Dowry

A farmer was sitting on his font porch in the evening air it had been a long day so he was smoking on a cheap cigar and sipping on some good bourbon when his new son in law walked out on the porch to join him, he sat down and lit one the cigars. "Bill it sure was a hot day today, only fitting it would be a cool night." The farmer who actually liked his new son in law nodded his head agreeing, "Yeah but it's going to be hotter tomorrow but we've got more to do than today." The son in law was hoping for a day that they all could relax but he wasn't going to shirk from any work the farmer could throw at him, "Yep hey I was wanting to ask you about that horse are you seriously going to keep her and her foal." Bill was wondering when this was going to come up but he gave his best I know better than you smile and said. "Tommy your too young to remember that horses line but I sure do, that horses sire was just as ugly as she was and from what I understand that horse come from the worst looking horse line you could imagine but I'm gonna hold on to her and that foal." Tommy had to ask "Why is that Bill, what is so special about that horse and it's line?" Bill knew he wouldn't get away from it. "Well when my great-great-great grandpa settle this land over a hundred and seventy years ago but there was another already on this land, the creek Indians, there was a great battle between the settlers and the Indians the chief was killed in that battle and so the Indians left. Now when my grandpa came out the next day on his land where the battle was fought he found a wounded Creek brave who was past out for lack of blood and treatment at first sight he thought about killing the Indian but that would go against his Christian beliefs so he took the Creek brave up to his cabin and nursed him back to health. At first the Creek brave didn't trust him at all, tried to kill as a matter of fact, but after a few day's of the food and bandages grandpa went out to work his fields and came back and the brave was gone. Grandpa thought he had seen the last of the brave but after a few months the brave came back to the cabin just
passing through to go west he had with him his sister, the sister was a good cook and although he didn't understand what they said he felt that the visit was very
pleasant, the brave took my grandpa outside and pointed at his sister and pointed at the horse. My grandpa understood what he was asking of him, at first grandpa didn't want to do it but knowing that the likelihood that he could find a bride in the settlement was slim and knowing that more than likely she would be killed if he didn't take her as a bride he excepted the dowry and the bride. So that horse you see in the fields is from the blood lines of that horse that was meant for a dowry. Every generation has it's story you and my daughter have yours I have mine from Vietnam, and my father with WW two, but the point is my grandfather had his story and sometimes the story still lives in blood in whether it is in human blood or animal blood, or the blood that yells from the ground." Tommy sat there for a moment and called out to his wife, "Sarah can you come here a minute please and you may want to bring you mom." Sarah and her mother came out Tommy looked up at her and said "Sweetie, I want them to know so please we've held out as long as we dare." Sarah agreed and finally said, "Well Mom, Dad, I'm pregnant." Bill stood up and
yelled for joy where her mother teared up and hugged her daughter, they sat there there the rest of the night talking and telling more stories and Bill and Tommy was
sufficiently drunk by the time they went to their respective beds. The Next morning Tommy woke up surprisingly early walked out to the barn and saw the horse and her
foal, the foal was getting it's breakfast while the mother was getting hers, "Well girl I know some of your story if Bill leaves his daughter the land I'll be sure that your line won't end it's a promise."

Dowery

Dowery

A middle aged farmer was sitting on his font porch in the evening air it had been a long day so he was smoking on a cheap cigar and sipping on some good bourbon

when his new son in law walked out on the porch to join him, he sat down and lit one the cigars. "Bill it sure was a hot day today, only fitting it would be a cool night."

The farmer who actually liked his new son in law nodded his head in agreeance, "Yeah but it's going to be hotter tomarrow but we've got more to do than today." The

son in law was hoping for a day that they all could relax but he wasn't going to sherk from any work the farmer could throw at him, "Yep hey I was wanting to ask you

about that horse are you seriously going to keep her and her foal." Bill was wondering when this was going to come up but he gave his best I know better than you

smile and said. "Tommy your too young to remember that horses line but I sure do, that horses sire was just as ugly as she was and from what I understand that horse

come from the worst looking horse line you could imagin but I'm gonna hold on to her and that foal." Tommy had to ask "Why is that Bill, what is so speacial about that

horse and it's line?" Bill knew he wouldn't get away from it. "Well when my great-great-great grandpa settle this land over a hundred and seventy years ago but there

was another already on this land, the creek Indians, there was a great battle between the settlers and the Indians the cheif was killed in that battle and so the Indians

left. Now when my grandpa came out the next day on his land where the battle was fought he found a wounded Creek brave who was past out for lack of blood and

treatment at first sight he thought about killing the Indian but that would go against his Christain belifes so he took the Creek brave up to his cabin and nursed him

back to health. At first the Creek brave didn't trust him at all, tried to kill as a matter of fact, but after a few day's of the food and bandages grandpa went out to work his

feilds and came back and the brave was gone. Grandpa thought he had seen the last of the brave but after a few months the brave came back to the cabin just

passing through to go west he had with him his sister, the sister was a good cook and although he didn't understand what they said he felt that the visit was very

pleasant, the brave took my grandpa outside and pointed at his sister and pointed at the horse. My grandpa understood what he was asking of him, at first grandpa

didn't want to do it but knowing that the liklyhood that he could find a bride in the settlment was slim and knowing that more than likly she would be killed if he didn't take her as a bride he excepted the dowery and the bride. So that horse you see in the feilds is from the blood lines of that horse that was meant for a dowery. Every generation has it's story you and my daughter have yours I have mine from Vietnam, and my father with WW two, but the point is my grandfather had his story and
sometimes the story still lives in blood in whether it is in human blood or animal blood, or the blood that yells from the ground." Tommy sat there for a moment and
called out at his wife, "Sarah can you come here a minute please and you may want to bring you mom." Sarah and her mother came out Tommy looked up at her and said "Sweety, I want them to know so please we've held out as long as we dare." Sarah agreed and finally said, "Well Mom, Dad, I'm pregnant." Bill stood up and yelled for joy where her mother teared up and hugged her daughter, they sat there there the rest of the night talking and telling more stories and Bill and Tommy was
suffciently drunk by the time they went to thier respective beds. The Next morning Tommy woke up surprisingly early walked out to the barn and saw the horse and her foal, the foal was getting it's breakfast while the mother was getting hers, "Well girl I know some of your story if Bill leaves his daughter the land I'll be sure that your line won't end it's a promise."

Something Blue, Something New, Something, Something...

A young woman was getting ready for the most important day of her life, she was fulfilling her dream of becoming the bride she wanted to be to the man that held her heart; she had the something new, and something blue but she didn't have something borrowed and she was getting worried about it because she wanted this day to be all it could be. She didn't want to wear more than one necklace and wearing another ring would be tacky, the ear rings was a gift from her grandmother and she wouldn't dare take them off, so what could she wear, what would she do; she was getting really nervous when her mother came in and told her. "Carissa, sweety we still have time let's go back home and see if we can't find something that I can loan you for the ceremony." So she and her mother got into her car and they drove back to her mothers house where they searched and searched and didn't see anything that would go with her dress, Carissa was getting very discouraged until she looked out the kitchen window and saw a beautiful flower that had grown it wasn't fully bloomed and it was pointed in a downward direction but it looked like it was blushing like a bride on her wedding night. "Mom what do you think?" Her mother knew it wouldn't be something borrowed unless she said the words so she replied "Say the word baby." Carissa almost cried "Mom can I borrow your flower to walk down the aisle." The mother smiled "Yes of course you can." The mother cut the flower and they drove back to the church and they placed the flower into the bouquet of white lilies. "Thank you Mom, I love you so much." She said as they were getting ready to go out, "I love you too, remember you have to give the flower back to me." Carissa smiled and said "I know Mom you'll get it." The ceremony went well and the reception turned out to be a great party before the night came, when it came time for the bride to throw her bouquet she took the flower out and gave it back to her mother. "Thanks Mom." She said as she turned and ran like she had done so many times as a child, and she threw the bouquet just as tradition says she should. Before too long the bride and groom were gone to their honeymoon, and the mother went home with her flower, she went to the kitchen and got a bottle of champagne and two glasses she walked back to the bedroom sat down on her bed popped the cork out of the bottle and got an old photo out. The old photo was of a soldier in a uniform. "Honey I knew you would be there today in some way, well do you remember the flower plant that you got from your Dad, it came in good use to your daughter today, I love you honey."

The Bonfire

A young man woke up early in the morning ready for the evening to get here but first he knew there would be a lot of work to do before the party started, so he got up and put on some work pants and a shirt with holes in it didn't matter he would be working most of the day. He found his work boots ate a few biscuits for breakfast and off he went, "First things first I have to dig a pit a foot deep and six feet wide should do right", he said as he set himself to work. When he was done with that he took a saw and a wheel barrel and went to the next door neighbors where had permission to get some wood from a tree that was blown over from the storm just last week just then he heard a car door slam, "Matt, good to see you buddy, your here a little early I didn't expect you until tonight." The young man walked over to his friend and said "Yeah well I thought you needed some help today getting things ready so I came on over, I see you've got the pit dug out already Josh." Josh and Matt worked on the wood and carried at least ten wheel barrels of wood from the tree that fell but it was all wet wood but what they needed to get the fire started was dried wood so they went to a small wooded area just behind Josh's home with gloves they went in and drug out an small dead tree that had fallen. Now the only thing they needed was food and beer, so they jumped in Matt's car and off they went it was going to be a big party so they got the essentials soda's, hot dogs, and all the trimmings, next was the beer they would need at least two cases of each kind they liked it was going to be a big party so no need to go light. They went back the Josh's place and put the beer on ice and mowed the lawn when they were done with that they started moving in the chairs and benches they would need, "Josh how many of these are we going to need?" Josh had to think about it for a minute "I think that about eighteen seats should do it." They paused for an hour and a half to get a small lunch but mainly talked while they ate, then right back to work they went, next they would get the beer drinking games ready all the old standbys were the source of entertainment beer pong, quarters, and many more. Then the sound system went in with two speakers and a DJ table set up with all the equipment needed, "So who do you have as a D.J. tonight?" Josh smiled "Jimmy is gonna do that you know his stage name is Jimmy J. Slide?" Matt laughed "Well if that's what he wants." When the clock said Josh said to Matt "Well man it's six I think I'm gonna go inside catch a small nap and then get ready for the party." To which Matt said, "Yeah I was gonna do the same thing man I'll see you in two hours." Josh went inside laid down closed his eyes and drifted off to the party, "Girls dancing and Jimmy on the sound equipment, Matt killing at beer pong, and himself just enjoying the party talking to friends. Jimmy woke up fifteen minutes early it was the phone that woke him up, "Hey Josh it's Jimmy, hey man I'm not gonna make it tonight my girl just went into labor dude, so I'm gonna have to holla at you later." Josh was kinda hurt but he could run the sound system and told Jimmy, "It's cool dude get to the hospital congratulations man". When he hung up the phone he was gonna start to get a shower when the phone rang again it was someone else that was canceling, that seemed to go on for at least an hour to Jimmy when at last there would be only six people to show up. Josh went ahead and got his shower and shave came back into the living room and found he had a message from another two people that was canceling, that would leave just him Matt and two girls that Matt was bringing to the party and one of them was his girlfriend. Josh finished dressing, went outside and went ahead and put some of the dead wood down to burn that night anyways when Matt showed up Josh got another surprise, "Matt where are the girls, man?" Matt was uncomfortable and Josh knew what had happened, "Well man it's like this see, I just broke up with her and the other girl wasn't coming because Jimmy had double booked and he's playing another party tonight so all the people who was coming here just went to that party" Josh was crushed but it didn't matter none of them had worked all day with him to pull this off so he and Matt were going to be drinking together tonight again, "You know what Matt let's not worry about it" Josh handed a book of matches to Matt "wanna do the honors?" Matt didn't say anything just took a match out and struck it and threw it on and fire was on. Later that night Josh and Matt was watching the fire burn down slowly when Matt looked over at Josh and said "Happy Birthday Josh". Josh raised his beer bottle and said "Best friend doesn't come to the word you are, your more like a brother." The last thing Josh remembers after that was the red and black ash that the fire was burning.

Young Boy In The Woods

A young boy had moved with his parents from the city to the country and didn't know if you would like living here because there wasn't any malls or arcaids but mainly he had to leave all his friends and learning how to live here wasn't going to be simple. He had an open mind about it all though and he knew if he could find one thing that he could enjoy doing here he would be fine so when they arrived and was settled in he got up the next morning and went outside, looked around and began walking around his house. He saw the highway that ran past his home he saw an open field but what got his attention was the forest area that sat behind his home so he went back inside packed up some sandwhiches in his backpack and found his mother and said. "Mom I'm going for a walk" the mother knew he was having a hard time adjusting simply said "Okay Billy but don't go too far." The boy stepped out of the house and began letting his feet carry him, he was in the woods and was exploring for himself all the places that the forest held in store, he looked around more than once to enjoy it's splendor, lost his breath a few times when a squirrell jumped off a branch and was taken by surprise by a few quail that was hiding in the brush. Billy was so taken with the forest he forgot to look behind himself a few times to see how far he had come but when he heard the highway in the other direction he knew he could find his way home but he hated to, but seeing how he had exhausted his supply of sandwhiches and his pants was wet from the rain they had night before he turned back and walked back hom. Billy learned a great deal in these woods as he grew he learned to sneak up on animales he learned to know the signs of animals and the certain kinds of breezes that meant rain, or snow. He learned to hunt and fish the stream that came through the property, but mostly he learned to love and respect nature in a way that outdoorsman and conservationalist hunters do, there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for nature now that he had it deep within his heart.

The Old Farmer

A farmer was out in his field surveying the damage to the crops, it had been a long dry summer near a drought and the heat felt like it was baking him and the plants on which his livelihood was based on. "One more season like this and I'll be ruined." He grumbled to himself, as he picked up a handful of soil and let it fall through his hands. He had never been a praying man but he sure felt like doing it now but he wouldn't do it, his wife had past only the year previous and he had given up on God when she past on, his pride wouldn't let him ask God for the slightest thing. He walked back to his house sat down at his dinner table and started drinking another cup of coffee, the table was strewn with overdue papers from creditors and the bank, he had held off the wolves at the doors until after the harvest season. "What am I going to do!" He slammed his fist on the table and shut his eyes. He got up from his table, he hadn't touched his coffee, he walked back to his fields and dropped on his knees. "Oh Lord I haven't talked to you in a while and I sure wasn't planning on it today but your the only one I can ask for this now, I need rain I don't want to loose this place it's all I have left of my wife if you can help me now I'm gonna promise I'll go back to the church and be there every Sunday from here on in, and I need to apologize for my stubbornness and anger towards you oh Lord, please help me, Amen." He prayed with his eyes to the heavens and his arms opened wide. Just then the clouds rolled in and it got dark the thunder clapped and the lightening lite up the skies. The rain came down like in bucket loads watered the fields and the farmer danced a dance of joy.

"Clarence it's good to see you again I know it hasn't been easy on you." The old farmer looked at the reverend, "It is good to see you too preacher."

Rose


A woman woke up in the middle of the night with a sharp pain in her stomach she was nine months pregnant and this had happened before so she thought she would go get up and get a late night snake, she got up and started walking to the kitchen when she got another twinge and it was gone. "Whoa girl, calm down are you telling Mommy something." She paused in the hall and started walking again when she got to the kitchen she decided not to eat something but get a glass of water she sat down and slowly sipped her water when she felt something and knew what it was "Oh baby 3 a.m. is not the best time but whatever you want, you just made Mommies water break." She got up and instead of going to her husband to wake him up she went and took a shower which was getting difficult but she made it through, when she got her bags packed and and ready to go she woke her husband. "Peter it's time I think the baby is on the way." Peter still not awake raised up out of bed rubbed his still asleep eyes, and said. "Cara, what did you say, sweety?" Cara fully understanding that she really didn't give him a lot of time to prepare said in a painstaking breath. "Honey, baby, is on the way." Peter was up with a shot grabbed his pant put them on and got the car started came back in and said, "Alright honey lets get going." Cara looked at her husband and said "Honey you need a shirt and shoes." Not realizing that he hadn't finished dressing he put the rest of his clothes on and they were gone. The doctor and nurses were all in the room Cara's husband video taped the whole delivery her mother was still asleep when she got there but was fully awake now helping her daughter all she could. "Alright Cara one last push and this baby is born" the doctor said after a four hours of waiting. When the baby was born she had mothers nose and her fathers chin and just so cute that the father said, "She looks like a rose Cara, look I know we agreed on Polly, but can we name her Rose because she is so beautiful not like a red rose or a white or a pink for that matter she had her own kind of beauty of another kind of rose." Cara thought about it and agreed Rose was a good name and she didn't care about a name only that her baby was healthy and ten fingers and ten toes were all there and she had a healthy weight of 7 pounds 5 ounces, she was healthy. "Peter that is a good name for her that will be fine." When they had baby and mother situated in the room together and grandma's and grandpa's all had their chance to see the baby and the aunts and the uncles with all the cousins and the friends, when they were finally alone with just the three of them in the room Cara said to her husband "Honey I'm going to lay here and sleep for a while why don't you go home and get some rest too." Peter not wanting to leave said "Cara I'll stay right here and watch the baby while you sleep." Cara knew he was being gentle but didn't want him to go too long without rest, "Peter the nurse is going to be in here soon to come get the baby so she can finish all the test they need to do on her so go all I'm going to do is sleep." Peter knew he wouldn't win the argument and he didn't want to stress her so he gave in, "Alright dear but I'll be back in three hours no argument on that." Cara laid her head back and said "I love you I'll see you in three hours then." Peter smiled "Alright Cara I love you too now sleep well." When Peter got home he rested and woke up two hours later he walked into his back yard, he sat down on the ground and saw it, just the rose he was talking about it had it's own kind of beauty not because of color but just because it was it's own. It hadn't opened yet and it was assorted colors it was perfect, he walked over to it and cut it to form a long stem. When he walked into the hospital room he gave the rose to his wife, he gave the rose to his wife and said, "This is what I meant when I said she was as beautiful as a rose." Cara couldn't helped but be moved, "Honey your the sweetest man I have ever met come down here" Peter bent down and kissed him ever so gently. "I love my girls" He lowered his head down to his his daughters cheek and gave her a small kiss. "There isn't anything I wouldn't do you two."