Are You Warm Yet?

Well, even though I avoided snow this last cold snap - all the photos remind me of growing up in NY.  Back when I was a little girl we had a LOT of snow OFTEN. Not just a few inches, I remember the snow being almost as tall as I was!  There are so many photos through the years before and after I was born of family and friends standing on the sidewalk with three feet of snow on either side of them - and most of the time, it wasn't just a mound from shoveling, it was everywhere!  By the time I was a teen in the 70s, we got a lot less snow but still enough for me to escape to the South lol. 

So, while my daughter was experiencing snow in Houston, I was working in Florida wondering who swiped Mother Nature's meds.  Almost the entire time I was there, the weather was in the thirties and raining to boot!  Not my favorite weather. But I was smart enough to have brought long pants, closed shoes, and a jacket - so there is that. 

I've been doing my best to keep working on Sweet Surprise.  This one is a bit more challenging that Sweet Beginnings, but I'm hoping you like what I do with it. 

Since my mom with alzheimer's is staying with me unexpectedly for a few days while she adapts to her new hearing aids, there's not much time for writing or story telling, so here's a small snippet from Sweet Surprise: 

      As much as he hated to admit it, he’d taken to eating lunch at the café every day this week. The stress of not finding a willing female to help save the ranch was making it harder and harder to look his siblings—and mother—in the eyes.  He had no idea why, but he felt as the second born it was his responsibility to move forward, more than garret or the girls.
      Of course Kade, would be the most logical as the oldest, but away serving his country meant passing the baton to Carson.  Removing his hat, he hung it on a hook by the booth and slid in. No standing on ceremony at the café. If there was an open table, the locals took it.
       Agnes walked past him. “Be back in just a moment.”
      Nodding, he glanced up at the recent addition of a blackboard with chalk specials on it. For years the menu had never changed, but for some reason, Agnes decided it was time for a little variety. Glancing at the booth in front of him, he noticed a little boy sitting by himself.  Studying the child, he didn’t recognize the face. Honeysuckle wasn’t so small that he knew ever single resident, but it was small enough that he knew most. Often he could figure out who the parents were just by looking at the offspring’s face. There were usually only two choices, looks like their mother or father. Every once in a while a grandparent made the connection, but this time he was stumped.
      Lifting his gaze from his artwork, the little boy smiled at him. No fear of strangers. Carson supposed in a small town like this that was a good thing. A moment later the boy looked up again, this time not fully raising his head, just glancing Carson’s way through thick lashes. The kid had the most startling green eyes. Not since, well, not for a long time had he seen eyes quite so green.
     Wondering what was taking his parents so long to return to the table, Carson slid out from the booth and taking a few steps, slid into the empty seat in front of the boy. “Mind if I join you?” 
And on that note - I'm off to play daughter!