Another Day of Christmas

I woke this morning early. I tossed around trying to find a comfortable position to lure myself back to sleep; India noticed my wakefulness and began her chirpings and grunts and periodic trips across the bed to stick her whiskers in my face. I grabbed my robe and something warm for my feet; the two of us made our way down the dark stairwell.

In the kitchen there was just enough light coming through the windows to find my way. I opened the door to the basement; Snowie prefers hunting there most nights. His warm thanks came in a large purr as he walked between my feet. I picked him up and gave him a squeeze. They ran beside me as I walked to the cupboard with the cat food and then accompanied me to their dishes, standing on their back feet and reaching towards the scoop as I fed them.

In the sun porch the stove was warm; I had stoked it at 2:30 when I was up. The deck was silent; the cats had not yet stirred themselves to come and wait for the boy’s morning feeding. A skiff of snow was still there on the deck and in the yard. The trees stood dark against a sky covered with heavy clouds except for one glorious streak of light where the clouds were rent open, announcing the morning sunrise.

I reached for the switch that would turn on the Christmas tree.

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The smell of eggs cooking is coming from the kitchen. This morning is a “get your own” breakfast. I hear my husband and oldest son talking as they begin the day. The two of them will bundle up against the cold and make their way out to the shed to feed and water the cattle and check on the chickens. My husband will probably need to get the big tractor going to feed the cattle a big round bale of hay. He’ll take a look around at the animals to see if he spots anyone who might be sick or injured. He will also try to match mommies and babies to be sure no one is missing—a hard task when there are so many of them.

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Lots of tasks today that I should do: grind flour and make bread, pay bills and balance the checkbook, clean the house and cook the meals. I would like to get back to typing my recipes onto a Word document, and I’ve been trying to get the family to move some furniture around—hard task when I am the only one interested in the change. My paperwork on my desk is piling again, too. There will be plenty to do, but I will also take the time to knit that baby sweater for a friend in hopes that it will still fit by the time it is done (!) and read some more in A Sand County Almanac; these are the activities I need to do as part of the holiday season, as part of renewal. Who knows? Perhaps I will take a walk in the woods and look for tracks in the snow.

What will you do today?

Blessings.