Adventure in the Woods

When I wrote A Snowy Day Surprise  for Wednesday’s post, I wasn’t planning on having a Part 2, but sometimes you just never know.  Over the past couple days since then I have gained some inspiration, so here is hoping that you will enjoy Part 2! I mean, I couldn’t just leave Frank and George dozing forever on a log in the snowy woods, could I? They may get frostbite, so I had to save them.

Adventure in the Woods

Frank opened his eyes and stretched, accidentally bumping George, which caused him to fall off the log into the snow. 

“Oops, sorry about that!” Frank said, though he was fighting back laughter at the same time at George’s shocked expression to find himself lying in the snow. 

“Here let me help you up.”said Frank, holding out his hand to him. 

George brushed himself off and they both stood there for a few minutes wondering what they should do. George turned to Frank and said, “Do you think we should continue to look for that jackalope, or is it a lost cause?” 

“He is probably long gone by now,  I would say its hopeless, but we can always keep a look out for him as we head back.” Frank replied. “I am feeling rather cold now, so lets get to moving.” 

They walked and talked for awhile and then Frank grew silent, and so they walked in silence for awhile until George spoke up. “Are you feeling OK? ” 

“Yes, why?” Frank asked. 

“Well you went from talking a lot to just giving short answers to my statements, to not talking at all! Its like you are acting all moody on me.” 

“Nope! Not moody, but tell me, didn’t we pass that tree before?” 

George stared at him, “You didn’t just ask that?” 

“Yes, I did, did you not hear me correctly?” Frank replied. 

“Someone is moody.” George muttered to himself. 

“I heard you!” replied Frank. “I am not moody! But, I do believe we passed that tree before.” 

George smacked his head with his hand. ” Umm..in case you haven’t noticed, this is the woods, and there are LOTS of trees in the woods, what makes you think we passed that specific tree before?” 

Frank rolled his eyes, “Maybe because of the yellow X it has on its trunk!” 

George turned around and went back to look at the other side of the tree, and he saw the yellow X. “Oh, hmmm….didn’t notice that before.” 

“Well that’s obvious,” said Frank, and they stopped walking, and stared at the tree.

“So are you saying that we are walking in circles?” 

“I think so,” said Frank, “We have passed that tree 3x now. I been counting. I think you need to get out your compass, so we can get ourselves turned in the right direction.” 

George dug in his pockets, pulled out a few coins and a few marbles, but no compass.

“Guess I forgot my compass this morning.” George said softly. 

“Oh now what are we supposed to do! How do we know whether to go left or right? 

They stared at each other feeling clueless. 

In the distance they heard singing and they saw a girl walking towards them. She had on a red wool cape and was carrying a basket. When she got close enough to them , Frank called out. 

“Excuse me Miss, could you help us please? We seem to be hopelessly lost. ” 

The girl smiled, and asked them where they wanted to go.  

When they told her she gladly said, ” I am headed that exact same direction, you can follow me.” 

George and Frank breathed a sigh of relief, for they weren’t too fond of being stuck in the woods on a snowy night. They already felt like there hands and feet were turning blue, with as long as they had been outside. 

They had a nice chat with the girl in the red cape as they walked. She was going to visit her grandmother, she told them. 

“Here we are!” Frank and George saw the house just ahead and the girl pointed to the path beside it. “Just keep following that path and it will lead you out of the woods.” she told them. 

“Thank you very much!” they replied, as they shook her hand. 

They said goodbye and took off down the path, thinking of a nice hot meal that they would soon have, when they heard growling behind them. 

Frank turned around, and his eyes got round  like saucers. “Run George, Run!” 

The wolf was gaining speed and nipped at George’s heels, which made him jump and run even faster, as he gasped for breath. 

They saw a barn straight ahead and dashed into it closing the door behind them! Falling back against the door they slumped to the floor with their hearts still beating rapidly. 

“We made it!” gasped Frank.

“Yes!” said George. 

“MOO!” went the cows, causing Frank and George to jump and stumble head first into the water trough. 

They lifted their heads out of the water and gave each other a pitiful look, as Frank said, “Today is just not our day!” 

“MOO!” went the cows!

 

 

 

 

 

A Snowy Day Surprise

They were traipsing through the woods with their snowshoes on enjoying the first snow of the season and the way it had transformed the woods overnight. Some cardinals were sitting on a tree branch, their red color looking so bright and vivid against the white snow.

The guy nudged his friend’s arm, ” Look over there! Do you see that? What is it?”

His friend looked, and looked back at his friend with a puzzled expression. “It’s a rabbit. You know, those little animals that hop around and live in holes in the ground. Did you not have your morning coffee this morning Frank? Or maybe the question should be, what did you put in your coffee this morning?”

Frank shook his head, as he made a face. I didn’t mean over to your right, I meant your left. Look over there.”

George looked where Frank was pointing. “And its another rab…Wait a minute, are those horns on its head?”

“Exactly!” Frank said with a smug look on his face. So now should I ask what you drank this morning?”

They both watched the rabbit like creature sit still for a moment and then as if it sensed their presence it took off, soon disappearing over the hill.

Frank and George were quiet for a little and then George spoke up. “I have heard of jackalopes before, but I didn’t believe they were real! But being that you saw what I saw and I saw what you saw, well then it has to be real, right?”

“Definitely!” said Frank. “After all, its not like we are wandering in a hot desert thirsting for water and losing our minds seeing a mirage?”

” Yes, there can be no other explanation! Though people may think we have lost our marbles, but perhaps we really did just see the only living Jackalope!”

They started to get excited and Frank said, “We have to tell our boss about this, call the newspaper and let them know. We could be famous, George!”

They were walking and getting caught up in conversation about what their friends would think, and then George stopped walking and said, “Wait a minute, we have a problem. We don’t have a picture! If we start talking about it to others, we can’t prove anything, except giving people proof that we are nuts.”

“Why didn’t you take a picture?” asked Frank.

“Why? You ask me why?? Perhaps because you are the one with the camera around your neck, genius?” replied George, as he raised his eyebrows.

“Oh, yeah, guess I am.” Frank said with a sheepish look on his face.

“Well there is only one logical thing we can do now, we have to see if we can find the jackalope again. Lets retrace our steps in the direction back to where we saw him and take it from there.”

Back they went and started searching for the elusive jackalope. Their heart would start beating quickly when they would catch the sight of a little white tail hopping through the words, But they would look closer and sigh, when they saw that it was only a rabbit without horns.

They went to the left and to the right, but there was not a jackalope in sight.

Stopping for a rest they sat on a log and started to doze.

As they dozed a creature came up to them for it had smelled the snack that Frank and George had been eating. There were nuts and berries that had fallen on the snow. Oh they were his favorite treats and he quickly filled his tummy.

George started stirring as the creature ate the last berry. He better get going, or he would be late, Moonbeam Farm was still a little ways over the hill. He didn’t want to be late for their evening meeting and get Odessa’s feathers all ruffled. Away he hopped, while Frank and George continued to doze.

Oh, the things that you miss, that are sometimes right under your nose!

**Frank and George missed out on seeing Jaxon, the only living Jackalope, but you don’t have to miss out on learning all about him! If you aren’t sure about believing in Jackalopes, open up the pages of “The Odessa Chronicles” and take a look. You won’t be sorry that you did. You don’t have to go traipsing through the snow, you can read about him from the comfort of your chair, perhaps while you are looking out the window at the snow. If you happen to see 2 weary looking fellows walking or perhaps stumbling by now through the snow, don’t worry, its just Frank and George still searching.**

 

 

 

The Secrets Behind the Eyes

artwork by Sally Lannier from Pinterest

 

The glow of the wolf’s  golden eyes bore into the man. What was the wolf thinking?  It had come out of nowhere, appearing on the man’ s path, as he was trudging home in the snow.

His hat was pulled down over his ears and his coat was zipped up to the top as a thick wool scarf encircled his face. He breathed into the warm scarf, feeling frozen in his tracks.  Should he keep moving? What would the wolf do? The wolf wasn’t blinking an eye. His gaze was transfixed on the man, in this staring contest that had suddenly began.

Did the wolf smell the man’s fear?  Was the wolf afraid?  Were their cubs that it was trying to protect? These thoughts passed through the man’s mind as the golden eyed wolf continued to stare into the man’s deep chestnut ones.

If the man took a step forward would the wolf as well? Would the man see his home tonight? Even if he did make it past the wolf and make it to his home,  would the door be thrown open to welcome him or would he be cast out, back into the cold? Was he really standing frozen in fear because of a staring contest with a wolf or was he  more fearful to take the final steps home, not knowing what awaited him there.

They continued to stare and a sharp wind began to blow, as the light of the full moon shined down.  It shone down on the lone two  figures. Two figures who were caught up in a silent dance, wondering who would take the lead. Two figures who held secrets inside of them.

Gradually the wolf took a step backwards, and then another one, as his eyes still stayed focused on the man. Then in a flash he turned and the man watched the beautiful  silver wolf run away into the deep snow.

The man stood there a little while longer, still lost in thought. Gradually he took a step forward and another one, as he continued on the path toward home.

Snowflakes began to fall and glisten in the moonlight. The snow shined like tiny diamonds. Soon the paw prints of the golden eyed wolf and the footprints of the chestnut eyed man were covered up by the falling snow. No trace was left of the secret meeting that had happened on a winter’s night, under a moonlit sky.

 

 

What Day is It?

Are you sure its not April Fool’s Day today? I think the weather is greatly confused!  It was in the 60’s on Saturday and in the 50’s yesterday. Does anyone else see something wrong with this picture??

I looked out the window as I shook my head, what else could I do.  I did make sure I wasn’t dreaming, no I was standing up.  I was saying goodbye to my husband who was leaving for work and had been the one to tell me to look out the window while I was only half awake.

Life is full of surprises.  I have learned to “Expect the Unexpected” in my life! Though that doesn’t mean that there aren’t moments where I am left speechless by the “surprises”.

In the meantime I think I will pack my bags for Hawaii. Surely they won’t get snow in April!  Who knows, perhaps I will even run into some crazy elves taking a vacation from the North Pole while I am there.

“Expect the Unexpected!” In my life one just never knows. At times it can be as crazy as having snow on the 2nd day of April!

 

The 2nd day of Winter…I mean Spring!

Good Morning! These videos were posted on Facebook by a beautiful Inn that has special meaning to Brad and I.  I got permission to share these video clips on here with all of you. Yes, it is Spring, and we should be seeing green grass, but you can’t deny the beauty shown in these clips. Hope that they bring you a smile!

 

Lassie, our Sheltie loves the snow. The snow took a break overnight but is well at it again today. Supposed to get an inch a hour through 5pm.

And the Comics are having fun with these first 2 days of Spring. My dear husband found these to pass on.

And a little view from our front porch. There are 2 bushes, the other one is just disguised as all white. 🙂

 

More Snow Fun! (Part 3…A Snowy Day)

Caution: When writing a fictional story, beware!  The characters become real and wrap themselves around your heart!

Warning: The more stories you read about our Moonbeam gang may have you seeing “Odessa” in every Owl that you see, “Dewey” in every cat that you see and “Jaxon”, well…are you sure Jackalopes aren’t real??

I hope all of you have been enjoying seeing a peak into “The Odessa Chronicles” book. Does it make you want to hop in a car and go visit Moonbeam Farm? That may be a little tricky, but you can put your feet up and sit back as our friends learn a little lesson and continue to enjoy some Winter Wonderland Fun! If you missed reading Part 2 here is the link for you.  The Plan…(A Snowy Day Adventure..Part 2)

More Snow Fun!

“Up here,” she said. The man-servant looked up and saw her face peering over the eaves trough. “I think that we’re all even now.” she said.

The man-servant had to laugh, as he realized that Odessa must have carried all the remaining snowballs up onto the roof in order to get even with them. “Okay, Odessa,” he said, “we’re even. Let’s dig out Jaxon and Dewey, and then we can all go back into the farmhouse.

Once they were all inside, Jaxon looked at Odessa. “What you did was not very nice. I was almost buried in snow.”

Dewey added, “Yes … I agree with Jaxon. You could have hurt us.”

Odessa looked at them both. “Possibly,” she said, “but unlikely with those snowballs. You two, however, left me in an igloo where I could not get out. If a cat or some other bird predator had come in, I would not be here now.”

The man-servant was listening to the conversation. “I think Odessa is making a very good point for all of us to think about. While it is fun to play jokes on each other, we must always think them through carefully to ensure that nobody could possibly get hurt.”

Odessa was smiling. “Man-Servant,” she said, “that’s the most sense you’ve made all day today, but of course, you were paraphrasing me, so I should not be surprised.”

Jaxon looked up at the man-servant. “What’s parrot phrasing?”

The man-servant was smiling. “Oh, that’s something barn owls do when they have nothing useful to say, but want to talk anyway.”

While the conversation was going on, Dewey had wandered over to the door. “It will be dark soon,” he said. “Let’s all go outside and make a humongous snowman.”

They were soon all outside rolling up large balls of snow, but the man-servant had the biggest one. “This is our snowman’s body.” he announced. Jaxon and Dewey had joined forces to roll a snowball for its head, while Odessa was flying around looking for two sticks that would be suitable for the snowman’s arms.

The man-servant lifted their snowball and placed it on the body, and Odessa pushed two large sticks into each side of the snowman. “He hasn’t got any hands.” said Jaxon, while munching on a carrot he brought from the farmhouse.

The man-servant smiled at Jaxon. “No, he hasn’t,” he said, “but that’s all right. It is difficult to make snow hands. Can you pass me a carrot for the snowman’s nose?”

Jaxon turned away with a smile on his face, and tried to cover up little bits of carrot, which were lying on the snowy ground. “Dewey!” said the man-servant. “I’ve never seen you eat a carrot, so would you please go into the farmhouse and get another one? Our poor snowman needs a nose, and it would seem that Jaxon has eaten the one we had planned on using.”

Dewey went off to get a carrot, while Jaxon was on a mission, looking for two of something for the snowman’s eyes. The man-servant found some stones, which he pushed into the snowman’s face in a curve. Dewey returned with a carrot which was pushed into the snowman’s face, for a nose. The snowman now had a smiling face. Jaxon soon returned with two round black stones, which they placed above the snowman’s nose. The man-servant looked at him. “Well, guys,” he said, “we have a good-looking snowman here now.”

“But he doesn’t have any hands!” said Jaxon.

Odessa stepped forward. “The man-servant has explained that our snowman has no hands because he does not know how to make them. Of course, him being human, we must forgive his shortcomings. You may also have noticed that our snowman has no feathers, fur, or clothes.”

Jaxon hopped over to Odessa. “Can you fix our snowman up, Odessa?”

“Of course!” said Odessa. “Let me think about it tonight, and we’ll see what tomorrow brings.”

The man-servant looked at her. “I would love to know how you are going to do this,” he said, “but I have to drive into town right now and pick up some supplies.” It was late when the man-servant returned. He saw that Dewey was sound asleep on his cushions, so he also went to bed.

When he woke up the next morning, he heard Jaxon shouting to him, “Come on outside, Man-Servant and see our snowman He looks a bit like you!”

The man-servant quickly got dressed and went outside. His mouth dropped open at what he saw. Their snowman was wearing winter gloves, a quilted jacket, and a Tilley hat, and they were all the man-servant’s.

Odessa suddenly appeared and landed next to Jaxon. “There you are, my friend. We have one happy snowman.”

Jaxon smiled at her. “You’re awesome! Where did you find those clothes?” Odessa suddenly took off as the man-servant approached. Jaxon looked at him. “Didn’t Odessa do a wonderful job of our snowman, Man-Servant.” he said. “She is so clever!”

The man-servant looked at Jaxon and saw how happy he was. “Yes, Jaxon,” he said, “she really is a clever and resourceful barn owl.” Dewey came ambling out of the farmhouse. “Cool snowman! There is an empty food bowl in the farmhouse.” He then turned and went back into the farmhouse kitchen.

The others followed Dewey and went inside the farmhouse, and sat around the fire, nibbling on snacks. Odessa arrived a few moments later and cautiously landed between Dewey and Jaxon, and across from the man-servant … so she could watch him.

Dewey suddenly said, “I am sorry Man-Servant, that the planned adventure you had for us yesterday didn’t work out, but the past two days have been fun. Sometimes you can have the best adventures in your own backyard. They don’t always need to be planned, and as long as you are surrounded by your best friends (and bowls of food), adventures are bound to happen. There is nothing more that you need.”

They all agreed that Dewey was right, at least about friends. Odessa turned to him. “That was quite profound, Dewey. There’s hope for cats yet.”

They spent the rest of the day, and well into the night, talking about their past adventures, which was unfortunate, because they did not see the snowman with the man-servant’s special hat, gloves, and jacket, dancing in the moonlight!

A Snowy Day Adventure

We did not wake up to a Winter Wonderland. The snow went around us, totally missing us.  For those of you who do have a Winter Wonderland perhaps you can identify with our friends from Moonbeam Farm.

To those of you who are more recent followers of mine I will explain. Colin from https://meandray.com/ and I have had a lot of fun collaborating on a book called “The Odessa Chronicles” which we hope to have released soon. It has been quite a journey!

The stories center around the adventures of a witty barn owl named Odessa, a mischievous cat named Dewey, a care-free Jackalope named Jaxon, who also has some magical powers, and a caring Man-Servant, who tries to not go too crazy,  while taking care of them all! They love to have fun and to go on adventures. They have all become 4 best friends,  who live together on Moonbeam Farm. Sit back, put your feet up and catch a little inside glimpse of a day with our wonderful friends.

A Snowy Day Adventure (Part 1)

The man-servant wasn’t sure what to do. Winter had so far provided very little snow to play with, and so he had promised Odessa, Jaxon, and Dewey that they would go somewhere on an adventure. When he woke up that morning and looked out of the window, he saw that everything was covered with snow. That would make traveling a little difficult, but did make playing in the snow interesting.

Dewey woke up and went to join the man-servant, who was now in the kitchen and preparing breakfast for them both. “Good morning, Dewey!” said the man-servant. “I’m afraid our adventure will have to be postponed. We had a lot of snow overnight.”

Dewey smiled. “You mean like loads of it?” He jumped up onto the window sill and looked out. “That is so cool.” he said. “We can have a snowball fight. I really feel like throwing a snowball at somebody, but after my breakfast of course.”

The man-servant smiled as he watched Dewey eating his breakfast. He was obviously very excited about going outside and playing in the snow. “Okay!” said the man-servant, as soon as he saw that Dewey’s bowl was empty. “Let me grab my coat and scarf, and then we can go over to the barn and tell Jaxon and Odessa about our snow.”

They both went into the barn, but there were no signs of either Jaxon or Odessa. “Where do you think they could be?” asked Dewey.

The man-servant was puzzled. “I really don’t know,” he said, “but this is rather unusual, isn’t it? Let’s go outside and see if we can find them.”

They both went back outside, and were heading towards the farm gate, when “Splat!” a snowball hit the back of the man-servant’s head, and disintegrated. Bits of snowball started melting and sliding down his neck. He looked all around, but could not see where it had come from, although he did see Dewey laughing.

“You weren’t expecting that, were you, Man-Servant?” said Dewey.

The man-servant looked at him. “I know it didn’t come from you … but where did it come from? Do you know?”

Dewey was enjoying the man-servant’s confusion, and decided to make this situation part of their games. “Yes, Man-Servant,” he said, “I know exactly where it came from.”

“Well, are you going to tell me, or at least give me a clue?” said the man-servant. Just then another snowball landed “Splat!” on the man-servant’s head. Dewey was now rolling around in the snow and laughing as hard as he could.

“Yes, Man-Servant, I know exactly where they are coming from. You want a clue? Wait for a few minutes, and then I’ll give you a clue.”

The man-servant kept looking around for any kind of movement that might give away the location of the snowball thrower, but saw nothing. Suddenly, he heard Dewey. “Look up fast, Man-Servant!” As the man-servant looked upwards, a snowball went “Splat!” on his face. Because he instinctively started to wipe away the snow, he did not see which direction the snowball had come from.

This series of events was repeated for quite some time, with the man-servant a helpless target in a one-sided snowball fight. Up until then, it had been a cloudy day, but suddenly the sun shone through the clouds, and the man-servant noticed the shadow of wings moving across the snow towards him … and then he was hit once again by a snowball. He looked up this time.

“Odessa!” he shouted. “You wait!”

He bent down and grabbed a handful of snow, quickly making a perfectly round snowball. “This one’s got your name on it, Odessa.” he shouted.

“We’ll see!” shouted Odessa, as she landed on the roof of the barn, where Jaxon was making snowballs for her.

The man-servant was showing Dewey on how to make really good snowballs for him, and did not notice that Odessa was once again silently swooping towards him. “Splat!” Another snowball hit the man-servant, but this time he was already holding a snowball in his hand. He watched Odessa very carefully, and then threw his snowball at her. “Take that!” he said laughingly, but his laughter soon stopped, as he watched Odessa catch the snowball in her claws, turn sharply, and swoop down towards him once again. “Splat!”

Dewey looked at the man-servant, wiping new snow from his face. “Isn’t she so awesome? Doesn’t it make you feel sorry for the rodents around here? They don’t stand a chance. Quick, quiet, and precise.

What an awesome friend I have.”

“You just wait and see what I can do.” said the man-servant, as he carefully stacked up some snowballs.

Odessa and Jaxon had been watching from the roof of the barn. “Uh oh!” said Jaxon. “I think you might be in trouble now.”

Odessa smiled at him. “Why do you think that, Jaxon?” she asked.

Jaxon pointed to the man-servant’s pile of snowballs. “Look at all those. How many can you catch at a time, Odessa?”

“Listen very carefully Jaxon. I am going to take you back down to the ground, where I would like you to join forces with Dewey. The man-servant will be no match for all three of us.”

The man-servant was poised over his pile of snowballs, and waiting for Odessa’s next attack, when he saw Jaxon coming across the yard. “Hi, Jaxon!” he said. “Come to watch the battle?”

“Something like that.” said Jaxon. “Something like that.”

He then sat next to Dewey and they both quickly became engrossed in a conversation. After a few minutes, the man-servant noticed that Jaxon had gone. “What happened to Jaxon?” he asked Dewey.

“Nothing happened to him,” said Dewey. “He wanted to see the battle from the other side of you.” The man-servant looked around, and sure enough, Jaxon was sitting in the snow a short distance away.

The air suddenly went very still, and completely silent. The man-servant looked around. This is rather unusual, he thought. Absolutely nothing is happening. There is just this sense of perfect peace.

He suddenly heard something in the air overhead, and looking up, he saw Odessa in a high-speed dive and heading right for him. As she released her snowball, the man-servant was throwing his. Odessa caught his snowball, and was circling to drop it, as the man-servant was bending over to pick up another one. As he was about to throw it, he was hit by a snowball on his right shoulder. He turned to see who threw it, and saw Dewey laughing and getting another snowball.

He was about to throw his snowball at Dewey in retaliation, when Odessa’s snowball hit him. He looked up to see her flying away, and was then hit by a snowball on his left shoulder. Looking around, he saw Jaxon jumping up and down in excitement. For the next few minutes, he was totally overwhelmed by snowballs, coming at him from seemingly all directions. It was not long before he had to admit that he could not possibly win against all three of them … but he had a plan.

(to be continued … tomorrow 🙂