Chapter 18

"I'm going out to the barn to check the animals," Bobby said as he leaned over to kiss me while wrapping his scarf around his neck. "I'll be fine," I replied. I sat in my rocker by the fireplace knitting, often looking out the window at the blowing snow. Winter had come early that year, we usually didn't get snow until late December or early January and here it was snowing at Thanksgiving. It had been snowing for 2 days and didn't look as if it was going to quit anytime soon. I was glad to have gotten the fall leaves raked up and put into the flower and herb beds before the snow had gotten here, now they would be protected for the long winter. All of my flowers had been deadheaded and the seeds were drying for planting next year. There were herbs hanging in the barn, drying and ready to be stored for the winter to make salves and ointments for the coming year.

Maisy stopped staring out the window and started back to her knitting. She had planned on making a pair of socks for each member of her family, including nice wool scarves for Bobby and her daddy and shawls for her mother, granny and sisters. However, it was turning out to be more of a chore than she had expected. Granny had been helping her out with her stitches but with the bad weather they hadn't been able to get together for the past couple of days and she seemed to be forgetting everything.

Finally I laid it down on my lap and closed my eyes to rest. I had been really tired the past couple of days and knew that it was all part of the little one I carried inside of me. I hadn't told anyone yet, not even Bobby, and wanted to make sure. I had only been sick a couple of days and other than feeling tired hadn't had any more problems. When I missed my monthly, I knew then that it was true. I had always been regular as a clock and when it didn't show as scheduled, I did a little dance of joy. I had planned on telling everyone at Thanksgiving but it didn't look as if there was going to be a dinner, with all the snow. Even though we only live a short distance from my parents, the snow had the roads blocked.

I raised my head as I heard a sound coming from the road. I got up out of the rocker to see what the racket was and surprised must have washed over me when I saw my whole family in a wagon pulling up out front. I stood at the door and opened it quickly as my mother and sisters stepped up on the porch and hurried in.

I didn't see granny right away and then saw my dad lifting her gingerly out of the wagon and carrying her up to the porch and into the house. As he put her down she was huffing around telling him that, "I didn't need no help. Why I was getting around in weather worse than this when you was but a twinkle in yore daddy's eye." Her father just grinned over granny's head as he asked me where Bobby was. I pointed towards the back of the house indicating the barn. My sisters were chattering, my mother was shaking out their coats and hanging them up and granny was pulling my rocker closer to the fire. "Now girls," mother said, "get out the writing boards we brought and sit by the fire and practice your lettering. I will never get you married off if you can't write," mother said as she smiled at the girls. "Who wants hot chocolate," I asked as I started toward the kitchen. My sisters jumped up and followed me, as mother arched her eyebrows and shook her head. "Warm me up some coffee, if you got any left," granny called. Delila and Lessie were clamoring around the kitchen trying to help. I shook my head saying, "Delila, you get the small pot from the pantry and Lessie, you get the milk. It's sitting right on the back porch. Just open the top of that wooden box and get it out." Bobby had built me a small covered box that I could set my cold items in so that I wouldn't have to make a trip out to the spring house every time I needed something, knowing that the cold weather they were having would work just fine at keeping things cold. As I looked out the back window, I could see the kerosene lights seeping out from underneath the barn door and the small cracks between the boards, giving it a warm, cozy feeling. The burst of cold air chilled me when Lessie had briefly opened the door to retrieve the milk. I turned to the stove to light it, noticing that the small stack of firewood was getting low and I would have to remind Bobby to bring in some more before dark.

After the chocolate was made, the coffee was warmed and everybody had a cup. I sat down in a chair next to my mother, who had placed them in a small half circle around the fireplace. "Are you cold, momma?" I asked her with concern. "No," she replied, "I just enjoy the feeling of a good fire with family gathered around. We were all going stir crazy at the house when your daddy upped and said let's ride up to Maisy's. Well, he didn't have to tell us twice." "We were dressed and ready before him," Sarah Jean said with a smile. "Get over here next to me and let's get to work on that knitting," granny said, "Looks to me like you ain't been doing nothing but wool gathering." I smiled as she moved her chair over next to granny's and they started to sort through my knitting basket. "Sarah Jean," granny said, "Get out that book you mail ordered and read to us a little. I like hearing about them sisters." I looked questionably at my mother. "It's a new author, a Ms. Louis May Alcott. She has written a book about sisters and I read a little of it to mother just last night. When we went to town a couple of weeks ago, I picked one up in the dry goods store and read a little through it while I was waiting on some material, that Mrs. Little was cutting for me." "I enjoyed that small bit so much, that I ordered one on the spot. Joshua Bean dropped it off right before the storm moved in, on his way back up to Mountain Top. Said he had been to town to get supplies and Mrs. Little asked him to deliver it to me since it was on his way. I guess the good Lord decided we needed some reading time with it being handed over right before a long storm set in." Sarah jean rummaged around in her small carpet bag she carried everywhere and came out with a book wrapped in soft flannel to protect it. "I will start back at the beginning, so Maisy can follow along," mother said.

About that time I heard stomping on the back porch and knew that my daddy and my husband were coming into the house, knocking what snow they could off of their boots. I got up to help them remove their coats and fix them both a cup of coffee. My daddy liked his black while Bobby always had a small bit of cream in his. "Looks like there is a small break in the weather," daddy said, "So me and Bobby is going to do us a little hunting. See if we can find a uh, uh." "Turkey" Delila and Lessie yelled, smiling at each other. "Oh, yeah" Frank said, with a wink at Maisy, "I can't seem to remember what that bird is called." "Don't wrinkle your forehead and frown like that little girl," my daddy said. "We ain't going far, we still got about 4 hours of daylight left and there is a break in the snow." I turned to Bobby, "He's right, Maisy," Bobby said. "Besides, who wants to eat deer meat for Thanksgiving, we can have it any old time," he said as he pulled her into a hug. "Well," I said, "let me fix both of you something to eat right quick and some sandwiches to take with you," as I pulled away and turned toward the pantry. Daddy went to sit by the fire and Bobby helped me fix the small meal. "Get out 2 quarts of that vegetable soup and a jar of blackberry jam. I guess that bread I made yesterday will taste just fine browned with some soup. I'm sure granny, momma and the girls are hungry and we will all eat together before you go," and started putting pots and pans on the stove. "Sisters, why don't you come and get some plates to set the table, it won't take long for this to heat up." Lessie and Delila jumped up to help, glad to have an excuse to stop their studying. Frank whispered to Sarah Jean, "Looks like our little one can take charge in her own home. See you had nothing to worry about," he said and he pulled his wife closer to the fire. Granny just smiled as she wound the spun wool into small balls for knitting.

While Bobby and daddy were getting their coats and heavy gloves on, I packed their lunch into a small pouch for them to carry. "Which direction are you going," I asked, with a hint of worry in the tone. "Well," Bobby said, "We're going to head up Mountain Top for about 2 miles and then cut back through Cold Creek branch and work our way back here, in a circle." Frank leaned over to kiss his wife good-bye as I walked Bobby to the door. "The horses are rested," he said, "and probably ready for a stretch after being put up into the barn for two days. We put your daddy's horse in to the barn to keep and we'll take ours on the trip, that way his can rest until we get back. I reckon we'll be back just before sundown if we can get started," Bobby said. Frank opened the front door and said to Bobby, "We had better git, if we are going to get us a, uh, now what was that bird called?" he asked. "A TURKEY" everyone in the room yelled and grinned at each other. "That's right," my daddy said with a grin as he pulled the collar of his coat up and started out the door. Bobby kissed me on the lips and followed after Frank. I shut the door behind them to keep out the cold and watched them both until they went out of sight. I sighed and walked back to the kitchen to see if there was anything I could do to keep busy.