{"id":1840,"date":"2017-12-01T08:51:09","date_gmt":"2017-12-01T13:51:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vg-ford.com\/?p=1840"},"modified":"2017-12-01T08:51:09","modified_gmt":"2017-12-01T13:51:09","slug":"advent-december-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vg-ford.com\/?p=1840","title":{"rendered":"(advent) December 1"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It’s December 1, and you guys know what that means! A new Advent story! Enjoy! – Val<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What do you think this year will bring?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Molly McIntyre admitted, stirring a cup of walnut pieces in to the cranberry bread batter in her bowl. Her kitchen at CrossWinds Books was warm and bright, fragrant with the scent of hot tea and hot apple cider. Schrodinger, the CrossCat who lived with her, was perched on his customary stool, a large cappuccino mug full of Earl Grey tea steaming in front of him. \u201cIt will be fun, though,\u201d she continued, considering the bowl thoughtfully. \u201cIt\u2019s always fun, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Especially since both Zoey and Gideon are here,<\/em> the CrossCat agreed, his emerald eyes bright. I wonder if the Snow Queen will send us something.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em>\u201cI doubt it,\u201d Molly said, putting a large pinch of orange zest into the batter. \u201cShe and Jack are super busy this year with the Ball. Rumor has it that she\u2019s hosting a large delegation of dignitaries this season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dignitaries?<\/em> Schrodinger\u2019s large tufted ears perked up. From where?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em>\u201cAll over the Realms,\u201d Molly said. \u201cThere\u2019s something big going on, from what Pavel was saying the other night after you went to sleep. Someone is trying to get a big treaty signed, but there\u2019s a lot of moving parts, and Jade is trying to bring all the sides together. She asked me to cater a dinner the week before the Ball, so that she can convince some of them who are on the fence to sign.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wow.<\/em> Schrodinger looked impressed. What are you doing?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em>\u201cI\u2019m not sure yet. Jade is coming over next week to plan with me. She\u2019ll know by then who exactly will be there, and what allergies, etc, I need to worry about. Then I\u2019ll be able to do a feast.\u201d Molly finished with the batter and frowned at the bowl. \u201cWhat do you think, Schrodinger? Should I do tea breads, or muffins? I\u2019m indecisive.\u201d<\/p>\n

The CrossCat drank his tea while he considered the question. If you do tea breads, you can use them in sandwiches,<\/em> he pointed out. But muffins are good too. It\u2019s too bad you can\u2019t make cranberry-walnut rolls. That would be perfect.<\/em><\/p>\n

Molly\u2019s hazel eyes went misty. \u201cIt would be, wouldn\u2019t it?\u201d she said, setting the bowl down and going to into her pantry.<\/p>\n

But how would they keep their shape?<\/em> Schrodinger asked her.<\/p>\n

She came back out with several large pans that she\u2019d almost forgotten she owned. \u201cWith these.\u201d<\/p>\n

What are they?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMini bun pans,\u201d Molly said, reaching for the spray grease she used on all her pans. \u201cI bought them on a whim a year ago, but then I decided bread was easier to make than buns. But now I\u2019m glad I did!\u201d<\/p>\n

The batter went into the greased pans and then into her oven. \u201cWe\u2019ll see how these come out,\u201d Molly said, picking up her mug of tea and taking a sip. Her cup was full of the fragrant Christmas blend that she preferred, redolent with cinnamon, cloves, almond, and orange. \u201cYou might be on to something here, Schrodinger.\u201d<\/p>\n

She glanced at the clock. \u201cAnd your compatriots will be here in time to taste them with you. Why don\u2019t you go out and make sure everything\u2019s set for them?\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m done with my tea, so I will!<\/em> Schrodinger hopped down and headed out into the warm tea room, which was almost empty.<\/p>\n

Molly watched him go with a fond smile. Schrodinger adored her two nieces and their best friends as much as he adored her and Drew. It was customary for CrossCats to go on a voyage of discovery when they became adults, but Schrodinger had only made it as far as Carter\u2019s Cove, on the coast of Maine, before deciding to settle down. That had been six years ago.<\/p>\n

And what a six years it\u2019s been,<\/em> Molly thought, looking around at the bright kitchen. The room itself hadn\u2019t changed, but she had: from a single young woman unsure about her future to happily married, with a farm and part of a larger family than she\u2019d expected. Complete with a faery grandmother, who was due to spend the last week of Christmas with them. She hadn\u2019t told Schrodinger that yet. He would be over the moon. He loved it when Phoebe came.<\/p>\n

The scent of warming cranberries, laced with sugar and the tang of orange, reached her nose, drawing her out of the past and back to the present.<\/p>\n

<><><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Out in the tea room, Schrodinger had paused to look around to see who was still there. DC, the senior clerk at CrossWinds Books, was at the counter at the front of the store, busy pricing a small display of homemade bookmarks for stocking stuffers. Over her shoulder, he could see the snowflakes falling outside: a white curtain of soft cotton that blurred everything into mist.<\/p>\n

In the tea room, there were six tables, but only one was occupied, by Stephen and Lucille Dorr. They came in every day for afternoon tea: Stephen would read aloud to Lucille as she knit, and they would both enjoy a plate of whatever Molly happened to be baking that day. Today, it was apple cinnamon bread, spread with butter and a warm fig jam. A pot of herbal tea was set in between them.<\/p>\n

Are you all set?<\/em> Schrodinger asked politely, as he came up to their table. I can ask Molly for more tea, if you need.<\/em><\/p>\n

Lucille smiled at him, her needles flashing in the light. \u201cNo, we\u2019re fine, thank you, Schrodinger. How are you doing today?\u201d<\/p>\n

Good! Excited because it\u2019s finally Christmas!<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMe too,\u201d Stephen said, grinning. \u201cI\u2019m hoping for both my sons to be home this year for Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bob too?<\/em> Schrodinger\u2019s ears perked up again. They were easily his most expressive feature, although his tail was a close second. We haven\u2019t met Bob yet!<\/em><\/p>\n

Lucille and Stephen\u2019s son Jeff worked at one of the hotels in Portland, keeping the books for them. But their other son Bob lived further away, and was an artist. He didn\u2019t travel much, so Schrodinger had only heard about him, and seen pictures of the exquisite work he did.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll see,\u201d Lucille said. \u201cBut we hope so.\u201d She paused her knitting for a moment to sip her tea. \u201cWhat about you? Are you doing another Advent adventure?\u201d<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know,<\/em> Schrodinger admitted. Molly wouldn\u2019t say if she knew, but the Snow Queen has been very busy, so maybe not.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe you\u2019ll just have to make the adventure yourself,\u201d Stephen said. \u201cSometimes, that can be more fun than having it delivered to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schrodinger considered that as he curled up in one of the cat beds next to the woodstove that gave the room a warm, inviting glow. For the last couple of years, the Snow Queen and Old Man Winter, the spirits that lived in a nearby Realm, had given them a magical item that counted down the days to Christmas. It had made them new friends, and helped them explore the Cove that was his home now. But perhaps this year would be different. He put his chin on his front paws and watched the front door for his friends to get out of school.<\/p>\n

About ten minutes later, the door burst open, and they came tumbling in, shedding snowflakes and laughter in equal measure. Lily and Kaylee Barrett were sisters, and you could see it in their faces: Lily, the elder, with her long hair pulled back in neat braids; Kaylee\u2019s short blonde hair tousled around her glowing cheeks. Their dog Jack, who was Schrodinger\u2019s best friend, came in behind them and went for his bed.<\/p>\n

Getting old,<\/em> he said ruefully, sinking down and stretching his paws towards the wood stove. My joints ache.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And they run a lot,<\/em> Schrodinger agreed.<\/p>\n

That was all he got to say, as Aurora, the young Husky that belonged to Zoey Allard, jumped in next to him and snuggled up. It\u2019s snowing!<\/em> She said excitedly. And it\u2019s so lovely out!<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Agreed!<\/em> Schrodinger said, giving her some room.<\/p>\n

Zoey, with a single dark braid that went down to the middle of her back, shed her backpack with a sigh. \u201cIt\u2019s cold out,\u201d she said, her dark eyes sparkling. \u201cI wonder if that means that Old Man Winter is coming to see us!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt could be, but maybe not,\u201d Gideon Gable, the final member of the group, said doubtfully. \u201cIt\u2019s time for it to snow anyways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kaylee shook her head. \u201cI think Gideon\u2019s right. I don\u2019t feel like I do when Old Man Winter comes around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Molly said they were very busy this year,<\/em> Schrodinger said, as they all settled down. Kaylee and Gideon snuggled down in the pet beds and pulled out books, since they didn\u2019t have any homework. Zoey and Lily weren\u2019t so lucky, so they sat at the nearby table. We might not get anything this year.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, we\u2019ve been lucky so far,\u201d Lily said. \u201cThey might need a year off too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephen\u2019s words came back to Schrodinger then. What if we made our own adventure?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em>They all stopped and looked at him. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Gideon said finally.<\/p>\n

Well, think about it,<\/em> Schrodinger said. What did the Advent calendar and the castle do for us?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em>\u201cGave us stuff to do,\u201d Lily said. \u201cWe followed the magical snowflake from the calendar.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the castle showed us rooms that gave us another thing to do,\u201d Kaylee added.<\/p>\n

All things that we can do,<\/em> Jack said. We could do our own calendar and explore the Cove!<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Yes! <\/em>Aurora agreed, thumping her tail. And think of how much fun we could have!<\/em><\/p>\n

Lily and Zoey looked at each other. \u201cAnd we could help people,\u201d Zoey said softly. \u201cThat was the point of the Advent calendar, remember? To help us remember the point of the season.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a lot of things we can do,\u201d Lily agreed. \u201cHelping Father Christopher.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing to the vet\u2019s and helping with the animals,\u201d Zoey said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSinging at the retirement home, and helping them decorate!\u201d Kaylee said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHelping Molly with the bake sale!\u201d Gideon added.<\/p>\n

They all looked at each other, and then Lily pulled out a clean sheet of paper. \u201cLet\u2019s brainstorm,\u201d she said. \u201cThen we can present Molly and our parents with a plan. They can\u2019t really argue with us if we have a coherent schedule. And this way, we know what we want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

<><><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The room was too quiet, Molly realized, when she stuck her head out into the tea room an hour later. To her surprise, the kids were all there, huddled together, murmuring among themselves. She\u2019d brought out cider and cookies before, but they hadn\u2019t come asking for refills. Now she wondered what they were up to.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you guys okay?\u201d she said. Lucille and Stephen had gone home, and DC wasn\u2019t around either. The entire tea room was still.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Lily assured her, looking up and grinning. \u201cWe\u2019re making up our plans for December.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour plans, huh? Would you like some more cider or cookies while you plan?\u201d Molly said.<\/p>\n

They looked at each other, and, to her surprise, shook their heads. \u201cNot right now, thank you,\u201d Kaylee said politely.<\/p>\n

Molly retreated to her kitchen, wondering what they were up to. And if she really wanted to know.<\/p>\n

<><><\/p>\n

I wonder what this year will bring!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s December 1, and you guys know what that means! A new Advent story! Enjoy! – Val   What do you think this year will bring? \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Molly McIntyre admitted, stirring a cup of walnut pieces in to the cranberry bread batter in her bowl. Her kitchen at CrossWinds Books was warm and …<\/p>\n

>>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[61],"class_list":["post-1840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-advent","tag-advent"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vg-ford.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1840"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vg-ford.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vg-ford.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vg-ford.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vg-ford.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1840"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vg-ford.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1840\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1841,"href":"https:\/\/vg-ford.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1840\/revisions\/1841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vg-ford.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vg-ford.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vg-ford.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}