Joshua stopped to inspect his worn sandals on the way to his father and mother's house. He sighed as one of the straps snapped, and then resolutely retied it. The leather was so thin that it looked almost like thread.

The snow was coming down hard today, it was already six inches deep.

He trudged along and finally reached his father's shop.

"Father, I'm home!" he said. Joshua adjusted his cap on his head and sat down on the floor to retie his sandal straps once more for the way home.

He wasn't the only one here, Joshua's father's shop was a small but wonderful social gathering place for all the lower class of London. So he might even meet someone new while he was here.

Anyways, he had to find out if anyone had stored any vegetables and fruit this year. Maybe they had some pumpkin seeds he could plant sometime soon.