Tokens of Love

Just Got back from our cabin in the woods I’ve been off playing in the river, roasting marshmallows, burning dead branches, making strawberry waffles, building fires in the wood stove, morning walk with the dogs at dawn, watching netflix, playing Old Maid, War, decorating Sami’s loft, listening to the birds, exploring new places, drinking peculated coffee made from the wood stove, going potty in the little portable, Swiss Miss hot chocolate with miniature marshmallows, Trying to ride the QUAD-scared shitless, SAMI is a pro quad rider- She is 6 years old! Trying to cross the Yakima river-foot to rock-foot-to-rock without getting wet–ya right!!!Grabbing onto branches to save! me from getting wet. Maybe one of these days I will learn. Campfire, it maybe our last because of a no burn ban that starts on monday, found my lost book the scary campfire ghost story book, thinking that Sami hid it from me, snuggles with BB in our cozy log styled feather bed, I sleep sooo well because it is the darkest of dark outside at night and quiet too.

My favorite room in the cabin is the living room and you will always find me on the couch front row center, enjoying the fires in which I have created. I have it down to a science after all I have been in the fire building business since the construction of the cabin. Girl Scout Rule #1 Always, I mean ALWAYS place the lighter and a flash light near the wood stove. Saves the trouble of having to search for these items in a cold, dark cabin. Rule #2 Have your supplies ready to go: Fire starter stix, cedar wood shavings, kindling, a stack of dry season wood. Rule #3 Start small using the fire starter tablet, adding cedar shavings, kindling, cedar, hemlock,and fir logs building up in a criss cross fashion ending with the grand finale with the Madrona log which happens to be the hottest burning wood in the northwest. These Madrona logs are brought from home and we use these logs for fire starting and at bedtime to keep the fire going. Rule #4 Oxygen, fires like to breath don’t pack too tightly, #4 Patience, every fire is different no two fire are alike this is the beauty of fires

Thinking back to why I appreciate fires so much

On my fathers death bed

after a Native American singing and drumming ritual,

before I unplugged the life support

one of the drummers, my dad’s closest friend, told me in so many words that I will feel my father’s spirit within the fire

“You must always respect fire.

Feed the fire with a token of love in honor of your father.

Your father is within the fire”.