Hangin' with the Hoods: What A Little Girl Told Me Last Night...And What I...

Hangin' with the Hoods: What A Little Girl Told Me Last Night...And What I...: I am very lucky. Every weekend I get to go and do something I absolutely love: SING! And to be compensated for that is awesome! Heck, mos...

First Snow

First Snow

By

Richard Stephens

Old man winter sure came in with a fury last night, and weren’t we all some glad to be put away in our stalls with fresh hay. All warm and protected from the cold wind’s bite. Why, even that young whippersnapper, Scamper, who don’t have the sense of a June bug, somehow sensed the impendin’ storm, and trotted right into his stall for a change.

Now personally, I don’t mind the snow so much, even after all these years, but I could darn sure live without all that cold wind blowin’ down on me. Why even with my winter coat, it just seems to blow right through these tired old bones. But as for the snow? No sir, that I don’t mind so much. Just as long as Amy, that’s Molly, the stable owner’s daughter, keeps it from building up under my hooves.

As for Molly, she’s the big boss around here, well, like me, she musta known something was comin’, cause she had everyone rushing around all afternoon, tryin’ to get things all buttoned up. After feeding an’ making sure we was all secure, she and Amy high tailed it into their cozy little house across the way.

It was pretty early the next morning when I heard the sound of Molly’s ol’ boots, echoing down the barn isle, stoppin’ at each stall to check on us, just like she had all last night. Fortunately, a frosty sunshine reflected brightly through the barn windows, and I couldn’t wait to get out and romp through the fresh white blanket of snow that I knew now covered our pasture.

To me, it kinda sounded like Jet, the little black colt in the stall next to me with his mama, Jasmine, musta been feelin’ the same way. Why, he’d been bouncing and kicking like he’d been tied up for a year. You see, this’ll be the first time Jet gets to see snow, and me and all the other horses in the stable were all anxious to watch his reaction.

I remember being a spry young colt myself, and seeing my first snow, but that was nearly twenty-three years ago. On that occasion, we didn’t get a big storm like we did last night. No sir. You see, the way I recall it, it was more of a long drawn out affair. Lasted nearly three days, but as you know, to a young colt cooped up inside, it sure felt like a lifetime. You think Jet was anxious, you should have seen me, darn near kicked the barn wall through. Why my mama was havin’ fits tryin’ to keep me from hurtin’ myself. So you see, I can understand how frisky young Jet was feelin’.

Now by the time Molly and Amy had poured out our morning grain, the atmosphere in the barn was becoming mighty electric. Why I believe each and every one of us, young and old was up and rearin’ to get out and play in the new fallin’ snow, just like little Jet was.

Molly must have been feelin’ it too, cause she didn’t waste no time getting’ us all walked out of the barn an out to the snow covered pasture, startin’ with me. There I was with my head held high, prancing like a young buck out through the wide-open barn door next to Amy, and smack dab into an incredible white winter wonderland. Yah know, I guess sometimes it ain’t so bad, bein’ the old man of the barn.

Following right out after me in my newly laid hoof tracks, came Molly, leadin’ a grumbling Old Red, out to join me in our pasture. Ours is the one nearest the barn. Now Old Red, he’s a retired rental horse that Molly rescued a few years back and is nearly as old as I am, an’ considerably more ornery.  It seems no matter how hard we all try to make something special, like this first snow fall, he always has something nasty to say about it.

Well, before long, just about all the other members of our menagerie had been led out of the barn, and let loose, to enjoy our new white world, and every one of them was runnin’ back and forth in their pastures, or rolling around, leavin’ big butterfly silhouettes in the clean white snow. Why even Old Red, got down and gave his shaggy rust colored coat a good roll, before wanderin’ over to join me, an’ bellyache about anything and everything.

Finally, Molly and Amy was ready to bring little Jet, an’ his Mama, Jasmine, outdoors to join the rest of us, and we all promptly sided up to the nearest fence post to watch the pending show. You know, it weren’t too long before we could see their shadows at the barn’s door, Amy leading the little black colt, an’ Molly right behind her with his mama, Jasmine.

At first, Jet was prancing around, tugging at Amy with his lead, and testing her resolve like most young-un’s tend to do at that age, that is until he got a good look outside. Suddenly it dawned on him; his world had change, and changed big time, and without any warning mind you. With his skinny legs and bony knees splayed out in alarm, he brought Amy up to a stop at the door.

Standing there frozen in place, a mere inches from the snowy scene spread out before him, Jet snorted in utter disbelief. Why overnight, just like I remember happenin’ to me all those years ago, the world as he had known it was gone, and had been replaced with a gazillion white crystals, all sparklin’ back at him from the morning sun. While Amy carefully guided the bewildered black colt out the protective walls of the barn and into the new and mysterious white world, Jasmine, his mama, gentle nosed him from behind.

We all watched with great amusement, as Jet finally tipped toed out the barn door, and onto the soft snow, his shiny black coat contrastin’ against the pure white background like a shadow-box cutout I’d once seen. Yes sir, for the rest of the mornin’ I stood at that fence post, just watchin’ that young colt, jumpin an’ runnin’ around his Mama, and enjoin’ his new surroundin’s. As I did, I was reminded fondly of another little black colt, twenty three years ago, and the spectacle of my first snow.

The end

www.richardstephens.me 

Pirate Tales to be featured on The Fussy Librarian

    My book is being featured Tuesday at The Fussy Librarian, a new website that offers personalized ebook recommendations. You choose from 40 genres and indicate preferences about content and then the computers work their magic. It's pretty cool -- check it out!

 www.TheFussyLibrarian.com

Set Sail with Salty in his 3rd Cozy Mystery~

Obsession Tales

 

Obsession Tales is an amusing story filled with, Romance, Mystery, and Salty's unique and entertaining view of life.

All Stormy McGuire wants in life is to get married to the love of his life and live happily ever after.

Believing she has closed the book on ex-fiancée – a bad boy named Antonio Rivas – Monica Sanchez is ready to begin a new chapter with Stormy.

It seems Antonio has written his own ending for the happy couple.

Download your copy today!

Help Salty Tails give back on Cyber Monday

Salty Tails will donate 100% of all Cyber Monday book sale profits to the ASCPA

Spread the word with Thunderclap 

  I was born a poor kitty, abandoned on the mean streets of Los Angeles in the summer of 2007. I was far to young to remember the exact date. My two brothers, thee sisters, and I were found in an old cardboard box and dropped off at a local rescue shelter. It was there that I was adopted by my good friend and meal provider, Stormy McGuire. We live together, along with a new family, and a couple of dogs, on boat in Marina del Rey.
   In 2011, (With some help from Richard Stephens) I began writing the tales of my life on the water with Stormy. Talk about drama, it's like living in my own private soap-opera. Since then I have published two Novels, with a third to be released later this month.
   Please help me in supporting the many fine facilities that open their doors and hearts to millions of homeless animals like I was.
Visit me @ http://www.richardstephens.me/salty-tails.html

Notice: No animals were harmed during the making of this post

Richard Stephens

Vanished Tales ~ A Salty Tails Cozy Mystery

 Fishing with the boys

When I awoke the next morning, the sun just was poking its round orange head up over the mainland. The rest of the crew was still snoring away, recovering from a really good time at the Two Harbors bar last night. I was hungry as usual and decided to look for breakfast. Being a natural hunter-gatherer, I fell upon this task with gusto, and was quickly rewarded with a small pile of discarded bait that had been missed in the boys rush to get off the boat and to the bar last night. I preferred fresh, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

“Ewwww, Salty! What are you eating?” Stormy asked, as his bare feet marched across the deck.

Is this a trick question? I meowed.

“That’s disgusting! Couldn’t you have waited for breakfast?”

Apparently not, I responded between bites. He stomped over and quickly threw what was left of my prize overboard. I guarantee that’s going to cost you, I howled. Maybe not this minute, but you will pay.

“Just relax, you big baby, and I’ll cut up some fish for you, and if you’re quiet, I might even add a couple of squid to it.”

All right but make it quick. I growled. You know how I get when I’m hungry. He knows I can’t be held responsible for my actions when I’m in this famished condition.

By the time we'd fished our way back to the marina, the sun was low enough for the dry, windswept Santa Monica Mountains, to cast long shadows over the city. Doc, our fearless leader, declared the fishing trip a huge success and I had been commended for my self-control on the calamari issue. Stormy chose to forget our earlier incident, which is just as well, since it didn't sit well with me either. If you know what I mean.

Chuck joked that, "Cats will eat anything; they just can't keep it down.”

That's feline profiling and I resent the implication, I howled in protest. I can too keep things down. Well, at least most things.

E-book only 0.99 through Nov. 3rd. 

Vanished Tales on Amazon

Brandon And The Red Backpack

A note to parents:

When I sat down to write the first Brandon Tale, I imagined myself sitting with my granddaughter on my lap as I read this book to her.

I encourage each of you to slow down…

Take the time to read a book to a child.

 

Available in print and e-book on #Amazon

Cover reveal for my next book~ Obsession Tales. Due out in November 1st.

Cover reveal for my next book~ Obsession Tales. Due out in November 1st.