April 21, 2024

A Quiet Day

When my watch woke me up at 6:30 AM on Sunday morning, my wife was already out of bed. I made my way to the living room where she sat with Koda and Axel, wishing them a good morning. It was cloudy outside, and the forecast called for rain all day. My wife whipped up two cappuccinos, and we sat outside sipping them until the rain drove us back indoors. The view, with the dark sky and glowing green forest wet from the rain, was beautiful. It had all the makings of a lazy day.

When the rain slowed, we took Koda into the woods for a walk. Although the forest appeared dark, it was not gloomy. The wet leaves on the trees, which had grown thick, glowed brightly, making the place look magical. The air was comfortable and cool, a reminder from nature that days like today were good for slowing our pace and catching our breath.

We entered the grove on the trails, which were soft with a thin layer of mud. The bright white eggs still sat on the dark soil and the apples, wet from the rain, looked deep crimson. Something had taken bites of different sizes out of the remaining apples. Ears of corn were scattered about but left untouched. The French bread, the entire loaf, was gone.

Koda ran around in his florescent orange vest, excited to be out in the woods. In one area on the trail lied hundreds of tiny white flowers, small enough to fit four of them on my thumbnail. The tiny flowers covered a nearby spider web, taking on the web’s geometric shape. When we arrived at Beaver Tooth Rock, Koda climbed down the side of the boulder and explored the creek bed while my wife and I looked on. It was a beautiful day, and we felt appreciative of having access to this beautiful land. We romped through the forest, arriving back at the house, ready to continue on with our day.

For breakfast, my wife ate a bowl of oatmeal she made in the pressure cooker. I had a bowl of spicy ramen served with the remaining pork spare ribs I had smoked on the Traeger. After breakfast and morning chores, my wife put on her apron and got busy with one of her favorite hobbies: baking. She made homemade pie crust and then baked two chocolate chess pies from scratch. I stood near the counter watching her. She looked adorable and scrumptious in her baking attire. While she continued baking, I went to my office to write.

There were many things I loved about having my wife at home. While not the main reason, one added benefit was the amazing food she cooked. My wife threw together a large salad with strips of skirt steak we grilled yesterday while cooking salmon. The salad greens, steak, and a healthy serving of homemade ranch dressing made the meal pop.

During a break from writing, we left for a quick trip to the Piggly Wiggly to get some heavy whipping cream to make topping for the chess pies. One pie would stay with us, while the other would go to a neighbor who installed a new back door on our house last year. He lived down the road in a house next door to his daughter, who raised goats and chickens. While at the Pig, we grabbed ten plants to put in our garden, consisting of bell pepper, cucumber, habanero, cayenne, and several species of tomato plants.

When we arrived home, my wife made some whipped cream, and we each ate a slice of pie. It was delicious. While we ate, I began looking at my wife’s next bed-and-breakfast, where she would stay next week. After, we went for another walk, this time with Axel.

Axel, a sweet and very smart dog, enjoyed playing hide and seek in the woods. My wife and I took turns hiding, and Axel knew exactly what to do. While most untrained search dogs searched by sight, Axel was good at using his nose, catching our scent cones, and then zeroing in on our location. He looked so serious, staring with his piercing eyes as he rushed up. It was a good time and helped burn off some of Axel’s Malinois energy.

It was one of those rare days when my wife and I both felt tired. She had just finished a rotation after being away from home and today’s weather was gloomy, all contributing to our tiredness. For dinner, we drove into Wilson to pick up a pepperoni pizza from Armando’s. Although we both felt drained, we were in good spirits and looking forward to the week since my wife was off and I had a two-day work week.

My wife jumped into the tub earlier than usual and I went into the forest for last light. It was still drizzling, and the air felt damp and cold. I made my way to Beaver Tooth Rock, where I sat in the rain, watching the forest, preparing my mind for my return to work. It was quiet, with only one bird chirping in the distance. The pitter patter of raindrops falling on the overgrown vegetation was the only other sound I heard.

An occasional gust of wind blew through, shaking all the leaves, causing them to drop the water they collected. During these moments, the light rainfall transformed into a momentary downpour, softening again after the wind passed. A large pileated woodpecker flew by me and landed in a tree, but it, too, remained silent. Satisfied that all was quiet, both inside and out, I made my way back to the house to shower and sleep.