A Cold Morning Dawns…

This morning found me awakened in the dark confines of my tent. It was very, very cold and the temperatures were hovering around the freezing mark. Maggie had crawled into my sleeping bag, curled up next to me, and was sound asleep. Usually, she spends most of these evenings on guard duty on our jaunts into the backyard. Bless her heart. She was tired and dogs need to sleep as well. I wrapped her up in my arms and lay for the longest time listening to the sounds of the night. I put on my little Sony radio and listened to a station out of Chicago. It seemed like such a world away to be listening to that far-a-flung station.

I finally awakened Maggie and we made our way inside. I turned my heater on high and Maggie collapsed in front of it enjoying its warmth. I walked into my kitchen to start a percolator of coffee noticing I am almost out of the ground bean. I stood in the kitchen for the longest time lost in my thoughts until the harsh whistle of my coffee pot drew me back into the here and now.

I took my coffee outside and lit my camp stove placing the pot upon it. Maggie sleepily followed me crawling back into my sleeping bag. I turned off my flash light (torch for you Brits) and sat in my heaviest clothes drinking that hot coffee and enjoying the cool morning air. It was invigoratingly cold this morning and made all my senses come alive. I placed my hissing camp stove and my coffee next to my sleeping bag and crawled back in carefully positioning Maggie so I would not hurt her.

“I love you doll,” I said as I rubbed her belly. She sighed softly and rolled over close next to me.

I lay on my side for the longest time until my coffee was gone as I extinguished my camp stove. I lit up a cherry hinted cigarillo and took in long draughts of deep, chalky smoke from it. That taste of cherries and tobacco danced tantalizingly upon my tongue. I finished my cigar, walked back inside to write this, and now will go retire once again to the confines of my tent and snuggle up with Maggie for the rest of the morning. I am going to envelope myself in the warmth of my winter, down sleeping bag with that little dog curled by my side. I do love her so much.