our school days and those new rules actually worked for the rest of the week. We found some rules and a routine that worked for us just in time for Christmas break which starts on Thursday of this upcoming week.

After that, we will have a full week off and we truly cannot wait for it.

We don’t have any big plans for that week. We might play in the snow if we get some more snow, make some crafts as Christmas gifts, watch Christmas movies, read Christmas books, and just simply be together.

How about you? What’s been going on with you and what Christmas-related plans do you have coming up this next week? I’d love to hear. Let me know in the comments.


A Christmas in Spencer: Beyond the Season Chapter 7

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings, fiction, Fiction Friday3 Comments

Welcome to the seventh chapter of a twelve-chapter story I am sharing on the blog. This is being shared with minimal editing, just for fun, but will be fully edited once it is complete.

You can catch up on chapters HERE.

If you would like to read more about the characters in this story, you can find full-length novels on Amazon for purchase or on Kindle Unlimited HERE,

The first three chapters of the first book, The Farmer’s Daughter, can be found HERE.

Once all the chapters have been shared here, I’ll be providing a free Book Funnel link to blog readers and placing the story on Amazon for 99 cents.

Chapter 7

There had been more than one Christmas over the years when Annie and Robert had questioned if they’d be able to provide gifts for the children. Farming didn’t always provide a consistent income. Some years weather made bringing in a profit a challenge. Other years it might be sick cows, falling down buildings, or broken equipment.

That inconsistency had certainly taken its toll on the family’s emotions over the years, but Robert felt like it had also brought them closer. Annie had certainly been his one constant during all the turmoil, besides God.

Christ had been the ultimate anchor for both of them. Without him and his provision, they never would have made it through the trials, the heartbreaks, and the day-to-day uncertainty of life as a farmer.

The seats at Grace Community Church were soft now, unlike when Robert had first started attending twenty years ago. Hard pews had filled the sanctuary back then. They had been pews his own father had helped build, along with the rest of the church, sometime in the early 1960s. Robert couldn’t remember the exact date the church was built but he could remember that for years he had no interest in attending church. He’d been too busy and too independent to think about God in high school and afterward. During those difficult first years with Annie, he’d relied on his own strength to make it through, rarely asking for help from God or thanking him.

That change came slowly, so slowly he thought Annie might give up and walk away, taking the children with him, when he refused to go to church with her. She never gave up hope, though. She prayed for him, loved him, and kept inviting him. It wasn’t a rock bottom moment that sent him back to the hard pews at Grace Community.  It was love and a realization that there was more to life than getting up and milking cows, working on the farm all day, milking cows again, and falling asleep early in the evening just to start it all over again. It was the beauty of the sunrise and the sunsets.

The days he thought he wasn’t going to make it and the farm wasn’t going to make it but they did. It was the smile of his daughter, the laughter of his son, and the feel of his wife’s arms around him. He knew all those blessings couldn’t be something he’d earned or something he deserved. Someone greater than him had given him it all as a gift and he needed to start thanking that someone. It was the same God his parents had raised him to believe in, but he had rejected not out of anger but simple apathy.

Standing outside the church, Robert leaned leaning back against his truck and waited for Annie to stop chatting with town librarian Ginny Jefferies and her husband, Stan. He took a deep breath and took in the view of the church, decorated inside and out to celebrate the birth of Christ. It reminded him that no matter what happened with his gift for Annie, Christ was the ultimate gift of Christmas. The joy and peace He brought to his and Annie’s life could never be matched with physical, earthly gifts.

A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as Annie walked toward him, her Bible tucked in her arm, against her chest.

“What’s so funny?”

“Funny?”

“You look like you’re going to laugh.”

He shook his head. “Nothing’s funny. Our life is just beautiful. As beautiful and wonderful as you are.”

Annie’s eyebrows raised. “Wow. That’s sweet of you. What did I do to deserve such praise?”

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead. “Just by being yourself.”

She leaned back and looked up at him, eyes glistening. Reaching up, she laid a gloved hand against his cheek, and then, without a word, she kissed him, where anyone walking out of the church and to their cars could see them. Robert was sure no one would be offended by the public display of affection. Couples their age would be glad to see an older couple who wasn’t embarrassed to show their love for each other. The younger couples would probably smile and say –

“I hope we’re still in love like that when we’re their age.”

Jason snorted a laugh and Robert pulled back from the kiss and made a face at him. Ellie’s arm was looped through Jason’s and she tapped her husband’s arm with a gentle admonishment.

Robert motioned his son away. “Go on, ya’ whippersnapper. Get on out of here and let an old couple have a kiss.”

Annie playfully tapped his shoulder. “Old? Speak for yourself.”

She winked and pulled out of his embrace to head to the car, sliding her hand down to his. “Come on, old man. We can pick up our kissing session when we get home.” She looked over her shoulder at Jason and Ellie and winked. “Now that all our children are out of the house and living their own lives, we have more private time for such things.”

Inside the car, she pulled her gloves off, laid them on her lap, and intertwined her fingers with his. He raised her hand and kissed it before shifting the car into gear and heading out of the parking lot and down the road toward home.

***

Another searing pain shot from Alex’s lower back to his upper. He gritted his teeth and clutched the side of the bed. The painkillers he’d taken two hours ago weren’t even touching the pain and he was beginning to reluctantly agree with Molly that he might need to visit a doctor. The pain was coming in spasms now. No surprise since he’d fallen from a height of maybe ten feet. He was lucky he hadn’t broken any bones.

Robert and Annie had urged him to go to a doctor, but he’d declined. He had, however, accepted a couple of ice packs after a hot shower and a warm cup of tea made by Molly. The attention she’d given him, checking on him every hour before he fell asleep, then checking again first thing in the morning, had been nice too.

What wasn’t as nice was the fact he’d missed the tree lighting and then the church – which he’d finally started attending with the family about six months ago – and three days of working on the truck. Molly had connected by video with him for the tree lighting, which also included caroling. She also filled him in on the sermon. Caroling had never been his thing in the past, but for some reason, hearing the hundred or so people gathered around the tree sing Silent Night had caused his throat to tighten with emotion. He’d desperately wanted to be there with Molly in that moment, though he wasn’t sure if he’d been able to hold back the tears. He must be getting old with all these sentimental emotions rearing their ugly heads.

He hadn’t necessarily understood everything Molly shared with him about the sermon, but living in the hopeful spirit of Christmas beyond the actual season had made sense to him.

“Pastor Joe said Christmas is something we can always carry with us in our heart because Christ’s love is something that will be with us no matter the time of year,” Molly told him. “Being a Christian is an all-year-round celebration. Not simply a once or twice a year event.”

All of that made sense to Alex, even as he was still trying to figure out what being a follower of Christ meant.

Bert had found almost all the parts they needed for the engine, pulled off the bumpers to be replaced with new ones, and even found a new pair of headlights. He was leaving the rest of the paint job for Alex. That was if Alex could figure out how to move off the bed without pain spasming through his back.

The door to his bedroom opened as the latest spasm eased up. He raised his eyes slowly and squinted at Jason and his roommate, Matt McGee, standing in the hallway looking in.

“Yep.” Jason nodded. “You’re right, Matt. He looks like garbage.”

Matt folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the doorframe. “I told you. Now we’re going to have to do something about it.”

Alex glared. “Both of you go away.” The last thing he needed right now was their harassment.

Matt stepped into the room and stood over him, hands on his hips. If Alex didn’t know him so well he might have looked intimidating standing there in full uniform for his job as a police officer with the Spencer Police Department.

“Come on, Stone. We’re taking you to the doctor.”

“No. You are not.”

Jason stepped behind Matt and looked over his shoulder. “I’m going to take one arm and Matt is going to take the other and we’re going to hoist you into Ellie’s car, so you don’t have to climb up into my truck, and I’m driving you to town.” He stepped around Matt and wrapped a large hand around Alex’s bicep. “Now come on, we’re not taking no for an answer.”

Alex groaned as he sat up and then let them both swing his arms around their shoulders. “I need shoes and my wallet.” He winced. “And maybe a tranquilizer like we used on the bull last year.”

“One step at a time, bud,” Matt said with a smile. “You can do this.”

“Yeah,” Jason added. “We need you to get better, so I don’t have to keep doing all your work.”

Half an hour later Alex tightened his jaw against the pain as the doctor helped him from the exam table.

Dr. Cartagenese handed him a prescription. “Like I said the best medicine for this, besides these muscle relaxants is bed rest. At least five days worth. I know you work at the Tanners and they aren’t good about resting when they’re injured or sick.” He winked. “Don’t be like them, okay?”

No way. He didn’t have five days to lay in bed.

“Thanks, Doc. I’ll take that into consideration.”  

Outside in the passenger seat of Liz’s car, though, he’d already considered it, and he was going to give himself two days to rest, and then it was back to working on the truck or he’d never get it completed by Christmas.

Jason closed the car door for him and walked back to the driver’s seat.

“What’d he say?” he asked as he started the car.

Alex sat back in the seat slowly. “He gave me muscle relaxants and if it doesn’t get better he wants me to have x-rays.”

“Anything else?”

“Yeah. Bedrest, but I’m not going to do that.”

“If bed rest will help you heal faster, you probably should.”

“Don’t have time.”

“I can pick up your work at the farm. It’s no problem. I can’t remember you taking more than a couple sick days in the entire time you’ve worked with us.”

Alex gritted his teeth against the pain again, closing his eyes. He let out a breath a few minutes later as the pain lessened again. “It’s not that. I’m working on a gift for Molly. I need to get it done.” He glanced at Jason. “You can’t tell Molly, okay? It’s a surprise.”

Jason’s eyebrows raised and he tipped his head down a bit to encourage Alex to continue.

“A surprise for Christmas.”

A small smile started to play across Jason’s lips. “Oh yeah?”

Not Jason too. “It’s not what you might think. I’m fixing up your grandpa’s truck for her.”

Jason turned onto Main Street to head out of town. “Oh. Hey. That’s great.” He genuinely looked pleased. “What all are you doing to it?

“New paint job, new engine. The works. Almost all of my savings is going into it.”

“What else needs to be done?”

“I have the body sanded and two doors painted. I need to get the body finished. Bert is going to help some but he’s also finishing up the engine and he’s got a full shop of cars that need to be worked on for actual customers.”

Jason shrugged. “I can help.”

Alex closed his eyes, suddenly exhausted. “You’ve got enough work to do.”

“I can take some time away from the farm to help with the truck.” He gently tapped Alex’s shoulder with his fist. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure my sister knows it was your idea and you did most of the work.”

“Me and Bert actually.”

“You and Bert. Okay.” A sly smirk pulled at the corners of Jason’s mouth. “Sooooo. You’re not planning any other surprises for Molly, are you?”

Alex narrowed his eyes. “Like what?

Jason held up his left hand and pointed to his ring finger. “You know.”

Alex groaned. “Put your hands back on the wheel and no! Not you too! First Bert then Franny and now you. What is it with you Tanners?”

Jason laughed. “Well, what can I say? Great minds think alike, buddy.”

Alex looked out the window at the houses flying by, many of them decorated with bright lights for Christmas. He hated the idea of being laid up at the house, unable to work on the farm or the truck. He hadn’t always been a hard worker, but for the last six years since moving to Pennsylvania, all he’d known was hard work. Silence settled over the truck as his mind drifted to a mental list of all the work he still had to do before Christmas.

“So, are you?”

Jason’s question pulled him from his thoughts. “Am I what?”

Jason cleared his throat. “Proposing to Molly.”

Alex rolled his eyes up to the ceiling of the truck. “That wasn’t part of the plan, no.”

Jason nodded. “Okay, well if it does become part of the plan, I want you to know —” He reached over and gripped Alex’s shoulder with one hand and squeezed gently. “You have my blessing. I know I harass you and Molly about your relationship but you’re my best friend, and there’s no one else I’d like to have as my brother-in-law.”

Alex nodded. “Thank you, Jase. I appreciate that. I do.”

Jason turned the heat up and the radio on. “Listen, I’m going to head down to Bert’s in the morning after I go to the gym. I’ll see what I can help with. At least take it easy a couple of days. No man is an island, Stone. Don’t be like us Tanners. Take the help when it’s offered.”

Alex grimaced against the pain. “At this point, I really don’t have a choice.”

‘Tis the Season Cinema: It’s A Wonderful Life

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings12 Comments

I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas and that Erin and I are almost to the end of our ‘Tis the Season Cinema. This week we are discussing It’s A Wonderful Life.



I have to be honest that I am completely baffled when I hear an American say, “I’ve never seen It’s A Wonderful Life,” if that American is past the age of at least 40.

I mean, really? Never seen even part of the movie? How is that possible? But, well, there are plenty of classic movies I haven’t seen either and sometimes that is because there have been so many parodies of a particular movie, I just have a feeling I might not like them.

I think that might be the case with It’s A Wonderful Life for some people. I don’t think many people understand that It’s A Wonderful Life isn’t really a Christmas movie, exactly. I’m not sure why people only watch it around Christmas. Sure, there are big scenes that revolve around and are related to Christmas, but a great deal of the movie takes place at other times of the year. Those other scenes also carry messages well beyond the overall one of the movie of recognizing the importance of one’s life before it’s too late.

My son doesn’t like to watch the movie because he says it’s depressing. The movie does feature some depressing moments. George Bailey’s life itself isn’t very cheerful for much of the movie. Like a lot of things in life, though, the viewer has to hold on through the bad to get to the good.

I tell my son this when I asked him to watch it with me a few years ago and, luckily, he held out, though I still don’t know if he liked the movie that much. (I rambled about that experience here on the blog a few years ago

In some ways, I think you need to be older to understand the power of It’s A Wonderful Life and all the intricate messages within it.

First, of course, is the story of George and his overcoming hardships and the setbacks in his life. Poor George. Every time he has a chance to go explore the world or get an education, something stops him. You’ll have to watch the movie to find out all the reasons why and how, but needless to say that his dreams are dashed on the rocks of circumstances over and over. He spends part of his life bitter and angry that the opportunities he had were taken away by responsibility or the decisions of others. In the midst of it, though, there is some happiness, especially with his beautiful wife and children. (updated: As Katja pointed out in her comment (that’s her username name, by the way. I don’t know if it is her real name or not. Ha!) he channels that disappointment in doing good for the people of his community.

But in addition to George’s story is the story of Mary – a woman who as a 12-year-old little girl leaned over and whispered in the ear George was deaf in, “George Bailey, I’ll love you until the day I die.” Her love for George was one her family didn’t want her to have but she held on to it for years. George was a down-on-your-luck fellow who was never going to leave Bedford Falls and would always be the owner of the local savings and loan — no one really to speak of. Her family wanted more for her, but Mary wanted George. She wanted a family with him and a small, simple life in her hometown. It was something she didn’t need to be ashamed of, even though in today’s world they would have told her it wasn’t enough.

And in addition to George and Mary is the story of George’s younger brother — who seemed to always catch all the luck, starting with George saving him from a frozen lake and losing hearing in one ear because of it –, Clarence, an angel who comes to help George,

One of my favorite scenes of the movie is also one of my favorite kiss scenes of any movie. I wrote about it this way on my blog in 2019:


Whether you have seen the movie or not, I’ll set the stage: George has come to talk to Mary, at the prodding of his mother and he’s pretty down because his brother Harry has come home and it looks like he’s not going to stay and take over the Savings and Loan so George can go to college, like the original plan. Instead, George is going to be stuck at the savings and loan, no education or experience outside his little town under his belt.

He walks off to see Mary, who his mother hopes will lift his spirits (and I’m pretty sure she hopes he’ll realize he loves Mary too). Long story short, George and Mary’s old friend Sam Wainwright calls to talk to Mary but then he wants to talk to George too so they are sharing the old rotary phone – the one where the earpiece is detached from the mouthpiece.

This necessitates George being close to Mary to hear and being close to Mary is the one thing George really doesn’t want because that’s when he starts to realize how much he really wants her. I love the acting in the scene – how you can see Jimmy Stewart’s expression change as he starts to smell her hair, feel him next to her. He wants to kiss her, hold her, not talk to Sam and it’s clear as each moment goes by and Sam continues to prattle on. Mary is starting to notice it too and her face is showing the struggle of her wanting to be close to George too.

Finally, George cracks and he’s holding Mary and she’s crying and he’s telling her he doesn’t want to get married because he doesn’t want to stay in this little town.

“I want to do what I want to do,” he tells her, grasping her shoulders and shaking her.

He’s leaving, he’s not going to stay with her, and he wants her to know that, but he’s saying it more for himself than her because he knows he loves Mary and he knows his love for her will keep him tied down in this little town and will complicate his life even more. And all along, Mary’s mother is crying because her daughter is going to marry a poor man like George instead of the rich businessman, Sam.

I love that scene because it’s so real. It’s a man not wanting to admit he’s in love, instead of the usual schmaltzy romances where the man is going after the woman like a tenth-degree horn dog, so to speak.

According to several online sources, Jimmy was worried about the kissing scene because he hadn’t acted much since returning from World War II. They filmed the scene in one take and he became so wrapped up in the passion, they had to cut some of the scene to avoid being scolded by the censors. Jimmy’s emotions overcame him during filming of another scene, as well. During the scene at the bar where George asks for God’s help he tears up and begins to cry, which wasn’t only an act. Jimmy, still suffering from the effects of war, most likely dealing with what we now call PTSD, began to think about all the lonely, hurting people of the world and lost it.

Neither Jimmy Stewart nor director Frank Capra expected the emotion. Capra hadn’t moved in the camera for a close up shot of Jimmy during the scene and both knew Jimmy couldn’t recreate it so in the end Capra somehow zoomed the film in, which was not a common or easy thing to do in 1946. The result was the scene was slightly grainier than the rest of the film but in the end, no one cared because the emotion of the scene was so captivating.

Now, in 2019, I wrote I didn’t like the ending scene because of so many parodies of the little girl’s line of “Every time a bell ring, an angel gets it’s wings.” I don’t actually dislike the scene, thinking about it now. It’s the parodies that are annoying and ruin it.

That scene and the ones that precede it are the most uplifting of the whole film. They’re the scenes where George realizes he has more than he thought he did, where he sees that not only his is life important, but he’s touched so many more lives than he realized.

If you haven’t seen the movie, but have instead only seen the parodies and think the movie is too cheesy or smaltzy or whatever you think it might be, take a chance and give it a try. You’ll see why so many people love the movie and why it made Jimmy Stewart one of America’s favorite actors ever.

To read Erin’s impressions of the movie visit her blog. To read Katja’s impression you can visit her blog too.

Next week our last Christmas movie installments are Emmett Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas and Charlie Brown’s Christmas. Join in watching and chatting with us about it, if you want.

A Christmas in Spencer: Beyond the Season, Chapter 6

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings, fictionLeave a comment

Welcome to the sixth chapter of a twelve-chapter story I am sharing on the blog. This is being shared with minimal editing, just for fun, but will be fully edited once it is complete.

You can catch up on chapters HERE.

If you would like to read more about the characters in this story, you can find full-length novels on Amazon for purchase or on Kindle Unlimited HERE,

The first three chapters of the first book, The Farmer’s Daughter, can be found HERE.

Once all the chapters have been shared here, I’ll be providing a free Book Funnel link to blog readers and placing the story on Amazon for 99 cents.

Chapter 6

“That’s a lot more snow than they were calling for.”

Alex looked out the front window into a barely lit front yard at the Tanners. He’d spent the night at Robert and Annie’s instead of heading back to Matt McGee’s place, which he guessed was his place for now, at least until Matt proposed to Liz and he was back to finding a new place to stay. He’d already been displaced when Ellie had moved in with Jason after the wedding, but he hadn’t minded. There was only so much affectionate newlywed behavior he could handle in a day.

Molly had spent the night at her parents too, sleeping in her old room while he crashed in Jason’s old room, which they now called the guest room.

Robert stepped next to him. “We’ll have to see what it ends up being when all is said and done. I’m going to get my coat on and go make sure it’s staying off the roof of that back barn. I should have fixed up that one spot before now.”

Actually, Alex could have easily fixed that weak spot in the roof over the calf barn himself. He’d been too distracted with Molly’s gift to tackle it. “I’ll head out instead. You stay in here this time. You can have the next round.”

He knew they’d both be awake most of the night, checking on the barn, making sure the new heating system was still working. The system was supposed to be top of the line, but so far it had been rating at the bottom. The fact it had stopped working right when it was supposed to be working, and less than a year after being installed, didn’t instill a lot of faith in Alex that they’d chosen the right company to help upgrade the barn.

The upgrade had come with the construction of a bottling plant to process A2 milk, a type of milk that allowed consumers with a dairy protein allergy to still be able to drink milk. The milk was being sold at the Tanners’ farm store and a few other small markets across the state. Not all of the Tanners’ cows had the A2 gene, which meant the operation was small and hadn’t yet paid off all the improvements and additions that had been undertaken, but Alex was confident it would someday.

When he walked to the calf barn an hour later, his worst fears had been confirmed. The roof was sagging worse than it had been the day before. Forecasters’ predictions of one foot was quickly turning into two feet and the storm wasn’t supposed to stop for another six hours at least.

Finding a ladder in a shed, he propped it against the back wall of the barn, slid on a pair of gloves and hooked the shovel under his arm. Snow pelted him in the face as he made his way up and he wished he’d grabbed that knitted cap Molly had tried to make him wear the other day.

The shovel scraped against snow as he tried to push the shovel into it. It took an effort to push it down and lift it but when he finally did he began flinging the snow off, knowing he probably should have told someone in the house what he was doing. Twenty minutes into shoveling he felt the roof under him sag and he raised his arms out to his side to catch his balance.

 A loud crack split the silence and he braced his legs in place on either side of the weaker part of the roof. A few seconds later it didn’t matter because the roof gave way under his feet anyhow. Suddenly he was in mid-air, falling and then crashing hard onto the concrete floor of the barn below, in the middle of a calving pen. Splinters of wood and shingles rained down on him, into his face and across his body. He raised his arms quickly as clumps of snow followed, slamming into his chest.

Pain shot through his back and down his legs. He grimaced, laying his head back against the shredded woodchips of the pen and groaned as small eyes watched him and a calf bleated a protest at having her warm, cozy evening interrupted.

He gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, lifting one arm slowly, then the other. He tried his legs next. Everything was moving at least. He was grateful that he hadn’t hit his head on impact. Warm breath huffed against his cheek. He slowly opened an eye, closing it again as calf slobber hit his skin.

“Hey, little lady. Move back a bit, will you?”

He felt more warm air on him and knew he was being inspected by small, curious baby cows.  He grunted as he opened his eyes and worked to sit up.

He admonished himself. “Idiot.”

He managed to make it to a sitting position then rolled to his hands and knees and pushed himself back on his calves before slowly standing, a low growl rumbling in his chest. He was already in pain, but he was definitely going to feel this even more in the morning. He took two steps forward to make sure nothing was broken, then patted the calf nuzzling the hem of his coat.

“Nothing exciting in there, bud, promise.”

He tipped his head back and looked through the hole in the roof, snowflakes speckling the dark sky and falling into his eyes.

He huffed out a frustrated breath and reached for his phone in his back pocket, wincing when he saw the crack across the screen. He tapped the screen, but it wouldn’t respond.

Luckily the barn wasn’t too far of a walk from the house.

“Alex?”

Looks like he wasn’t going to have to walk. Molly must have realized how long he’d been gone.

He cleared his throat, hoping his voice wouldn’t give away how rough his body felt. “Yeah. Back here.”

“You’ve been out here a long time. What are you –” She gasped as she came closer. “Oh my gosh! Did you just fall through the roof? Are you okay?”

She quickly pulled open the door of the pen and walked toward him briskly, laying her hands against his arms and chest.

If he told her he wasn’t okay, would she keep touching him all over? He grinned at the thought. “Yeah, I’m okay. I think anyhow. I’m moving at least.”

She touched a hand to his forehead. “Did you hit your head?”

He started to shake his head then winced at the pain slithering down the back of his neck. “No, but my neck isn’t doing great.” He pressed a hand against his lower back. “Or my back.” He winked. “Maybe you better keep checking me for bruises.”

She took his hand, shaking her head. “Come on. Let’s get you to the house. Maybe we should take you to the –”

He held up a hand. “I don’t need a hospital. I’m fine.”

“Then lets at least get you back to the house and into a bed.”

He grinned. “I like the sound of you wanting to get me into a bed, Molly dear, but not until we’re married.” She laughed and he looked up at the hole in the roof. “But seriously, I need to get this hole fixed first. I can’t have your dad out here trying to do it by himself.”

Molly cocked an eyebrow. “You mean like you were doing?”

“Exactly.”

She turned and started to walk away. “Come on, I’ll get some wood and we’ll climb up together. We can at least get it temporarily fixed for tonight to keep the snow off these babies and then we can do a more permanent job in the morning.”

“Molly –“

She turned to face him again. “What? I’m a farm girl, Alex Stone. Don’t tell me to go back in the house and get warm. I’ll climb up first and shovel the roof and then you can hand the boards up to me so I can hammer them in place.”

He watched her walk to the back room in amazement. He knew for a fact there were parts of her life where she wasn’t confident, but when it came to hard work there wasn’t a bit of doubt in her. She knew how to do anything and everything on the farm as well, or many times even better, than any of the men.

Still, the protective side of him wanted to send her back in the house. He didn’t want to see her get hurt. The snow was falling fast and the roof was sagging in other spots. It could easily send her crashing down too.

An hour later they finished the job without either of them falling through or off the roof. The snow was removed, the hole was temporarily patched, and they both headed toward the house. He stopped her before she could open the back door, though, pulled her against him abd slid a gloved hand behind her head, kissing her hard on the mouth. She returned the kiss by clutching the front of his coat and holding on.

She pulled back a few minutes later, dragging in a ragged breath. “What was that about?”

“Just felt the need to kiss you.”

“Do you feel the need to kiss me again?”

He smiled and kissed her again as snow swirled around them and she slipped her arms around his neck.

That was the one great thing about snow. It was the perfect excuse for a warm kiss and embrace.

A Christmas in Spencer: Beyond the Season, Chapter 4

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings, Fiction FridayLeave a comment

Welcome to the fourth chapter of a twelve-chapter story I am sharing on the blog. This is being shared with minimal editing, just for fun, but will be fully edited once it is complete.

You can catch up on chapters HERE.

If you would like to read more about the characters in this story, you can find full-length novels on Amazon for purchase or on Kindle Unlimited HERE,

The first three chapters of the first book, The Farmer’s Daughter, can be found HERE.

Once all the chapters have been shared here, I’ll be providing a free Book Funnel link to blog readers and placing the story on Amazon for 99 cents.

Chapter 4

“Don’t be shy, Alex. Have some more of those mashed potatoes. I made plenty.”

It wasn’t like Alex not to have an appetite when he visited Franny, but today her encouragement to eat more only made him feel sicker. The idea of piling more food on top of what he’d already eaten, pushing it past the knots there, made him want to excuse himself and run outside to breathe in a couple mouthfuls of fresh air.

He kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for her to somehow get him alone and launch questions at him about when he was going to propose to Molly and why he hadn’t already, and where he was in his relationship with God.

He reached for his glass of water and drank half of it to try to settle his stomach.

“You okay, young man?” The older woman looked at him with lowered eyebrows. “You’re very pale today.”

Alex laughed, hoping she couldn’t hear the apprehension in his voice. “I’m fine. Dinner is great. Thank you, Franny.”

He’d long abandoned calling her Mrs. Tanner. Every time he’d tried when he had first moved to the area to live with Jason, she’d reminded him, “Family calls me Franny and you’re family now, so drop the Mrs., mister.”

Sitting across from him now in her small kitchen, she quirked an eyebrow. “You coming down with something? You been getting enough sleep?”

She reached out and pressed her hand against his forehead. “You don’t feel warm.”

“Franny, I promise. I’m okay. Just tired from work, that’s all.”

She didn’t look like she believed him, but she sat back in her chair and continued eating. He was grateful when Molly took the attention off him.

“Grandma, I can’t remember the story behind that Big Ben ornament on the tree. Didn’t Grandpa bring it back for you from London?”

Franny nodded. “He did. He visited there on his way to Germany for training before the war and picked it up in a little shop. He sent it home and said he couldn’t wait to be home to put it on the next year’s tree with me.” A faint smile pulled at her mouth as she looked over Molly’s shoulder into the living room. “He missed that Christmas but he was home for the next one to help Walt hang it.”

She pulled her gaze from the ornament and laughed softly. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to have a good cry. It’s a wonderful memory and I’m working on remembering the happy moments. My memories help to keep him alive.”

Molly reached across the table and squeezed her grandmother’s hand. “There are a lot of good memories for us all.”

Franny stood and took Alex’s empty plate, heading toward the sink. “So how is the old truck fairing. Does Bert think he’ll be able to fix it?”

Alex’s chest constricted. He cleared his throat and started to answer.

“He won’t answer his phone and he never seems to be in when I stop,” Molly answered instead.

Alex wiped his mouth with a napkin to hide a smile. Bert was doing his best to help keep the project a surprise and he appreciated it. He wasn’t sure how much longer the secret would stay a secret, though. Molly was a determined woman.

Franny picked up Molly’s plate next. “Well, I’m sure if it was bad news, he’d let you know.” She placed the plate in the sink. “Hannah tells me they’re going to make Aunt Dianne’s sausage balls to sell in the café in the next couple of weeks.”

Molly walked to the sink. “Yes, she is. She thinks the customers will love them. Now, you go sit. I’m going to get these dishes done for you before we leave.” She looked over her shoulder at Alex, talking before Franny could protest about her doing the dishes. “Dianne was Franny’s aunt from North Carolina. She made sausage balls and fudge every Christmas and would bring them up when she and her husband came to visit. You remember the sausage balls from last year, don’t you?”

Alex stood and walked to the sink. “I definitely do. They were amazing.” He reached for the stopper for the side of the sink in front of him. “Let me help you with the dishes.”

Franny gasped. “Oh my, Molly Tanner. You need to keep this man. Look at him. Offering to do dishes with you.” Alex turned to look at her and she winked. “Bet he’s just doing it to be close to you.”

She sighed as Alex shook his head, grinning, and turned back to the sink. “You know, I did want to talk to you two about something.”

His chest tightened again. Oh boy. Here it came.

“I’ve been thinking about moving into Shady Pines, what do you two think about that?”

They both turned from the sink. That was the same community Molly’s other grandparents were living in.

“What’s got you thinking about that?” Molly asked, a plate in one hand and a dishcloth in the other.

“You two have me thinking about that.”

Molly tipped her head to one side. “What do we have to do with it?”

“Because one day I want to give you two this house.” She moved her gaze to Alex. “If Alex ever gets around to proposing.”

And there it was.

He glanced at Molly as warmth crept into his cheeks. Her cheeks were flushed as well. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again, took a breath, and tried again.

“That’s really nice Grandma, but there’s no rush. I mean, I don’t think this is something you have to do right away. I mean . . .”

He really should save Molly from this awkward moment but he had no idea what to say. He turned back to the sink like a coward and poured dish soap into Molly’s side of the sink.

Franny laughed softly “I’m hoping it’s something that I’ll need to think about sooner rather than later, but I’m sure I have some time.”

The elderly woman’s answer made him want to laugh and cry at the same time. It wasn’t that he hadn’t been thinking about how much he wanted to marry Molly. He thought about it often, daily lately. He simply hadn’t planned on any kind of proposal right now. For one thing, Christmas proposals were so cliché. For another thing, he didn’t have a ring yet. And third, Molly had been a Christian her whole life and he’d only just started to figure out a relationship with God. He wasn’t even close to being worthy of her or her family.

Molly laughed nervously. “Now, Grandma, you already got Jason married off. How about you work on another one of your grandchildren next?”

Franny snorted. “My other grandchildren are 13 and 16, except for Bradly and he doesn’t have any prospects right now. You, however, do and he’s a good prospect so I think you’re closer than the rest of them.” She sighed again. “But I shouldn’t be pressuring you. You two will get married when you’re good and ready. When you do, though, I want you to know that this house is yours. If you want it.”

He glanced over his shoulder briefly to see Molly kissing Franny’s cheek. “Thank you, Grandma. We appreciate it.”

The drive back to the farm an hour later was quiet to begin with until he finally cleared his throat. “Your grandma sure is blunt, isn’t she?”

Molly laughed and propped her feet on the dashboard, hugging her arms around her knees. “She definitely is, but she means well.” She raised her shoulders briefly and dropped them again. “Anyhow, the town tree lighting is Saturday. I don’t usually go but I thought it might be nice this year. You want to go with me?”

He was thankful she’d changed the subject. “Of course, I would. That sounds like fun. As long as you don’t make me sing carols.”

She smiled as she looked at him. “I’ve heard you sing in the barn. Don’t worry. I wouldn’t request you do that in public.”

He burst into laughter, pressing his closed hand gently against her shoulder. “Ha. Ha. You’re no Carrie Underwood either, Princess.”

She tipped her head back and laughed, reminding him of how perfect she was for him, how perfect they were for each other and how he really could see himself spending the rest of his life with her.

***

The shed smelled like paint and pain to Robert.

Paint as he painted the boards for the swing and pain as he realized he only had three more weeks to assemble the boards he had smoothed and shaped. Then there were those bolts. They still hadn’t arrived. Terry was busy calling other suppliers for him. Hopefully, it would all come together.

It wasn’t the end of the world if the project wasn’t completed by Christmas. He knew that. He could simply tell Annie what he’d been working on and let her know it would be finished when the bolts came in. He really wanted to have the swing done and hung for Christmas, though. He wanted to sit on it with Annie Christmas night, his arm around her shoulder, her side pressed to his, looking out on a snow-covered farm.

Finishing it was still the plan and he was going to stick with the plan until he absolutely had to admit defeat. For now, though, it was time to lock up the shed and head back to the house. There was a family dinner planned and then decorating the tree and the house. He and Jason had already cut down a tree and brought it into the house. Now his children, Alex, and Jason’s wife, Ellie, would help decorate it as part of an annual tradition.

Jason’s truck was in the drive when he pulled up and Alex pulled in a few seconds later. He greeted Alex, learned that Molly was on her way with Liz, and the two men walked into the house to chase away the chilly December air, grateful that temperatures had warmed a little at least.

Inside he pulled his coat off, gave Ellie a hug and then headed from the entryway to the kitchen to give his wife a kiss and hug as she finished up dinner.

Half an hour later, they were all sitting around the table, and he found himself looking at the faces of those he loved with emotion catching in his throat. Liz’s little girl Bella giggled and clapped her hands at the end of the prayer, and he couldn’t help agreeing with her joy. Annie was one of the best cooks around. He couldn’t wait to dig into the mashed potatoes to his right and the fried pork chops on a plate in front of him.

Jason reached for the pork chops and Alex reached for the mashed potatoes, which reminded him he had to move fast with these two around. They might clear the whole table of food before he was able to help himself to one morsel.

Thankfully that didn’t happen and before long it was time to decorate the tree, which could start only after slices of Annie’s apple pie were cut and cups of cocoa and coffee were poured.

Molly held out a hand toward her brother. “Jason, hand me that garland over there.”

Jason held up a hand, palm out. “We need to get the lights on first. Slow your roll.”

“Did you untangle them even?”

“I’m doing that now, as you can see.”

“Let me help –” Molly took a step forward.

“No, you’ll just confuse me. I’ll get them untangled by myself.” He jerked his head toward the kitchen. “Go get the stool so we can start from the top and work our way down when I get them straightened out.”

Molly huffed out a sigh and headed toward the kitchen for the stool while Robert sat in his chair and smiled. Just like old times. Arguing and bickering. Eventually, though, there’d be laughter and peaceful quiet as they all sat to take in their handiwork and let the spirit of Christmas wash over them.

Ten minutes later Robert had just taken a bite of his pie just as Molly started screaming. Screaming wasn’t usually part of the decorating. He jumped to his feet in time to see a furry creature leap toward Molly, scurrying across her shoulder, and down her back to the floor.

The blur of brown took off across the carpet then ran up the back of the couch, clearing it of Annie, Liz, and Ellie who all uttered horrified cries and squeals of their own. Liz snatched Bella off the floor and Robert watched the squirrel jump to the floor, spin in circles a few times and then dart out of the living room into the kitchen.

Jason burst into laughter as Robert followed the terrified creature. “I guess we should have checked the tree for occupants before we brought it in.”

Robert found a broom and opened the back door, searching for the squirrel. In the living room, the women were giggling over their reactions.

“I can’t believe I screamed like that!”

“Did you see that thing fly off me?!”

“Isabella looks confused.”

“Where did it even go?”

When he found the squirrel huddling under the table, he poked at it gently with the broom, which sent it scurrying not through the open door like he’d hoped, but back into the living room.

“Incoming!”

Molly squealed with laughter. “Here it comes again! Jason grab it!”

“I’m not just going to grab it! They carry diseases!”

“I’ll grab it.”

“Alex, don’t!”

Robert shook his head and walked back into the living room with the broom while Annie opened the front door. The squirrel must have sensed the portal to freedom because he darted back and forth a few times across the floor in front of it and then outside onto the front porch.

Robert closed the door, and everyone dissolved into laughter again.

Annie wiped a hand against her cheek, clearing tears of laughter. “That certainly was a first. Is everyone okay?”

Everyone agreed that they were, and the decorating continued, with Molly, Jason, and Alex occasionally checking to make sure there were no more creatures still living in the tree.

Outside the window snow drifted down in large, fluffy flakes, hitting the ground and immediately melting. A white Christmas might not happen this year, but looking around the room at his family, Robert didn’t mind. There didn’t need to be snow on the ground outside for him to feel the warmth and love of his family inside.

                                 
Once again, he felt his throat thicken with emotion, grateful that he was still here to experience another Christmas season with his family.

After everyone had gone home, Robert slid his arm around Annie as they sat together on the couch in the colorful glow of the tree. Wasn’t it only yesterday that Molly and Jason were here with them, stretched out under the tree, looking up at it and talking about their Christmas wishes? Wasn’t it only yesterday that Robert’s dad was coming over to share with him his Christmas gift ideas for the kids with delight in his eyes?

So much had changed over the years. His dad was gone. The kids were moved out on their own.

He pulled Annie closer and tucked her head under his chin. At least he still had Annie with him, and the kids would be here on Christmas, along with their significant others, and his mom, brother, sister and their spouses, as well as his nieces and nephews. The house would feel full again. As full as his heart was now as he held on to the good memories and looked forward to making more this Christmas and beyond.