When the fire burns low
Christine Tailer
By Christine Tailer
HCP columnist
I love waking up in the morning when it’s cold outside, and the woodstove fire has turned to glowing embers. There is a chill on the tip of my nose. I roll over and bury myself deeper under the covers.
I love the feel of the dog's heat. Her warmth sneaks through the blankets. She always sleeps snuggled in between us, on top of the covers, sharing her warmth with us equally.
Greg snores softly. The clocks tick. I hear their individual voices. They sound like dozens of familiar heartbeats. This is a calming time of day when the early morning fire has burned low. I never want it to end.
I love the way the dog stretches to lick my face. I gently push her away, but she is persistent. I push, she licks, and in short time she prevails. I sit up on the side of the bed and she stretches out full length, with her head on my pillow and her feet pushing up against Greg's back. She looks at me triumphantly with that side eye look. My space has become her space. I run my fingers through her ears. They feel soft and cool.
Coffee calls me downstairs. Greg and the dog linger in bed, but by the time I have poured the warm brew, they are coming down the stairs, heading for the basement wood stove. I set out our bowls of cereal, and light the oil lamps for a touch of warming light. I hear the basement door open. I know that Greg and the dog have gone outside, to gather up logs to get the woodstove’s fire going. As I slice the banana to top our cereal, I hear the basement door close and the solid thump of logs on the basement floor. I hear a gentle screech as Greg opens the stove's door and rakes the coals.
By the time Greg and the dog return upstairs for breakfast, the stove pipe is starting to creak with its expanding warmth. Greg sits at the head of the table. I sit to the side. The dog lies between us. The lamp flames glow. The cabin warms.
I love this early winter time of day when the fire burns low.
Christine Tailer is an attorney and former city dweller who moved several years ago, with her husband, Greg, to an off-grid farm in south-central Ohio. Visit them on the web at straightcreekvalleyfarm.com.